Minecraft X-Ray Texture Pack and Mod 2026

What Is an X-Ray Texture Pack in Minecraft?

An X-Ray texture pack is a resource pack that makes most blocks fully transparent or semi-transparent, allowing you to see through stone, dirt, and other terrain to spot valuable ores like diamonds, emeralds, ancient debris, and more. Unlike mods that require third-party loaders, texture packs work natively with Minecraft's built-in resource pack system — no Forge, Fabric, or external software needed.

The concept is simple: every block in Minecraft has a texture file. By replacing opaque textures with fully transparent PNG files (alpha channel set to 0), those blocks become invisible in-game. Ore blocks keep their original textures, so they appear to float in empty space, making them trivially easy to locate.

X-Ray Texture Pack vs X-Ray Mod: Key Differences

There are two main approaches to X-Ray vision in Minecraft, and understanding the difference matters for compatibility and detection risk.

Texture Pack Method

• How it works: Replaces block textures with transparent images
• Installation: Drop into the resourcepacks folder — no mod loader needed
• Compatibility: Works on Java Edition and Bedrock Edition (with slight differences)
• Limitations: On servers with server-side rendering or anti-X-Ray plugins (like Orebfuscator), fake ores are sent to the client, making texture packs less effective
• Detection: Difficult to detect directly since it's just a resource pack, but suspicious mining patterns can flag you

X-Ray Mod Method

• How it works: Modifies the game's rendering engine to selectively hide blocks
• Installation: Requires Forge or Fabric mod loader on Java Edition
• Compatibility: Java Edition only (Bedrock has no mod loader support)
• Advantages: Toggle X-Ray on/off with a keybind, configure which blocks to show, works with cave mode and fullbright
• Popular mods: Xaero's X-Ray (Fabric), Advanced XRay (Forge), XRay Mod by ATE47

Which Should You Use?

For singleplayer worlds, the mod method is superior because of the toggle feature and block filtering. For servers — especially Bedrock servers where mods aren't an option — a texture pack is your only choice. On Java servers running anti-X-Ray plugins, neither method works perfectly, but the mod approach handles it slightly better with cave-finder modes.

How to Install an X-Ray Texture Pack (Java Edition)

Installing a texture pack on Java Edition is straightforward and requires no technical knowledge:

1. Download the texture pack — it will be a .zip file. Do not extract it.
2. Open Minecraft and go to Options → Resource Packs
3. Click "Open Pack Folder" — this opens the resourcepacks directory (typically %appdata%/.minecraft/resourcepacks on Windows)
4. Drop the .zip file into this folder
5. Back in Minecraft, the pack should appear on the left side. Click the arrow to move it to "Selected Packs"
6. Click Done and wait for textures to reload

Once active, most blocks will become invisible. You'll see ores, chests, spawners, and other valuable blocks floating in empty space. To return to normal, simply deactivate the resource pack.

Java Edition Tip: Combine with Fullbright

X-Ray packs work best when combined with fullbright (gamma set to maximum). Without it, underground areas appear pitch black even with transparent blocks. You can set this by editing options.txt in your .minecraft folder and changing gamma:1.0 to gamma:15.0, or by using a mod like Sodium with brightness boost.

How to Install on Bedrock Edition

Bedrock Edition (Windows 10/11, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, Mobile) handles resource packs differently:

1. Download the .mcpack file — this is Bedrock's resource pack format
2. Double-click the file on Windows or tap it on mobile — Minecraft will automatically import it
3. Go to Settings → Global Resources and activate the pack
4. Alternatively, activate it per-world under World Settings → Resource Packs

On consoles (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch), sideloading resource packs is more complex and typically requires transferring files through a companion app or USB. Mobile (iOS/Android) is the easiest Bedrock platform for custom packs.

Bedrock Limitations

Bedrock Edition has stricter rendering rules. Some X-Ray packs don't work as cleanly because Bedrock handles transparency differently than Java. You may see visual artifacts, z-fighting (flickering textures), or blocks that refuse to become fully transparent. Testing multiple packs to find one optimized for your platform version is recommended.

X-Ray Mods for Java Edition (2026)

If you play Java Edition, dedicated X-Ray mods offer far more control than texture packs. Here are the most popular options:

Advanced XRay (Forge)

One of the longest-running X-Ray mods. Supports Minecraft 1.20+ with Forge. Features include customizable block lists, keybind toggle (default: X key), cave finder mode, and configurable render distance for X-Ray blocks. The GUI lets you add or remove any block from the visible list.

XRay Mod (Fabric)

The Fabric equivalent, optimized for performance with Sodium and Iris compatibility. Toggle with the X key, configure blocks through an in-game menu, and use fullbright mode built-in. Fabric mods generally load faster and use less memory than Forge equivalents.

Hacked Clients with X-Ray

Clients like Wurst, Meteor, and Impact include X-Ray as one of dozens of built-in modules. These are the most feature-rich option but carry higher detection risk on anti-cheat servers. Wurst's X-Ray module, for example, lets you search for specific blocks, highlights them with colored outlines, and includes a "block ESP" mode that draws boxes around ores through walls.

Defeating Anti-X-Ray Plugins on Servers

Most popular Minecraft servers run anti-X-Ray solutions. Understanding how they work helps you decide if X-Ray is viable on a particular server.

Orebfuscator / Paper Anti-X-Ray

Paper (and its forks like Purpur) include a built-in anti-X-Ray system with two modes:

• Engine Mode 1: Replaces hidden ores with stone. X-Ray shows you only exposed ores (ones adjacent to air). Texture packs become nearly useless because hidden ores are literally not sent to your client.
• Engine Mode 2: Replaces all hidden blocks with a random mix of ores. Your X-Ray shows fake diamonds, emeralds, and other ores everywhere. This is the more aggressive mode and makes X-Ray completely unreliable.

Against Engine Mode 2, no client-side X-Ray solution works. The server is sending you deliberately false block data. The only workaround is seed-based methods or chunk analysis tools that compare what the server sends against expected world generation, but these are complex and impractical for most players.

How to Check if a Server Uses Anti-X-Ray

Enable X-Ray and dig straight down. If you see ores scattered randomly in every direction at every Y level (including diamonds at Y=100 where they don't naturally generate), the server is running Engine Mode 2. If you see no ores at all until you get close, it's Engine Mode 1. If ores appear normally, the server has no anti-X-Ray.

Best Ores and Blocks to Target

When using X-Ray effectively, knowing where to look matters as much as having the tool:

• Diamonds: Generate between Y=-64 and Y=16, with peak concentration at Y=-58. Mine at this level for maximum diamond density.
• Ancient Debris (Netherite): Found in the Nether between Y=8 and Y=22, peak at Y=15. X-Ray is extremely effective here because ancient debris is rare and the Nether is dense.
• Emeralds: Only in mountain biomes, Y=-16 to Y=320. X-Ray helps locate the single-block veins that are otherwise nearly impossible to find.
• Spawners: Dungeon and mineshaft spawners are visible through X-Ray. Great for setting up XP farms.
• Chests: Dungeon chests, mineshaft chests, and stronghold chests all appear through X-Ray.

Tips for Avoiding Detection on Servers

Even without anti-X-Ray plugins, server staff can detect X-Ray users through mining pattern analysis:

• Don't mine in straight lines to ores. This is the #1 giveaway. Staff tools like CoreProtect log every block break, and mining directly to diamond veins from 30 blocks away is obvious.
• Mix in normal mining. Strip mine normally and "happen to find" ores along the way.
• Don't find every ore. Skip some diamonds on purpose. A player with a 100% ore discovery rate is suspicious.
• Mine at normal speeds. Don't rush between ore veins. Take a natural amount of time.
• Limit your haul. Coming back with 3 stacks of diamonds after 20 minutes of mining will get you investigated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can X-Ray get you banned on singleplayer?

No. Singleplayer worlds are entirely local. No anti-cheat runs in singleplayer, and there's no one to report you. Use whatever you want.

Does X-Ray work on Realms?

Java Realms: yes, since Realms doesn't run anti-X-Ray plugins. Bedrock Realms: texture pack X-Ray works but is less reliable due to Bedrock's rendering.

Will X-Ray affect my FPS?

Texture pack X-Ray can actually improve FPS because fewer textures are rendered. Mod-based X-Ray may reduce FPS slightly due to the custom rendering, especially at high render distances. On modern hardware, the impact is negligible.

Can server owners see my resource packs?

No. The server cannot query which resource packs you have installed (it can only enforce its own server resource pack). Your client-side packs are invisible to the server.