Create Your First Minecraft Bedrock Addon (2026)

What Is an Addon?

An addon in Minecraft Bedrock Edition is a set of files that modify or add content to the game. Addons are built from two types of packs that work together:

• Behavior Packs (BP) — Define how things work: custom items, entities, loot tables, recipes, and game logic. They use JSON files.
• Resource Packs (RP) — Define how things look: textures, sounds, models, and animations. They reference assets like PNG images.

Tools You Need

Before you start, gather these tools:

• Text editor — VS Code is recommended for JSON editing with syntax highlighting and validation. Notepad++ or any plain-text editor also works.
• Blockbench — Free 3D modeling tool for creating custom entity and item models. Optional for simple items; required for custom 3D models.
• UUID generator — You need unique IDs for your pack. Use an online UUID generator or run uuidgen in a terminal.

File Structure

Each pack (BP and RP) has a similar structure:

my_addon_BP/
  manifest.json
  pack_icon.png
  items/
  entities/
  ...

my_addon_RP/
  manifest.json
  pack_icon.png
  textures/
  items/
  item_texture.json
  ...

manifest.json tells Minecraft about your pack. pack_icon.png is a 256x256 or 128x128 image shown in the pack list.

Step 1: Create Folders

Step 2: Write manifest.json

Each pack needs a manifest.json file in its root. Use unique UUIDs for uuid and pack_uid (generate new ones for your addon).

{
  "format_version": 2,
  "header": {
    "name": "My Addon",
    "description": "My first custom addon",
    "uuid": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
    "version": [1, 0, 0],
    "min_engine_version": [1, 20, 0]
  },
  "modules": [
    {
      "type": "data",
      "uuid": "b2c3d4e5-f6a7-8901-bcde-f12345678901",
      "version": [1, 0, 0]
    }
  ],
  "dependencies": []
}

{
  "format_version": 2,
  "header": {
    "name": "My Addon",
    "description": "My first custom addon",
    "uuid": "c3d4e5f6-a7b8-9012-cdef-123456789012",
    "version": [1, 0, 0],
    "min_engine_version": [1, 20, 0]
  },
  "modules": [
    {
      "type": "resources",
      "uuid": "d4e5f6a7-b8c9-0123-def0-234567890123",
      "version": [1, 0, 0]
    }
  ],
  "dependencies": [
    {
      "uuid": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
      "version": [1, 0, 0]
    }
  ]
}

Step 3: Create a Simple Custom Item

Create a file at my_addon_BP/items/example_item.json:

{
  "format_version": "1.20.0",
  "minecraft:item": {
    "description": {
      "identifier": "my_addon:example_item",
      "is_experimental": false
    },
    "components": {
      "minecraft:icon": {
        "textures": {
          "default": "my_addon:example_item"
        }
      },
      "minecraft:max_stack_size": 64
    }
  }
}

The identifier must match what you define in the Resource Pack. The texture name my_addon:example_item maps to a texture file.

Step 4: Add Textures

Create item_texture.json in the Resource Pack root and add your texture file.

{
  "resource_pack_name": "my_addon",
  "texture_name": "atlas.items",
  "texture_data": {
    "example_item": {
      "textures": "textures/items/example_item"
    }
  }
}

Place a 16x16 PNG image at my_addon_RP/textures/items/example_item.png. You can use any simple PNG; Minecraft will use it as the item icon.

Step 5: Test In-Game

To test your addon, copy both pack folders into Minecraft's development folders:

%AppData%\Minecraft Bedrock\Users\Shared\games\com.mojang

Step 6: Package as .mcaddon for Distribution

To share your addon, package both packs into a single .mcaddon file:

Troubleshooting

• Pack not showing — Ensure manifest.json is valid JSON (no trailing commas, correct quotes). Add pack_icon.png (256x256 or 128x128) to the pack root.
• Item is invisible or missing — Check that the identifier in the BP item JSON matches the texture name in item_texture.json. Ensure both packs are activated.
• Texture not loading — Verify the path in item_texture.json points to textures/items/example_item and the PNG file exists.
• Dependency errors — The RP dependencies must reference the BP header UUID exactly. Regenerate UUIDs if you copied from another addon.

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