How to clear all blocks in Minecraft?

To clear blocks in Minecraft, you primarily use console commands which offer precise control over various aspects of the game world and your inventory. The method depends on whether you want to remove items from your inventory, clear dropped items from the ground, or delete placed blocks from a specific area of the world.

While the "/clear" command in Minecraft is a popular option for removing unwanted blocks from the world without having to break them manually, its main function is to manage items within a player's inventory. For removing placed blocks or dropped entities, other specific commands are used.

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Understanding "Clearing Blocks" in Minecraft

"Clearing blocks" can refer to several distinct actions:

• Clearing Player Inventory: Removing specific items, including blocks, from your character's backpack or hotbar. This is ideal for decluttering or preparing for new tasks.
• Clearing Dropped Items (Item Entities): Removing items that have been dropped on the ground and are visible as entities in the world. This helps improve performance and clean up an area.
• Clearing Placed Blocks from the World: Deleting actual blocks that have been placed in the game world, such as dirt, stone, or trees, within a defined region. This is useful for construction, terraforming, or creating empty spaces.

Let's explore each method in detail.

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1. Clearing Items from Your Inventory (/clear)

The /clear command is your go-to for managing the items in a player's inventory. It allows you to remove all items, or specific types and amounts of items, instantly.

How to Use the /clear Command

The basic syntax for the /clear command is:

/clear <player> [item] [data|variant] [maxCount] [dataTag]

• <player>: The target player whose inventory you want to clear. You can use target selectors like @s (yourself), @p (nearest player), @a (all players), @r (random player), or a specific player's username.
• [item]: (Optional) The ID of the item or block you want to clear (e.g., minecraft:dirt, stone). If omitted, all items are cleared.
• [data|variant]: (Optional) For some items, this specifies a data value or variant (e.g., minecraft:wool 1 for orange wool). Often deprecated in favor of specific item IDs.
• [maxCount]: (Optional) The maximum number of items to clear. If omitted, all matching items are cleared.
• [dataTag]: (Optional) An NBT (Named Binary Tag) data tag for more complex item matching (e.g., items with specific enchantments or custom names).

Practical Examples:

• Clear all items from your own inventory:

  /clear @s

• Clear all dirt blocks from your inventory:

  /clear @s minecraft:dirt

• Clear up to 10 cobblestone blocks from your inventory:

  /clear @s minecraft:cobblestone 0 10

• Clear all diamonds from all players' inventories:

  /clear @a minecraft:diamond

Target Selectors:

Selector	Description
@s	Yourself (the player executing the command)
@p	The nearest player
@a	All players on the server
@r	A random player
@e	All entities (not typically used with /clear)

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2. Clearing Dropped Items from the World (/kill)

When blocks or items are broken or dropped, they become item entities that float on the ground. To remove these and clean up an area, you use the /kill command targeting these entities.

How to Use the /kill Command for Item Entities

The syntax targets specific entity types:

/kill @e[type=item,distance=..<radius>]

• @e: Selects all entities.
• [type=item]: Filters the selection to only include item entities (dropped items/blocks).
• [distance=..<radius>]: (Optional) Specifies a radius around the command executor. For example, distance=..20 will kill item entities within 20 blocks. If omitted, it applies to the entire loaded area around the player.

Practical Examples:

• Clear all dropped items in the loaded chunks around you:

  /kill @e[type=item]

• Clear all dropped items within a 50-block radius from your position:

  /kill @e[type=item,distance=..50]

• Clear all dropped dirt blocks within a specific radius (more complex with NBT, generally easier to clear all items):
  This often requires more advanced JSON NBT tag filtering, which is beyond a simple /kill command without modifications or additional tools for specific dropped items. For most cleaning purposes, clearing all type=item is sufficient.

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3. Clearing Placed Blocks from an Area (/fill)

To remove actual, placed blocks from the Minecraft world—effectively creating empty space or replacing blocks—you use the /fill command. This is incredibly powerful for terraforming, building, or resetting areas.

How to Use the /fill Command

The /fill command requires two sets of coordinates to define a cuboid region:

/fill <x1> <y1> <z1> <x2> <y2> <z2> <block> [replace|destroy|hollow|outline|keep] [replaceBlock]

• <x1> <y1> <z1>: The coordinates of the first corner of the region.
• <x2> <y2> <z2>: The coordinates of the opposite corner of the region.
• <block>: The block you want to fill the region with. To clear blocks, you use minecraft:air.
• [method]: (Optional) How the block placement should behave (e.g., replace existing blocks).
• [replaceBlock]: (Optional) If using replace method, specifies which block type to replace (e.g., only replace dirt).

Practical Examples:

• Clear all blocks in a 10x10x10 cube starting at your current position (relative coordinates):
  Stand at one corner and execute:

  /fill ~ ~ ~ ~+9 ~+9 ~+9 minecraft:air

  • ~ ~ ~ refers to your current position.
  • ~+9 ~+9 ~+9 refers to 9 blocks away on the x, y, and z axes from your current position, creating a 10x10x10 cube.

• Clear a specific area (e.g., a room) using absolute coordinates:
  If your room is from (100, 64, 200) to (110, 70, 210):

  /fill 100 64 200 110 70 210 minecraft:air

• Replace only stone blocks with air within a defined region:

  /fill 100 64 200 110 70 210 minecraft:air replace minecraft:stone

Important Considerations for /fill:

• Backup Your World: Always back up your world before using /fill on large areas, as mistakes can be difficult to undo.
• Performance: Filling very large areas can cause significant lag or even crash your game, especially on less powerful systems. Start with smaller regions.
• Relative Coordinates: Using ~ (current position), ~+n (n blocks positively), and ~-n (n blocks negatively) is helpful for relative placement.

By understanding and utilizing these powerful commands, you can efficiently clear various types of "blocks" in Minecraft, whether they are in your inventory, on the ground, or placed in the world.