How to Turn On Hitboxes in Minecraft
Last updated: Mar 31, 2025 • 5 min readNew Minecrafters know that battling mobs in this game isn’t as straightforward as it seems.
Sometimes, it’s really hard to determine what’s the best point to deal damage to a mob so you can efficiently defeat it.
If you are facing this issue, we have an efficient solution for you: use a hitbox! Hitboxes are a great tool to measure how much space an entity takes.
Let’s get ready to fight using a hitbox! In this blog post, we will provide you with valuable information about:
- How to turn on hitboxes in Minecraft;
- The importance of using hitboxes in this game;
- How to efficiently use hitboxes to your advantage.
What’s a Hitbox in Minecraft?
A hitbox is a white outline that shows how much space the various body parts of a mob (or another player) take.
Some objects also have their own hitboxes, but for practical purposes, we will focus more on how to show hitboxes for mobs and other entities in this game.
How Do Hitboxes Work?
Hitboxes are divided into the following three parts:
- White boxes, which determine the spatial location of an entire mob in the games’ world;
- Green box, which shows you the perfect place for dealing damage to a mob;
- Line of sight, which is a flat red rectangle or red box around the entire head that shows the sight area of an entity.
Hitboxes Allow Players to See Beyond a Solid Block
When you Add Friends on Minecraft to play this game, you probably only perceive random blocks in the space and nothing more.
Well, each block you see has its unique hitbox marked with a white line.
Some smaller blocks, such as baby animals and most mobs, have other hitboxes that players can see to understand how things work in this world.
4 Reasons Why You Should Show Hitboxes in Minecraft
So, besides pointing out your in-game eyes line of sight, what can you use a hitbox for? You are about to find out.
Pro Tip
If you have seen Minecraft YouTube videos, then you know that some Top Minecraft YouTubers decide to show hitboxes quite frequently.
Players love to use hitboxes to improve their skills!
1. The Straight Blue Line Tells You Where to Hit
The blue line that comes out of the line of sight of some entities works like a sign that tells you where to hit.
Don’t waste your precious time - look at the mob’s line of sight and hit them without mercy!
2. Become a Master of Tactical Retreats
Some mobs are just too hard to defeat. Have you tried to fight a haunting of several Minecraft Enderman?
Breaking the enemy’s line of sight is your best chance to retreat safely.
3. Breaking Objects at the Same Time is Easier Than Ever Before
Knowing the hitbox of a certain object allows you to break them quicker. That way, you can save a lot of your precious time!
Pro Tip
Hitboxes determine Suffocation Damage, which happens when a solid block enters the headspace of a player or entity in the game.
That way, you can quickly suffocate enemies, such as Ghasts, for instance.
4. Fast Farming at its Finest!
Imagine you want to farm animals, but just want to keep the smaller ones.
In that case, knowing the size of the hitbox of, let’s say, a baby chicken, will allow you to create a mechanism where only adult chickens are killed, and the smaller ones survive so they can grow.
A little cruel, we know - but it’s efficient!
How to Turn On Hitboxes
Turning on hitboxes on Minecraft won’t take you more than 2 minutes, so let’s get to it.
Minecraft Java Edition
In order to turn on hitboxes in Java Edition, just follow these two steps:
- Press the key combo F3 + B;
- Press F3 and B again if you want to turn them off.
You don’t even need to go to the settings menu - it’s really simple! F3 + B should always do the trick.
Minecraft Bedrock Edition
There isn’t an official way to turn on hitboxes on Bedrock Edition.
You can do it on a PC only if you download a modpack, but we don’t recommend doing this since it might compromise your personal information, unless you get the mods from a safe website.
Hitboxes and the Ender Dragon
Hitboxes are especially useful when battling the Ender Dragon in Minecraft.
Before you go to the End Dimension to fight this beast, activate the Hitbox Option.
Lots of green boxes will show around the Dragon, which tells you what are the best spots to deal more damage to it.
There you go! Use hitboxes wisely - they will help you improve your Minecraft journey in no time.
Minecraft Hitboxes FAQ
Why Does F3 + B not Work Minecraft?
The main reason why this happens is that there’s a problem with your keyboard (F-lock key active), or there are some problems with Minecraft files, and you need to reinstall it. Read here to learn more.
Can I Change my Hitbox in Minecraft?
Officially, you can’t. All players have the same hitbox, and changing it would mess with the games’ mechanics. There are unofficial mods that could help you achieve this, though.