Command Reference

Minecraft /fill Command

worldJavaBedrock

Fills a 3D cuboid region between two coordinates with a specified block, supporting replace filters, hollow rooms, outer wall outlines, and destruction.

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Version Compatibility

Java Edition:1.21.4 (1.13+)

Bedrock Edition:1.21.60

Command Syntax

Java Edition/fill <from> <to> <block>[<states>] [destroy|hollow|keep|outline|replace] [<filter>]

Arguments Explained

from (X Y Z)CoordinatesRequired

First corner of the 3D cuboid bounding box.

to (X Y Z)CoordinatesRequired

Opposite diagonal corner of the bounding box.

block / tileNameNamespaced Block IDRequired

Block type to place (e.g. minecraft:stone, glass, oak_planks).

modeFill Mode

Handling mode: replace (default), keep (fills air only), outline (outer perimeter shell), hollow (outer shell with air center), destroy (breaks blocks dropping items).

filter / replaceTileNameBlock Filter

When mode is replace, only blocks matching this ID will be substituted.

Practical Examples

beginnerBoth

/fill ~-10 ~-1 ~-10 ~10 ~-1 ~10 minecraft:stone_bricks

Creates a 21x21 stone brick floor directly beneath your feet.

Fast foundation platform builder.

intermediateBoth

/fill ~-5 ~ ~-5 ~5 ~8 ~5 minecraft:glass hollow

Creates an 11x9x11 hollow glass room with an empty interior.

Instant greenhouse or underwater shelter.

intermediateBoth

/fill ~-15 ~-3 ~-15 ~15 ~15 ~15 minecraft:air replace minecraft:water

Drains water from an ocean or cave area without affecting stone or sand.

Clearing flooded structures.

intermediateBoth

/fill ~-20 ~-5 ~-20 ~20 ~15 ~20 minecraft:air replace

Clears a massive 41x21x41 volume into empty air without spawning laggy item entities.

Terrain clearing for large-scale creative builds.

beginnerBoth

/fill ~-4 ~ ~-4 ~4 ~4 ~4 minecraft:oak_planks outline

Constructs the outer walls, floor, and ceiling of a cube without altering the interior.

Frame building without overwriting pre-placed furniture.

Common Mistakes

Mistake:

Exceeding the 32,768 block volume limit (e.g. filling a 35x35x35 cube is 42,875 blocks)

Fix:

Divide the volume into smaller coordinate chunks or vertical layers.

Mistake:

Using destroy mode on large volumes, generating thousands of floating items and crashing TPS

Fix:

Use "air replace" instead of "destroy" to delete blocks cleanly without item drops.

Mistake:

Forgetting that coordinates are inclusive: ~ ~ ~ to ~10 ~ ~ fills 11 blocks, not 10

Fix:

Remember the starting block counts as 1. For a 10-wide wall, offset by +9.

Java vs Bedrock Differences

Java Edition supports block states in square brackets [facing=north,waterlogged=false]. Bedrock Edition supports block states in JSON or legacy integer tileData, and in some platforms allows larger volume limits.

Command Block Usage & Automation

Connect an Impulse command block to an arena reset button: "/fill 100 64 100 120 64 120 stone_bricks replace air" to regenerate the floor after each battle, or clear hazardous lava puddles during puzzle runs.

Automation Tip: Command blocks require Operator permissions (permission level 2+) and cheats enabled. In Java Edition, command blocks can execute commands up to 32,767 characters long compared to the 256-character player chat limit.

Useful Tips

Use hollow mode to instantly generate houses or protective bubbles around yourself.
Use keep mode to fill in holes, caves, or ravines without destroying pre-existing structures.
Combine relative coordinates ~ with negative offsets (e.g. ~-5 ~-1 ~-5 to ~5 ~-1 ~5) to center floors around your avatar.

Important Notes

Minecraft enforces a hard limit of 32,768 blocks per /fill command execution to prevent server crashes. To fill larger zones, split the coordinates into multiple adjacent slices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I undo a /fill command if I made a mistake?

There is no native undo command in vanilla Minecraft. Always create a backup of your world or test coordinates with a smaller volume first.

Why did my fill command say "Cannot place blocks outside of the world"?

Either the coordinates are outside the world build limits (Y -64 to 320 in Java), or the target area is in unloaded chunks.

What is the difference between hollow and outline modes?

Outline fills the outer shell and leaves whatever blocks were already inside. Hollow fills the outer shell and forces all interior blocks to become air.

Related Commands

/setblock /clone /forceload

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