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📋 Setup Guide

Getting Your Tools Ready

What You Need

Different phases require different tools. Here's what you need for each:

Phase 1: Command Blocks

  • ✅ Minecraft Bedrock Edition
  • ✅ A world with cheats enabled
  • ✅ That's it!

Phase 2 & 3: MakeCode & JavaScript

  • ✅ Windows 10/11 PC
  • ✅ Minecraft Bedrock Edition (Windows 10 version)
  • ✅ Code Connection software
  • ✅ Internet connection (for MakeCode website)

Setting Up for Phase 1

Step 1: Enable Cheats in Minecraft

Command blocks only work when cheats are enabled.

For a New World:

  1. Open Minecraft Bedrock Edition
  2. Click "Play" → "Create New" → "Create New World"
  3. Scroll down to "Game" section
  4. Toggle "Activate Cheats" to ON
  5. Set "Default Game Mode" to Creative (recommended for learning)
  6. Toggle "Show Coordinates" to ON (very helpful!)
  7. Click "Create" to create the world

For an Existing World:

  1. Open the world
  2. Press Escape (or pause button)
  3. Go to Settings → Game
  4. Toggle "Activate Cheats" to ON
  5. Toggle "Show Coordinates" to ON
⚠️ Note: Enabling cheats will disable achievements for that world. That's why we recommend creating a separate "Coding Practice" world!

Step 2: Get Your First Command Block

  1. In your world, press T to open chat
  2. Type:
    /give @s command_block
  3. Press Enter
  4. The command block appears in your inventory!
✅ You're ready for Phase 1! Head to the Phase 1 Tutorial to start learning.

Setting Up for Phase 2 & 3

⚠️ Important Update (2025): Code Connection was discontinued by Microsoft in December 2023. We now have better, easier options! Choose the method that works best for you below.

Choose Your Setup Method

🎓 Method 1: Minecraft Education Edition (RECOMMENDED)

Best for: Easy setup, built-in coding, works great!

What You Need:
  • Windows 10/11, Mac, iPad, or Chromebook
  • Free Minecraft Education Edition account
Setup Steps:
  1. Go to education.minecraft.net/get-started
  2. Click "Get Started" and create a free account (use any email)
  3. Download Minecraft Education Edition
  4. Install and open Minecraft Education Edition
  5. Create a new world with cheats enabled
  6. Press C key or type /code to open Code Builder
  7. Select "MakeCode" from the options
  8. Start coding!
✅ Easiest Option! Code Builder is built right into the game - no external apps needed!

🔧 Method 2: MakeCode Web Editor (Alternative)

Best for: If you already have regular Bedrock Edition and want to keep using it

What You Need:
  • Minecraft Bedrock Edition (regular version)
  • Web browser
Setup Steps:
  1. Open Minecraft Bedrock Edition
  2. Create a new world with cheats enabled
  3. In your web browser, go to minecraft.makecode.com
  4. Click "New Project"
  5. Code in the web browser
  6. Export as a behavior pack when done
  7. Import the behavior pack into Minecraft
💡 Note: This method requires exporting/importing, so it's a bit less convenient than Education Edition, but it still works great!

🛠️ Method 3: CodeConnectFix (Advanced)

Best for: Advanced users who want the old Code Connection experience

There's a community-maintained tool called CodeConnectFix that makes Code Connection work with newer Minecraft versions. This is more technical and requires following GitHub instructions.

⚠️ Advanced: This method is more complex. We recommend Method 1 (Education Edition) for beginners!

Our Recommendation

👍 Use Minecraft Education Edition! It's free, easy to set up, and has Code Builder built right in. It works exactly the same as regular Minecraft but with better coding tools!

Head to the Phase 2 Tutorial once you're set up!

Troubleshooting

Problem: Code Connection won't connect to Minecraft

Solutions to try:
  1. Make sure cheats are enabled in your Minecraft world
  2. Close Code Connection and Minecraft, then restart both
  3. Try typing the connect command again
  4. Make sure you're using Bedrock Edition, not Java Edition
  5. Check that no firewall is blocking Code Connection
  6. Try a different port: /connect localhost:8001 or /connect localhost:8002

Problem: MakeCode won't open or shows errors

Solutions to try:
  1. Check your internet connection
  2. Try a different web browser (Chrome, Edge, or Firefox work best)
  3. Clear your browser cache
  4. Disable browser extensions that might interfere
  5. Try going directly to minecraft.makecode.com

Problem: Code runs in MakeCode but nothing happens in Minecraft

Solutions to try:
  1. Check that Code Connection shows "Connected"
  2. Make sure you're looking at Minecraft - sometimes the code works but you don't notice!
  3. Try a simple test: drag "say hello" block and run it - you should see a chat message
  4. Disconnect and reconnect (close Code Connection and start fresh)
  5. Restart Minecraft

Problem: Command blocks not working

Solutions to try:
  1. Double-check that cheats are enabled
  2. Make sure the command block is set to the right type (Impulse, Chain, Repeat)
  3. Check that "Needs Redstone" is set correctly
  4. Verify the command is typed correctly (no typos!)
  5. Enable "Command Block Output" in settings to see error messages
  6. Test the command in chat first (press T) before putting it in a command block

Still Having Problems?

Additional Help:

PC Requirements

Minimum Specs for MakeCode:

💡 Good News! If your PC can run Minecraft Bedrock Edition, it can almost certainly run Code Connection and MakeCode. They're very lightweight!

Optional: Visual Studio Code (Advanced)

For Phase 3, if you want to use a professional code editor instead of the MakeCode website:

Install Visual Studio Code

  1. Go to code.visualstudio.com
  2. Click "Download for Windows"
  3. Run the installer
  4. Follow the installation wizard

Install Minecraft Extensions

  1. Open Visual Studio Code
  2. Click the Extensions icon (or press Ctrl+Shift+X)
  3. Search for "Minecraft Bedrock Edition Debugger"
  4. Click "Install"
💡 Don't worry about this for now! Start with MakeCode in your browser. Once you're comfortable with JavaScript, you can explore VS Code later.

Creating a Dedicated Coding World

We recommend creating a separate world just for coding practice. Here's the ideal setup:

Recommended World Settings:

Setting Up Your Coding Area:

  1. Create a large flat area for testing
  2. Build a "Command Block Control Room" where you keep your command block creations
  3. Mark coordinates with signs for important locations
  4. Keep different projects in different areas

Quick Reference: Connection Steps

Once everything is installed, here's the quick process to start coding:

Every Time You Want to Code:
  1. Launch Code Connection
  2. Open Minecraft Bedrock Edition
  3. Load your coding world
  4. Press T and type /connect localhost:8000
  5. Click "MakeCode" in Code Connection
  6. Start coding!
🎉 You're all set! Now head to the tutorials and start creating amazing things!
Start Phase 1 → Start Phase 2 → ← Back to Home