Minecraft spreadplayers command guide

Updated: 30 October 2026

Basic form

This spreads everyone within 200 blocks of X=0, Z=0, at least 50 blocks apart. You do not give a Y value; players are placed on the ground.

Arguments

The area is a square around the center, not a circle.

Keep teams together (Java)

/spreadplayers 0 0 100 300 true @a

With true, members of the same team land together and teams are at least 100 blocks apart.

Stay under the Nether roof (Java 1.17+)

/execute in minecraft:the_nether run spreadplayers 0 0 30 150 under 100 false @a

Without under, players in the Nether can end up on top of the bedrock roof. under 100 only picks ground below Y=100.

Random teleport for one player

/spreadplayers ~ ~ 0 1000 false @s

With a spacing of 0 and only yourself as the target, this works as a random teleport (RTP) to dry ground within 1000 blocks. On Bedrock, drop false. Put it behind a button for a lobby "random spawn" sign.

Spread mobs and items too

/spreadplayers ~ ~ 5 40 false @e[type=minecraft:sheep]

Despite the name, the targets can be any entities. This scatters every sheep within 40 blocks of you, at least 5 blocks apart. Narrow the selector, for example with distance=..60, so you do not move animals from the whole loaded world.

A typical minigame start

/worldborder center 0 0
/worldborder set 600
/spreadplayers 0 0 60 250 true @a[team=!spectators]
/effect give @a minecraft:resistance 10 4 true

Keep the spread range smaller than half the border size (here 250 inside a 600-wide border) so nobody lands outside. The short Resistance effect protects players while they get their bearings. See the worldborder guide for shrinking the border later.

Common problems

• "Could not spread" error: the area is too small for the number of players. Lower the spacing or raise the range.
• Players land on the ocean: move the center onto land or shrink the range.
• Error on Bedrock with false: Bedrock has no team option; leave it out.
• Players cannot find their way back: set a /spawnpoint first.

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