minecraft controls

If you are reading this while you are playing Minecraft, it's recommended that you go to the Minecraft window and press Esc to pause the game. It will save you from plunging into the darkness of night without any tools that you need to survive. Before you start, you should learn the controls for the game. Note that these controls are merely the default controls, and can be adjusted to your liking in the options menu.

The default keys for movement are as follows:

• W moves forward (double-tap and hold to sprint)
  
• S moves backward
  
• A moves left (strafe)
  
• D moves right (strafe)
  
• space to jump
  
• o § Left Shift to crouch/sneak (hold to prevent falling off blocks and sliding down ladders)
  

Note that these are just the default movement controls. They can be changed by going to the Options screen from the main menu or pause menu (press Esc to access).

Use the mouse to look around the world. Click and hold the left mouse button to break down (or mine) blocks. Just rapid clicking does not work. Right click to place (or use) the currently highlighted item from your inventory hot bar. The mouse wheel cycles through the currently held item in your inventory hot bar, or you can use the number keys 1 - 9. E opens your inventory window and Qwill drop a held item. These can also be changed in the options menu.

• F1 will toggle all HUD (Heads Up Display) and darkness effects
  
• F2 will take a screenshot, which saves in the directory o .minecraftscreenshotso . Since Beta 1.2, it is possible to make screenshots using F2 without holding F1 at the same time. It will keep the HUD.
  
• F5 will toggle 3rd-person view and pressed again will toggle front view
  

F3+F (previously F) will cycle through the levels of fog in the world. This sets the render distance and can reduce lag, however it prevents you from seeing as far as possible across the map. This will make it more difficult to see mobs and anything else.
There are four different view distances, which are represented by stages of fog:1) Far (No fog): You can see the maximum distance (around a 256 block diameter)2) Normal (Low fog): You can see about half of your maximum range. (around a 128 block diameter)3) Short (Medium fog): This prevents you from determining what time of day it is as it blocks the sun, so this is not suggested. If your Minecraft client is this laggy, try the Optifine Mod. You can only see about thirty-two blocks away from you. (around a 64 block diameter)4) Tiny (Heavy fog): Same as medium fog but you can only see sixteen blocks away. It is extremely difficult to play this way, and thus this fog distance is not suggested for any player except the very experienced for a challenge or if your computer is slow and you want to minimize lag. (around a 32 block diameter)

• Note: As of Beta 1.8, the deeper underground you are, the heavier the fog will be, this increases immensely in, and slightly above, the void, where it is nearly pitch black.