How to Change Biomes in Minecraft 1.20 (2022)

Please note that the fillbiome command was first introduced with Minecraft 1.20 Snapshot 22W46A and is still under testing. So, its syntax, functioning, and mechanics could undergo changes prior to the final release.

What is a Biome in Minecraft?

In Minecraft, the term biome refers to the environmental features of any given region, including atmosphere, sky, ambient sounds, and even texture tint. Not to forget, some Minecraft mobs can only spawn in certain biomes. For example, the desert biome has a high temperature, no spawn mechanic for plants, and spawns Camels and Husks in terms of exclusive mobs. Husks are a variant of zombies that only spawn in the deserts.
As you might notice, we aren’t talking about blocks while describing any biome. That’s because you can replace blocks in a biome but can’t change their ambient features. That makes it impossible for the Nether mobs to spawn in the overworld and vice versa. Well, at least, until you decide to use the “fillbiome” command. When executed, this command changes the default biome-based features of one spot with another biome’s features in Minecraft. More on it later.

Exclusive Features of Biomes

Almost every Minecraft biome has some exclusive features. You can use our linked guide to find out more about each of them. But to save you some time, here are some examples of such features that you can keep in mind while testing the new command:

Mushroom Fields: No hostile mobs can spawn in this biomeCrimson Forest (Nether): Known for its fog and reddish particlesVoid: The biome where no plants, structures, or mobs spawnBadlands: Gold ores spawn the most in this biomeEnd Highlands: Only Endermen spawn in this biomeSavanna: The plantation and blocks in this biome have a slight sepia color scheme

How Does the Fill Biome Command Work

The new “fill biome” command is similar to the existing fill command in Minecraft. The former replaces the biome-based features of an area, while the latter replaces the blocks of that region. However, keep in mind that biomes, unlike blocks, don’t have strict coordinates in place. Instead, if you’re a veteran Minecraft player, you would know that different biomes blend the blocks at the edges where they meet. So, you have to expand your coordinates while trying to change a biome in Minecraft.
With the basics out of the way, here’s the syntax for the fill biome command:
/fillbiome A_Coordinates B_Coordinates biome_name On a three-dimensional plane, A_Coordinates is the corner of the area from where you want the biome change to begin, and B_Coordinates is the location where you want the biome changes to end. Both the coordinates need to be set in numerical values corresponding to X, Y, and Z dimensions. Here, X, Y, and Z stand for altitude, elevation (height), and latitude, respectively.
Lastly, after the coordinates, you need to input the name of the biome you want to fill the area with. Once you execute the command, the biome in the entire area between those two points will be replaced with the biome of your choice. Example #1: The command below will fill the surrounding area with the savanna biome. Here, “~” are the coordinates of your current location, and the value next to it adds blocks to that coordinates. So, “~-10” on Y means 10 blocks below your location.
/fillbiome ~ ~ ~ ~10 ~-10 ~40 minecraft:savanna Example #2: This command will replace the existing biome between the given coordinates with the void biome in Minecraft.
/fillbiome -12 22 44 -44 -10 -19 minecraft:void

How to Use Fill Biome Command in Minecraft

Just like all the other useful Minecraft commands, you first need to turn on cheats from the settings to use the fillbiome command to change biomes in Minecraft. Here’s how it works.

Step #1: Turn on Cheats in Settings

  1. First, press ESC and open the pause menu in Minecraft. Then, click on the “Open to LAN” button.
  2. In the LAN World menu, set the “Allow cheats” option to “On” by clicking on it. Then, click the “Start LAN World” button at the bottom.

Step #2: Change Biome in Minecraft

Now that you know how “fill biome” works and have enabled cheats in your Minecraft world, it’s time to see the command in action. Follow the steps below to change the biome of any region in Minecraft:

  1. First, you need to turn on the coordinates in your world. You can do so by pressing the “F3” key on your keyboard, which will bring up the debug overlay. It has your current coordinates, labeled XYZ, on the left-side informational panel.
  2. Then, go to one corner of the world where you want the new biome to begin and note down that spot’s coordinates. You can also place a block there to add a visual reminder. For us, the coordinates are -150, 71, 936.
  3. Then, go to the corner where you want the biome changes to end and note down the coordinates. In our case, the coordinates are -122, 78, 946. Please note that while going from one location to another, it’s best to travel vertically as well. Some biome effects, such as mob spawning, need a slightly larger area of effect to function properly.
  4. Finally, open your in-game chat (press the “T” key) and enter the command with the noted coordinates. Since we want to change our current biome to plains, the command for us will be “/fillbiome -150 71 936 -122 78 946 minecraft:plains“. As soon as you press the “Enter” key, the command will come into action and replace the biome features.

Use Fillbiome Command to Change Minecraft Biomes

With that, you have now unlocked the power to bring deserts to mountains, and the Nether to the overworld. Though, as far as the Nether is concerned, Minecraft Legends is already bringing a collision between the two worlds in a unique strategy game style next year. The only catch is that you will have to fight a war to survive. Fortunately, there are a bunch of new Minecraft Legends mobs to support you in your conquest. Not venturing far from the current topic, which biome are you planning to fill in your Minecraft base? Tell us in the comments section below!