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In Minecraft: Java Edition, use Superflat → Customize → The Void to generate an empty world with a small stone starting platform. Bedrock Edition does not consistently include an equivalent preset: its current official flat-world list includes Bottomless Pit, while Mojang says a dedicated Void preset is still in development. For a genuinely empty Bedrock Overworld, install a behavior pack whose dimension file sets "generator_type": "void".

Choose the method that matches your edition

Edition matters more than the Minecraft version number. Java and Bedrock expose different world-generation controls, and a preset called Bottomless Pit is not the same as a generator-level void.

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Method Edition What it generates Starting platform Setup and risk
The Void Superflat preset Java Void beyond a small stone platform Present Menu-only; safest for a new test world
Bottomless Pit flat preset Java or Bedrock where listed Flat terrain with the bedrock layer removed, so you can mine or fall through to the Void Terrain remains Menu-only; not an empty generator
Void behavior-pack dimension Bedrock Generator-level void in the selected dimension Absent unless you build one File setup required; back up worlds before changing packs

A void world contains no normal supply of wood, stone, food, ores or a safe spawn. Decide in advance whether you want a creative construction canvas, a floating-island challenge or a technical test environment.

Java Edition: use the built-in The Void preset

Java has the most direct route. The preset creates a Superflat world with a small stone platform and nothing beyond it except the Void.

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Step-by-step

  1. From the title screen, select Singleplayer, then Create New World.
  2. Open the world-creation settings and set World Type to Superflat.
  3. Select Customize (the label can be inside the Superflat settings in some releases).
  4. Choose the The Void preset and confirm the preset settings.
  5. Choose a game mode. Creative is the practical choice for inspecting the spawn platform and building the first structures; Survival starts with no ordinary resource loop.
  6. Create the world and remain on the generated stone platform. Stepping off it drops you into the Void.

The platform is part of this Java preset, not evidence that ordinary terrain exists below it. The rest of the generated area is empty, so trees, caves, villages and ores will not appear unless you add them yourself.

When Bottomless Pit is the better Java choice

Use Bottomless Pit when your goal is to remove the bedrock floor from an otherwise flat Superflat layer. It leaves the flat-world layers in place; it simply permits mining or falling through them into the Void. Select it from the Superflat customization presets instead of The Void. Choose The Void when you want the platform-and-nothing-else starting state.

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Bedrock Edition: check the Advanced flat-world presets first

Bedrock’s menu labels and preset availability change between releases. Mojang’s official May 7, 2025 description lists these flat-world presets: Classic Flat, Tunneler’s Dream, Water World, Overworld, Snowy Kingdom, Bottomless Pit, Desert and Redstone Ready. That article says the team is working on a dedicated Void preset, so its absence in your installed release is expected.

Menu procedure

  1. Choose Play, then Create New and Create New World.
  2. Open the Advanced tab.
  3. Enable Flat World.
  4. Open the preset selector and inspect the list available in your release.
  5. If Void is present, select it, set the game mode and create the world.
  6. If it is not present, do not substitute Bottomless Pit if you need true emptiness; use the behavior-pack method below.

Bottomless Pit on Bedrock is still a flat-world option, not a guarantee of a completely empty Overworld. The exact labels may differ after an update, so verify the list in the Advanced tab rather than relying on an older tutorial screenshot.

Bedrock Edition: generate a true void Overworld with a behavior pack

Microsoft’s documented Bedrock route replaces the Overworld dimension’s generation component with a void generator. This requires a behavior-pack folder containing a valid manifest.json and a dimensions folder. Make the pack before creating the world; applying it to an existing save can affect both visible and future chunks.

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1. Close Minecraft and prepare the pack folder

Exit Minecraft completely before editing pack files. Create a normal behavior-pack directory and add its required manifest.json with valid pack metadata. The manifest is not optional: without it, Bedrock will not recognize the folder as a behavior pack.

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2. Add the dimensions directory

Inside the behavior-pack folder, create a directory named dimensions beside manifest.json. The folder name and the file extension must be exact; do not place the dimension file inside another nested folder.

3. Create overworld.json

Inside dimensions, create overworld.json with this documented content:

{
  "format_version": "1.18.0",
  "minecraft:dimension": {
    "description": {"identifier": "minecraft:overworld"},
    "components": {
      "minecraft:dimension_bounds": {"min": -16, "max": 256},
      "minecraft:generation": {"generator_type": "void"}
    }
  }
}

The minecraft:generation component is what requests void generation. The example also sets the dimension bounds from Y −16 through Y 256. Those bounds constrain the buildable and generated range; areas outside the saved or generated range become Void.

4. Activate the pack and create a test world

  1. Launch Minecraft after the files are complete.
  2. Start world creation and open the behavior-pack selection screen.
  3. Activate the pack for the new world and resolve any dependency or warning shown by Bedrock.
  4. Use Creative mode for the first launch and enable Show Coordinates.
  5. Create the world, confirm that the Overworld has no ordinary terrain, and build a platform before switching to a more restrictive mode.

Coordinates make it possible to record a platform location and recover from an accidental fall while testing. They do not create terrain or a spawn platform by themselves.

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5. Keep a backup before changing or removing the pack

Microsoft warns that the pack slices the visible height range and causes unsaved areas to generate as Void. Explored chunks can remain void after the pack is removed. Removing the pack restores the original height range for hidden existing terrain, but newly generated areas may retain their saved void state. Export or duplicate the world before activation, removal or further experimentation.

Void generation in the Nether and End

The same Bedrock documentation states that the Nether and End support void generation, but they do not support custom height bounds in the same way as the Overworld example. To target one of those dimensions, create the corresponding file—nether.json or the_end.json—change the dimension identifier to that dimension, and omit the bounds component where the format requires it. Keep each file’s generator component set to "generator_type": "void".

Test each dimension in a separate copy of the world. A pack that changes one dimension does not automatically provide a platform, portal room or other structure in another dimension.

What a void world changes

No natural resource chain

With no terrain, there is no naturally generated wood, stone, food, ore, water source, village or animal area. A Survival world therefore needs an intentional supply plan: provide a starter platform, bring the blocks and items you need, or design access to custom structures before changing the game mode.

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Spawn and fall protection

Java’s The Void preset supplies a small stone platform. A Bedrock generator-level void does not promise one, so a player can spawn in open space and fall indefinitely. Create a platform immediately in Creative, or arrange a controlled spawn and recovery system before attempting Survival.

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Build height and empty space

The Bedrock example’s bounds are part of the dimension definition, not a universal height setting for every release or dimension. Blocks outside the selected range are Void. Treat the values in the file as a deliberate design choice and verify the result with coordinates before building a large project.

Testing commands without risking a finished build

Commands require a world with the necessary permissions or cheats enabled. Test them in a disposable copy, especially when the world uses a behavior pack.

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  • To inspect the lower boundary, teleport yourself below the normal floor with a command such as /tp @s ~ -20 ~, adjusting the Y coordinate to the range you are testing.
  • To clear a test area, use the /fill command with two corner coordinates and air, for example /fill x1 y1 z1 x2 y2 z2 air. Replace the coordinate names with real values; the command only affects the selected region.
  • After testing, return to your recorded platform coordinates rather than guessing where the spawn point was.

These commands test space and boundaries; they do not convert a normal world into a generator-level void. Generation must be selected through the Java preset or the Bedrock dimension definition.

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Troubleshooting common failures

“The Void” is missing in Java

Confirm that you are running Java Edition, that World Type is Superflat, and that you opened Customize. The preset is not offered in ordinary terrain or non-Superflat creation screens. If the labels differ after an update, look for the Superflat preset list rather than a general world-seed option.

Bedrock only shows Bottomless Pit

That is the expected situation in releases whose Advanced-tab list has not added a dedicated Void preset. Bottomless Pit removes the bedrock layer but keeps flat terrain. Use the behavior-pack recipe for an empty Overworld.

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The Bedrock pack does not appear

Check that manifest.json is in the pack’s top-level folder, that dimensions is beside it, and that the file is named exactly overworld.json. A malformed manifest, an extra nested directory or invalid JSON prevents the pack from loading. Reopen Minecraft after correcting the files.

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The world still contains terrain

Make sure the pack is active on the world you are opening and that the dimension file uses the exact identifier minecraft:overworld. Also verify that you created a new world after activating the pack; changing files does not retroactively rewrite every already-generated chunk.

You fall forever or die at spawn

Switch the test world to Creative, enable coordinates and place a platform at the spawn area. In a true void generator there is no floor to catch you. Keep a backup so you can restore the world if the initial spawn is unreachable.

Removing the pack did not restore everything

Existing hidden terrain may become visible again when the original height range returns, but chunks that were generated and saved as Void can stay empty. Restore the backup instead of assuming that removing the pack reverses every saved change.

Planning a playable void challenge

  1. Pick the generation method. Use Java’s preset for a ready-made stone platform, or Bedrock’s pack when you need generator-level emptiness.
  2. Define the starting area. Decide the platform size, spawn position and emergency recovery method before entering Survival.
  3. Supply the first resources. A void world cannot provide the normal first tree, cobblestone generator or food chain without intentional additions.
  4. Record coordinates. Keep the platform location and important build boundaries in a written note.
  5. Duplicate the save. Experiment with packs and commands on a copy, especially when testing chunk boundaries or alternate dimensions.

Following that sequence prevents the most common failure: creating an empty world successfully but having no safe place to stand or obtain the first block.

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