How to make a compass in Minecraft point to your house

Just a dad trying to help his son play Minecraft over here. I don't know much about Minecraft and he's 6 just starting out with all this, we're learning together. We're playing on his Android tablet, it should be up to date with whatever the latest version is. No mods or anything extra installed.

My understanding is that once we sleep in the bed, that is now our spawn point and the compass will point to that. 2 times now our bed has disappeared, no idea why. We are in peaceful mode so it shouldn't be getting ransacked, it just disappears. In our most recent excursion out into the unknown, our compass failed us getting home. I followed it all the way back, but it was pointing to our original spawn not our home. I figured the bed had disappeared again. Unfortunately I didn't see my son travel from the original spawn to where he built his house so it was a huge pain finding his house for him again. Luckily a 6 yr old can't help but leave a path of destruction as clues for me to follow. When I did get back home, the bed was still there. Now I'm even more confused about all this.How can we travel out into the world if we can't ever reliably get back home?

Any ideas what's happening and how to stop it? I've told him to stay close to the house for now, but that's no fun. Appreciate any assistance.

For other uses, see Compass (disambiguation).

A compass is an item used to point to the world spawn or to a lodestone.

Obtaining[]

Crafting[]

Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Iron Ingot + Redstone Dust

Natural generation[]

Trading[]

In Java Edition, expert-level librarian villagers have a 50% chance to sell a single compass for 4 emeralds.

In Bedrock Edition, expert-level librarian villagers have a 1⁄3 chance to sell a single compass for 4 emeralds.

Usage[]

Normally, the compass' needle points toward the world spawn point. The compass points to spawn when viewed in any way, including as a dropped item, in a player's hand, in an inventory or the crafting table, or in an item frame. The direction the needle points to is relative to the player who is viewing it.

In the Nether or the End, the compass' needle spins and points in random directions.

The compass can be used on a lodestone, after which it is named lodestone compass by default and points to that lodestone as long as the compass is in the same dimension as the lodestone, but if the compass is taken to a different dimension, it spins randomly, as a normal compass would in the Nether or the End. If the lodestone is destroyed, it also spins randomly, even if the lodestone is replaced afterward. However, if a lodestone compass is placed in storage, the lodestone can be broken and replaced without the compass losing the attunement, as long as the compass remains in storage while the lodestone is missing.

A lodestone compass appears enchanted, similar to the enchanted golden apple.

Using /setworldspawn to change the world spawn also changes where the compass points.

Crafting ingredient[]

Name	Ingredients	Crafting recipe	Description
Empty Map	Paper + Compass		When the player first creates a map, it is blank. Hold the empty map and press use item to transform the empty map into a map item, which gradually begins filling with information as that player travels within its borders. This variation is called an "empty locator map" in Bedrock Edition, or an "empty map" in Java Edition.
Map (with marker)	Map or Empty Map + Compass		‌[Bedrock Edition only] Maps crafted from only paper do not show the location marker; to add it, a compass must be added to the map.
Recovery Compass	Echo Shard + Compass

Anvil usage[]

Name	Ingredients	Anvil usage	Description
Locator Map	Map + Compass	Repair & NameMap	Bedrock Edition only. Maps crafted with only paper do not show the location marker; to add it, a compass must be added to the map.

Trading[]

A single compass can be sold to a journeyman-level cartographer villager for 1 emerald.‌[Java Edition only]

A single compass can be sold to an expert-level cartographer villager for 1 emerald as their sixth trade.‌[Bedrock Edition only]

A compass is also part of the cost of explorer maps:

• An ocean explorer map and‌[JE only]/or‌[BE only] a woodland explorer map can be bought from a journeyman-level cartographer for 12 emeralds and one compass, as part of their fifth trade.‌[Bedrock Edition only]

• In Java Edition, apprentice-level cartographer villagers offer to sell an ocean explorer map for 13 emeralds and a compass, and journeyman-level cartographer villagers offer to sell a woodland explorer map for 14 emeralds and one compass.

Enchantments[]

A compass can receive the following enchantments:

Sounds[]

Data values[]

ID[]

Java Edition:

Bedrock Edition:

Item data[]

Java Edition:

Main article: Player.dat format

• •  LodestoneTracked: Optional. 1 or 0 (true/false) - true if the compass is connected to a lodestone. When false, LodestoneDimension and LodestonePos is not automatically removed when the lodestone is destroyed, but the compass still points to that location.
  •  LodestoneDimension: Optional. The dimension of the lodestone to which the compass is pointing.
  •  LodestonePos: Optional. The coordinates of the lodestone to which the compass is pointing.
    •  X: x coordinate
    •  Y: y coordinate
    •  Z: z coordinate

Bedrock Edition:

Advancements[]

Icon	Advancement	In-game description	Parent	Actual requirements (if different)	Resource location
	Country Lode, Take Me Home	Use a compass on a Lodestone	Hidden in the Depths	—	nether/use_lodestone

History[]

Java Edition Alpha
v1.1.0	Added compasses.
They have 102 visually distinct frames.[more information needed]
Java Edition Beta
1.8	Pre-release	Compasses can now be found in library chests in the new strongholds.
Java Edition
1.3.1	12w21a	Librarian villagers now sell 1 compass for 10–11 emeralds.
1.4.2	12w34a	Since the mapping system has been changed, a compass can now be used to craft an empty map.
1.5	13w02a	Compasses now, instead of splitting two textures, use the new animation feature included in texture packs. As a result, they are considerably less precise, having only 29 visually distinct frames.
1.8	14w02a	Librarian villagers now sell 1 compass for 10–12 emeralds.
1.9	15w31a	Compasses are now broken up into individual textures, instead of having every individual frame on one vertical strip like with animated textures.
15w43a	The average yield of compasses in stronghold library chests has been increased.
1.11	16w39a	Cartographer villagers have been added, who buy compasses as their tier 2 trade.
1.13	17w47a	Prior to The Flattening, this item's numeral ID was 345.
18w11a	Compasses can now generate in shipwreck chests.
1.14	18w48a	Compasses can now generate in chests in village cartographer houses.
1.16	20w13a	Compasses can now be used on lodestones to make them point to the stones.
Compasses now point to the center of the spawn point block, instead of its north-west corner.
20w14a	Compasses now have the LodestonePos, LodestoneDimension, and LodestoneTracked data fields. If LodestoneTracked is zero, the game skips checking for a lodestone in the specified position.
Compasses can now have the Curse of Vanishing enchantment on them.
1.17	20w48a	The textures of compass and lodestone compass have been changed.
1.19	22w13a	Compasses may now be found in ancient city chests.
22w14a	Compasses can now used to craft recovery compasses.
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.2.0	Added compasses.
Compasses currently have no function or legitimate method of obtaining them.
v0.8.0	build 1	Added animated texture to compasses.
Compasses are now functional and craftable.
v0.14.0	build 1	Compasses must now be added to a map using an anvil to add the location marker.
Pocket Edition
1.0.0	?	Windows 10 Edition can now use the anvil, as well as the crafting table, to apply position markers, with compasses just as Pocket Edition can in general.
1.0.4	alpha 1.0.4.0	Librarian villagers now sell 1 compass for 10–12 emeralds.
1.1.0	alpha 1.1.0.3	Cartographer villagers have been added, who buy compasses as part of their tier 2 trade.
Compasses used with emeralds can be used to buy explorer maps as part of cartographer villagers' fourth tiers trade.
Bedrock Edition
1.4.0	beta 1.2.14.2	Compasses can now be found inside map room chests in shipwrecks.
1.10.0	beta 1.10.0.3	Compasses can now be found in village cartographer house chests.
1.11.0	beta 1.11.0.4	Trading has been changed, cartographer villagers now buy compassess as part of their fourth tier trades.
Compasses used with emeralds can now be used to buy explorer maps as part of cartographer and fletcher villagers' third tier trades.
Librarian villagers now have a 1⁄3 chance to sell compasses for 4 emeralds as part of their fourth tier trades.
1.16.0	beta 1.16.0.57	Compasses can now be used on lodestones to make them point to the stones.
Compasses now have the LodestonePos, LodestoneDimension, and LodestoneTracked data fields. If LodestoneTracked is zero, the game skips checking for a lodestone in the specified position.
Compasses can now have the Curse of Vanishing enchantment on them.
1.16.100	beta 1.16.100.56	Changed the ID lodestonecompass to lodestone_compass.
1.17.0	beta 1.17.0.54	The texture of compass has been changed.
1.18.10	beta 1.18.10.20	The texture of lodestone compass has been changed.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1	CU1	1.0	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added compasses.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0	Added compasses.

Issues[]

Issues relating to "Compass" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Gallery[]

• 

  Purchasing a compass from a librarian villager.

See also[]

References[]

Items