How to Change Render Distance in Minecraft

Whether you’re trying to spot a village on the horizon or improve your frame rate on an older PC, adjusting your render distance can make a huge difference to how Minecraft looks and performs.

Render distance controls how many chunks of the world are visible around your character. A higher setting lets you see further into the distance, while a lower setting reduces the strain on your hardware.

Changing Render Distance in Minecraft Java Edition

If you’re playing Java Edition, changing your render distance only takes a few seconds.

1. Open Minecraft.
2. Click Options.
3. Select Video Settings.
4. Locate the Render Distance slider.
5. Move the slider to your preferred setting.
6. Click Done to save your changes.

The game updates the setting immediately, so you can experiment until you find the right balance between visuals and performance.

Changing Render Distance in Minecraft Bedrock Edition

Bedrock players can adjust the setting through the main menu.

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Video.
3. Scroll down to Render Distance.
4. Adjust the slider.

The available maximum distance varies depending on the platform you’re playing on. Mobile devices and older consoles typically have lower limits than modern PCs.

What Render Distance Should You Use?

There isn’t a single best setting for everyone.

If you’re playing on a lower-end system, keeping render distance between 8 and 12 chunks usually provides the smoothest experience. Mid-range gaming PCs can often handle 16 to 24 chunks comfortably, while high-end systems may be able to push beyond 32 chunks without significant performance issues.

For exploration and screenshots, increasing the distance can make the world feel much larger and more immersive. However, the higher you go, the more processing power Minecraft requires.

Why Is My Render Distance Limited?

A common source of confusion is multiplayer servers.

Even if your own settings are set to 20 chunks or higher, many servers limit view distance to reduce lag. In those cases, the server decides how much of the world is sent to your client.

Minecraft Realms can also have lower render distance limits than single-player worlds.

Improving Performance Without Lowering Render Distance

If you’re struggling with FPS but don’t want to sacrifice visibility, try reducing other graphics settings first. Lowering particles, clouds, shadow effects, and simulation distance can often provide a noticeable performance boost.

Java Edition players can also benefit from optimisation mods such as Sodium, which is widely regarded as one of the best ways to improve performance without changing the core gameplay experience.

Final Thoughts

Render distance is one of the easiest settings to tweak in Minecraft, yet it can dramatically change both performance and visual quality. If you’re experiencing lag, lowering it should be one of the first troubleshooting steps. If your PC can handle it, increasing it can make exploration much more enjoyable.