How to Use the Minecraft Pie Chart to Find Chests & More

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Load the pie chart in the debug menu to level up your game

Co-authored by Pixlriffs and Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: August 11, 2026 Fact Checked

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Loading the Pie Chart

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Finding Chests

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Finding Fortresses

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The pie chart in Minecraft: Java Edition is a visual representation of the types of entities the game is rendering around you. For example, the pie chart can tell you when a mob spawner is nearby, or when a treasure chest is in your field of view. This helpful guide will take you step-by-step through how to load the pie chart and how to use it to find buried chests and Nether fortresses.

What is the pie chart in Minecraft?

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A screenshot of where to find the pie chart in the Debug menu in Minecraft: Java Edition.

The Minecraft pie chart tells you the types of objects rendering in your point of view or within a certain number of chunks relative to your position. It's useful for finding Nether fortresses, buried treasure chests, and more when you don't have a map. Press F3 to open the debug menu, then F3+1 to open the pie chart.

Section 1 of 4:

How to Load the Pie Chart in Minecraft

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1
Press F3 to open the Debug menu in Minecraft: Java Edition. Accessing the Debug menu overlays several rows of small, white text on either side of your POV. This text contains technical information, like your frame rate per second (FPS) and the coordinates for your current location in a chunk. You must open this menu to load the pie chart.^{[1]
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- What is a chunk? A chunk is a 16x16 segment of blocks. The world of Minecraft is divided into chunks to make it easier to navigate, build structures, and more.^{[2]
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This keystroke combo will load a multicolored, 3D pie chart on the right side of your POV. The colors in the chart indicate different types of objects or blocks that the game is currently rendering near you. Underneath the pie chart, you'll see a numbered list of menu options. The rest of the Debug menu should also still be visible on your screen.^{[3]
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Section 2 of 4:

How to Find Chests with the Pie Chart in Minecraft

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Tap the Esc key on your keyboard to open the Options menu. From there, select Video Settings.
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Adjust “View Distance” to 5 and click “Apply.” This is also known as lowering the render distance. Basically, it changes the game so that you can only view objects at a distance of 5 chunks away in any direction.^{[4]
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- This step helps you hone in on nearby buried chests, rather than chests rendered dozens or hundreds of chunks away.
Press F3 on your keyboard, then press F3 and 1 at the same time. This will load the Debug menu and the pie chart.
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Select “gameRenderer” > “levels” > “entities” in the pie chart menu. Look at the menu underneath the pie chart. The first option for most people is “[1] gameRenderer.” If that's the case for your Minecraft setup, press the number 1 on your keyboard. This will open up a submenu, where you'll press the key corresponding to the number next to “levels.” This opens up one last submenu, from which you'll select “entities.”^{[5]
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- If you make a mistake, press 0 to return to the previous selection of options.
- This step allows you to use the pie chart to detect block entities in your point of view, up to the render distance you set in step 2.
- A block entity is data attached to a block. It indicates a buried chest or some other special block, like a mob spawner.^{[6]
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With this key combo, a thin grid will load onto your screen, showing you the outlines of the chunks closest to you. This will help you find the buried treasure in a later step.^{[7]
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Turn your POV left or right until the orange part of the pie chart gets bigger. The orange section of the pie chart tells you what percentage of the rendered objects around you are block entities. As soon as the pie chart spikes, stop moving. Note what the blocks look like in the outermost edge of your vision in the direction you were turning.^{[8]
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- For example, if you turned right, look at the blocks in the far right bottom corner of your POV. If you were turned left, glance at the blocks in the far left bottom corner of your POV.
Remember those blocks you noted at the end of the previous step? Stand still while turning your camera until you're facing those blocks dead-on.^{[9]
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Walk straight forward toward the blocks from steps 6-7 until you're inside their chunk. Use the chunk grid lines to determine when you're inside the chunk that contains the blocks from steps 6-7. If you're standing on sand, there's a good chance the treasure is buried here. If you're still on grass, walk forward along the same line to the nearest chunk with beach sand before proceeding to the next step.^{[10]
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- Note: Buried treasure chests only render on beaches.
“In Java Edition, the treasure is always at the ninth block along and ninth block down in a 16x16 chunk, known as the ‘99 trick,’” says Minecraft expert Pixlriffs.^{[11]
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Pixlriffs
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Expert Interview} Watch the coordinates in your Debug menu to guide yourself to the 9x9 block in the chunk. (Pay no attention to the number between the 9s, as that just tells you your current height.) Once you reach that spot, dig straight down. You should find the buried treasure chest!^{[12]
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Section 3 of 4:

How to Find Fortresses with the Pie Chart in Minecraft

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You'll need the pie chart on your screen whenever you're hunting for Nether fortresses.
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Select “tick” > “level” > “entities” > “block entities” in the pie chart menu. "Tick," level," and "entities" are all submenus within the larger menu of the pie chart. "Block entities" is essentially a filter that will help you detect mob spawners within a certain render distance, whether you can see the chunks they're in or not. To navigate the submenus, press the key corresponding to the number next to "tick," then "level," then "entities," then "block entities" as each one appears.^{[13]
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- A fortress always has a mob spawner in it, so if you can find the spawner, you can find the fortress.
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Raise the render distance one level at a time until the pie chart shows a spike. Open the View Distance toggle by pressing Esc, then clicking Options and then Video Settings. Raise it one level, then switch back to the game and check the pie chart. If it doesn't show a spike in mob spawner entities, return to Video Settings and raise the render distance by another level. Repeat this process until you see a spike in the pie chart for a mob spawner.^{[14]
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- Once you see a spike, you now know how many chunks away the mob spawner (and therefore the fortress) is located relative to your position.
- Note: Older versions of Minecraft: Java Edition included a keyboard shortcut for increasing and decreasing View Distance. But that feature was removed in version 1.19, according to this Reddit post in r/minecraftsuggestions.
Now that you've determined how far away the fortress is, return to Video Settings and lower the View Distance by one level, or until the spike in the pie chart goes away.^{[15]
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For the next few steps, you'll need to see the chunks around you, so it's a good idea to activate the chunk grid lines by pressing F3 and G at the same time. It's the easiest way to find a Nether fortress.^{[16]
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Move your character one chunk forward in each of the 4 cardinal directions. Next, move one chunk forward, back, and to the left and right until you see the spike return. This will tell you which direction to go to reach the fortress. Always return to your starting position.^{[17]
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- For example, if you move forward one chunk and don't notice a spike, return to the chunk you started from before trying a different direction.
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Move your character in the direction you noticed the spike to find the fortress. After detecting a spike, walk or fly the correct number of chunks in that direction. You should come upon a fortress, which contains the mob spawner you detected via the pie chart.^{[18]
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- Pro tip: If you're looking for a village, watch for a spike in minecraftbell in the pie chart.
  - Want to build your own settlement? Here's a step-by-step guide to building a village in Minecraft!