How To Disable Item Despawning In Minecraft?
Have you ever experienced losing an important item in Minecraft because it disappeared too quickly? Don’t worry, there’s a way to disable item despawning and keep your important items safe. In this article, we will show you how to stop your items from despawning in Minecraft.

Command Block Basics
Preserving Item Despawn and Custom NBT Data
Sometimes, in Minecraft, you may have certain items that you do not want to perish, such as unique artifacts or quest items.
You may also want to add special attributes specific to gameplay or storytelling. Two powerful ways to ensure that these items persist beyond their normal lifetime are to set their Age value to -32768 and to add custom NBT data.
To stop a specific item from despawning, you can use a command block to adjust its Age to an absurdly low value. In Minecraft, when an item is dropped on the ground, it has a certain lifespan or a “tick time” before it disappears.
By default, this lifespan is set to last for 6000 game ticks, although specific items can have a shorter lifespan before they despawn. By setting the item’s Age value to -32768, it will essentially never disappear unless it is manually picked up, carried around, and then dropped again.
To do this, you can use the following command, which targets the item entity’s unique ID number and sets its Age value to -32768:
/execute as @e[type=item] at @s if entity @s[type=item,nbt={Item:{id:”minecraft:diamond”}}] run data modify entity @s Age set value -32768
However, Minecraft allows for even more depth and customization by adding custom NBT data to an item. “NBT” stands for “Named Binary Tag,” which is a specific type of format used to encode different types of data in Minecraft.
Custom NBT data can include anything from enchantments to custom names and lore, which can add layers of interactivity and storytelling to your game. You can use commands such as /give and /data modify to add NBT data to your item.
Command blocks in Minecraft are blocks that can execute commands when triggered by a redstone current. They are often used in complex adventure maps, servers, or mods to automate certain actions or spawn mobs, among other things.
To set up a command block, simply place one in your game world, right-click on it to open the interface, and then input your command in the text box. There are three different types of command blocks: Impulse, Repeat, and Chain.
Impulse command blocks execute their command once when triggered, whereas Repeat command blocks execute their command many times until either they are stopped or the conditions for it to run are no longer met.
Chain command blocks are unique in that they must be connected to another command block that is already triggered. When that command block finishes executing, it triggers the chain block.
Basic command block commands include /setblock, which places a block at the specified location, /kill, which kills the targeted entity, and /tp, which teleports targeted entities to specific coordinates.
Other useful commands for gameplay and fine-tuning include /gamemode, /give, /summon, /effect, and /fill, among others. With command blocks, the possibilities are nearly endless, and there is always something new to try.
Disabling Item Despawning With Command Blocks
Disabling item despawning in Minecraft can be achieved with the use of command blocks. This feature can come in handy for players who want to preserve certain items in their world, which can help to enhance immersion and gameplay efficiency.
One way to prevent item despawning is to set the item’s Age value to -32768. This value ensures that the item will not despawn until it is picked up and dropped again. To perform this process, players would need to use a command block and execute a command that sets the item’s Age value to -32768.
The following steps provide a guide on how to disable item despawning using command blocks:
- Step 1: Open Minecraft and create a new world or open an existing one.
- Step 2: Enter the game and press the “slash” (/) key to bring up the command console.
- Step 3: Type the command “/give @p minecraft: diamond 1”, which will give you a single diamond.
- Step 4: Press the “slash” (/) key again to open the command console and enter the command “/summon item ~ ~1 ~ {Item:{id: “Minecraft: diamond”, Age:-32768}}”. This command will summon the diamond into the game with an Age value of -32768, preventing it from despawning until it is picked up and dropped again.
- Step 5: Press the “Enter” key to execute the command, and the diamond will appear in the game.
By following these steps, players can ensure that they preserve certain items that are crucial to their gameplay strategy.
This feature can also come in handy for players who are building complex structures and need to place items in certain locations without worrying about them despawning.
In addition to setting the Age value to -32768, players can also add custom NBT data to an item. This data is preserved across drop-and-pickup cycles and can be used to add specific attributes to an item. For example, players can add custom enchantments or even change an item’s name by adding NBT data.
Disabling item despawning using command blocks is a useful feature for Minecraft players who want more control over their gameplay experience. This feature can help to preserve important items and enhance the player’s immersion in the game.
By following the steps outlined above, players can easily disable item despawning and enjoy a more fulfilling Minecraft experience.
Customizing Item Nbt Data
NBT stands for Named Binary Tag, which is a format used to store complex data structures in Minecraft. The NBT data of an item determines various properties of that item, such as its name, lore, enchantments, and durability.
Customizing the NBT data of an item allows players to enhance and modify its properties according to their needs.
To add custom NBT data to an item, you need to use commands or third-party tools, such as NBT editors. The general format for setting NBT data to an item is ‘/data modify entity ’, where ‘entity’ refers to the item, ‘path’ is the location of the NBT data in the item, ‘datatype’ is the type of value you want to assign, and ‘value’ is the data you want to apply.
There are several useful additions to an item’s NBT data that can enhance its properties, such as:
- Custom names and lores: You can add custom names and lores to an item to make it easier to identify and personalize. For example, you can add a custom name to a sword to make it stand out, such as ‘Excalibur’ or ‘The Enforcer’.
- Enchantments: You can add enchantments to an item to enhance its power and abilities. For example, you can add the ‘Sharpness’ enchantment to a sword to increase its damage, or the ‘Protection’ enchantment to armor to reduce damage taken.
- Durability: You can set the durability of an item to a specific level to make it last longer or shorter. For example, you can increase the durability of a pickaxe to make it last longer or decrease it to make it weaker.
- Custom potion effects: You can add custom potion effects to an item to apply various effects to players when they use the item. For example, you can add the ‘Regeneration’ effect to a potion to heal players over time.
Customizing item NBT data is a powerful tool that allows players to enhance and modify their items according to their needs. By adding custom names, lores, enchantments, and other properties, players can make their items stand out and perform better in-game.
Caveats and Limitations
In Minecraft, items typically despawn after a certain amount of time has elapsed. This can be inconvenient in certain gameplay situations, such as when trying to create a long-term base or protect valuable items from disappearing. However, there are ways to prevent items from despawning.
The first method involves using a command block to set an item’s Age to -32768. This effectively freezes the item’s despawn timer, preventing it from disappearing unless it is picked up and then dropped again. This technique can be useful in situations where items need to be left unattended for long periods of time.
Another technique involves adding custom NBT data to an item. NBT data is a way of storing additional information on an item beyond its default properties.
This data is preserved when the item is dropped and picked up again, allowing for items to retain specific characteristics or attributes. This technique can be used to create custom items with unique properties, such as items that provide special effects or modify player behavior.
While these techniques can be useful in certain situations, they are not suitable for all gameplay scenarios.
For example, freezing items can create clutter in the game world if too many items are left in one location for too long. Similarly, adding custom NBT data to items can impact game balance and may not be appropriate for certain game modes.
In addition, there may be performance concerns when using these techniques. Freezing large numbers of items or adding extensive custom NBT data can have an impact on game performance and may cause lag or other gameplay issues.
Finally, there is a possibility of side effects or glitches when using these techniques. Items that are frozen may not behave as expected in certain situations, such as when interacting with other game mechanics. Similarly, adding custom NBT data may cause unexpected behavior or conflicts with other mods or game features.
Preventing items from despawning and adding custom NBT data can be useful techniques in certain gameplay situations.
However, there are limitations and potential drawbacks to these methods, and players should be aware of these issues before using them in their Minecraft game.
Why is My Stuff Despawning in Minecraft?
Items in Minecraft despawn (disappear) after 5 minutes. The timer starts when the item is first loaded. If the chunk is unloaded, the timer is paused. Once the chunk is loaded again, the timer resumes.
The despawn timer is 6000 in-game ticks (5 minutes). Items include dropped items, blocks, and even mobs. Items will not despawn if they are in a loaded chunk. If an item falls into lava or fire, it will burn instead of despawning.
Players can extend the despawn timer by picking up and dropping the item. Items can be permanently kept by picking them up or storing them in chests.
How Long Do Items Last Without Despawning?
Items dropped in loaded chunks do not despawn immediately. There is a five-minute timer for the items to be retrieved. The timer applies only to loaded chunks and not unloaded ones. Unloaded chunks will keep the item indefinitely.
The despawn timer begins once the chunk containing the item loads. Once the timer reaches zero, the item will disappear. The timer applies to all dropped items, including mobs’ drops. Item despawn rates may differ in different Minecraft game modes.
Creating new chunks can help extend the despawn timer. Items dropped in water may take longer to despawn.
What Command Makes Mobs Not Despawn?
- Introduction to non-despawning mobs Adding the PersistenceRequired:1b tag to a specific mob can make it never despawn in Minecraft.
- Understanding the PersistenceRequired tag The PersistenceRequired tag is an NBT (Named Binary Tag) that can be added to any entity in the game data to make it persistently spawned.
- The syntax for setting PersistenceRequired tag To make a mob not despawn, the command is /summon [x] [y] [z] {PersistenceRequired:1b}. Replace with the desired mob and [x] [y] [z] with the coordinates.
- Usage of non-despawning mobs Non-despawning mobs can be useful for survival or creative mode. They can be used for farms, pet collections, and more without being lost.
- Limitations of non-despawning mobs Non-despawning mobs can cause lag if too many are spawned at once. It can also make the game crash if too many entities are in one area.
To Recap
Now, you no longer have to worry about losing valuable items in Minecraft. With the help of these methods, you can disable item despawning and keep your important items safe.
Whether you’re exploring in survival mode or building in creative mode, it’s always a good idea to know how to protect your items from despawning.
So go ahead, and try out these techniques to enjoy your game worry-free.