Note: I wrote this with AI, and compiled it to see if it could help anyone get into this game. Your milage may vary.
This guide is for a blind-first player using your actual Minecraft Java Edition install. It assumes keyboard-first play.
Install this setup
This setup is meant to be shared as one folder or one zip file.
- Download the zip distribution from Here
- If the bundle is zipped, extract it first.
- Open the extracted folder.
- Start your screen reader before installing, if you use one.
- Run Run-Installer.cmd.
- Wait for the installer to finish. It may take a while because it downloads the newest compatible mod files.
- Open Minecraft Launcher. Sign in with the account that owns Minecraft Java Edition if needed.
- Launch the profile named Visually Impaired Access.
If you have any issues, run the PowerShell script directly:
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File ".\Install-Minecraft-Accessibility.ps1"Part 1. Before you enter a world
- Start your screen reader first. If you use NVDA, make sure it is already running before Minecraft starts.
- Launch the Fabric profile that uses this mod setup. This install uses Minecraft 1.21.10 with Fabric Loader 0.17.3.
- Wait for the game to finish loading. This setup has many mods, so loading can take longer than a light install.
- When the main menu appears, confirm that speech is working. If speech is not working, stop there. Close the game, fix the screen reader problem, and launch again.
- Know the menu controls before doing anything else.
In menus:
- I moves up.
- K moves down.
- J moves left.
- L moves right.
- Enter activates the current item.
- Escape goes back.
- T jumps to a text field or search box.
- Enter leaves the text field and returns to normal menu movement.
These same menu controls are also used in inventory and crafting screens.
Part 2. Starting your first world
From the main menu, go to Singleplayer. Choose Create New World.
If you are brand new, starting on Easy is reasonable. You can make the game harder later.
Once the world loads, do not move right away. Stop for a moment and get oriented.
The first keys to learn in the world
Movement:
- W moves forward.
- S moves backward.
- A moves left.
- D moves right.
- Space jumps.
- Shift sneaks.
- Control sprints.
Actions:
- Left bracket acts as left click and is the main keyboard control for breaking blocks or attacking.
- Right bracket acts as right click and is the main keyboard control for placing blocks or using items.
- Backslash acts as middle click.
- Semicolon scrolls up.
- Apostrophe scrolls down.
- E opens inventory.
- Q drops the item in your hand.
- 1 through 9 select hotbar slots.
Mouse clicks still work, but this guide is written around keyboard controls first.
Camera:
- I looks up.
- K looks down.
- J looks left.
- L looks right.
- H tells you which direction you are facing.
Information:
- B tells you what you are facing in this install.
- R reads your status.
- V reads your coordinates.
Learn those first. Do not try to learn every special key yet.
What to do in your first minute
- Press R. Hear your health and hunger.
- Press V. Hear your coordinates.
- Press H. Hear your facing direction.
- Press B. Check what is directly in front of you.
- Move slowly. If the terrain feels risky, hold Shift while moving.
Your first goal is not to explore. Your first goal is to stay alive and understand where you spawned.
Part 3. Your first day
Stage 1. Get wood
Find a tree. Use B to confirm that you are facing a log. Break several logs and pick them up.
Do not wander far while doing this. Stay close to where you spawned until you understand the area.
Stage 2. Turn wood into useful items
Open inventory with E. Use the menu controls you already learned to move through the inventory and recipe areas.
Make these first:
- Wooden planks.
- Sticks.
- A crafting table.
Put the crafting table on your hotbar. Place it somewhere simple and memorable.
Stage 3. Make basic tools
Use the crafting table to make a wooden pickaxe. Mine stone.
Then upgrade to these:
- A stone pickaxe.
- A stone axe.
- A stone sword, if you want one.
The wooden pickaxe is only a temporary tool. Move to stone as soon as you can.
Stage 4. Get food
Food matters early. Do not ignore it.
Gather food from animals or other safe food sources. Check R from time to time so hunger does not surprise you.
Stage 5. Make a shelter before night
Your first shelter does not need to be good. It only needs to keep you alive.
- A dirt box is fine.
- A small room in a hill is fine.
- A basic shelter with a door is fine.
Before you settle in, press V and remember the coordinates. That matters.
If you can make a bed, do it. Sleeping in a bed gives you a better respawn point.
Part 4. Playing well after the basics
How to stay oriented
Once you have movement, tools, and shelter, the next skill is orientation.
- Use V to keep track of your coordinates.
- Use H to keep track of your direction.
- Use B to confirm what you are facing before interacting with it.
Write down your home coordinates. Do not trust memory alone.
How to find things near you
When you are ready for more than the basic keys, learn the tracker.
- Page Down moves to the next tracked object.
- Page Up moves to the previous tracked object.
- Home reads the current tracked object.
- End targets the nearest object.
- Y locks onto the selected target.
This is how you find nearby useful things without wandering blindly.
How to use the Access Menu
F4 opens the Access Menu.
Use it when you need information and do not want to remember a pile of separate commands.
In your current setup, these quick items are bound inside that menu:
- N reads target block or fluid info.
- Period reads light level.
- M reads biome.
- Comma reads time of day.
How to use Audio Navigation
Audio Navigation is part of this install because blind travel gets easier when the game helps you with direction and nearby points of interest.
- F6 opens the Audio Navigation main menu.
- F7 announces nearby points of interest.
- F8 announces beacon guidance.
- F9 stops Audio Navigation speech.
Learn these after you are comfortable with ordinary movement and orientation.
How inventory and crafting become easier
At first, inventory feels slow. That is normal.
The important extra inventory keys are:
- C moves to the next group.
- V moves to the next tab.
- R toggles craftable recipes.
- U reports furnace or brewing fuel.
There is one key overlap to know:
- C is used by Minecraft Access in menus.
- C is also the Zoomify key during normal play.
- That is not a conflict.
- The current screen decides what C does.
ClientSort is also installed to help keep inventory under control.
How to move safely
Sneak near cliffs, caves, water, lava, and any edge you do not trust. Sprint only when you know where you are going.
If the ground or soundscape becomes confusing, stop. Check V, H, and B before moving farther.
How to mine safely
Do not go underground casually.
Before mining, know where home is. Carry food, tools, and spare blocks.
If you hear lava or the space starts to feel dangerous, slow down and sneak. If you lose your sense of direction, stop and recover it before digging deeper.
How to fight without getting reckless
Early combat should be simple.
- Use B to identify what you are facing.
- Keep a weapon on the hotbar.
- Keep food available.
- Retreat when a fight turns messy.
There is no reason to die for pride in the first few hours.
How beds, death, and recovery work
Sleeping in a bed usually sets your respawn point. That is one of the most important early-game safety steps.
If you die, do not start running the moment you respawn. Press V and H first. Get oriented, then move.
If you wrote down your home coordinates, recovery is much easier.
How to quit correctly
When you are done playing, do not force close the game.
Open the game menu. Choose Save and Quit to Title.
If you are done completely, then choose Quit Game.
Advanced tools to learn later
These are useful, but not beginner tools.
- Numpad 8, 6, 2, and 4 are alternate camera controls.
- Numpad 7 faces north.
- Numpad 9 faces east.
- Numpad 3 faces south.
- Numpad 1 faces west.
- Numpad 5 centers the camera.
- Numpad 0 looks straight up.
- Numpad decimal looks straight down.
- F swaps items between main hand and offhand.
- T opens chat.
- Tab opens the player list in multiplayer.
- Slash opens commands.
- Right Control opens Jade config.
- F10 opens Presence Footsteps settings.
- Controlify matters if you use a controller.
- Zoomify matters if you have low vision.
- Sound Controller matters if the game becomes too loud or too busy.
- Mod Menu is the fastest way to inspect installed mods and open config screens.
- Controlling is the fastest way to find or confirm keybinds.
Part 5. Full install appendix
High contrast and readability help already enabled
This install already has high_contrast and High Contrast Extended enabled. That is useful for low vision players and for anyone helping a blind player set things up.
Complete direct mod list from this install
Accessibility, controls, and interface
- Audio Navigation
- Better Mount HUD
- Better Sign Edit
- BetterCommandBlockUI
- ClientSort
- Controlify
- Controlling
- End Poem Narration
- Improved Sign Editing
- Jade
- Main Menu Credits
- Minecraft Access
- Mod Menu
- More Chat History
- Paginated Advancements
- Searchables
- Sound Controller
- Zoomify
Audio and environmental feedback
- AmbientSounds
- Presence Footsteps
- Sound Physics Remastered
Gameplay quality of life
- Better Beacon Placement
- Better Conduit Placement
- Biome Spawn Point
- BlossomHomes
- Despawning Eggs Hatch
- Double Doors
- Easy Elytra Takeoff
- Fish On The Line
- Followers Teleport Too
- Keep My Soil Tilled
- Ore Harvester
- Recipe Commands
- Replanting Crops
- Scaffolding Drops Nearby
- Stack Refill
- Tree Harvester
Visual and graphics
- Animatica
- BetterGrassify
- Capes
- Continuity
- Entity Model Features
- Entity Texture Features
- EntityCulling
- Fabrishot
- Iris
- LambDynamicLights
- Model Gap Fix
- More Culling
- Optiboxes
- OptiGUI
- Reese's Sodium Options
- Sodium
- Sodium Extra
- Sodium Shadowy Path Blocks
Performance, compatibility, networking, and libraries
- Architectury
- BlossomLib
- Cloth Config v20
- Collective
- CreativeCore
- Cubes Without Borders
- Dynamic FPS
- Fabric API
- Fabric Language Kotlin
- Forge Config API Port
- Fzzy Config
- ImmediatelyFast
- Lithium
- MixinTrace
- Puzzle
- Phase's Discord Rich Presence
- Remove Reloading Screen
- spark
- StackDeobfuscator
- ViaFabricPlus
- YetAnotherConfigLib
- YOSBR
Accessibility and blind-related links in this install
- Minecraft Access
- https://github.com/minecraft-access/minecraft-access
- Audio Navigation
- https://github.com/emassey0135/audio-navigation
- End Poem Narration
- https://github.com/BrailleBennett/end-poem-narration
- Controlify
- https://github.com/isXander/Controlify
- Controlling
- https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/controlling
- Zoomify
- https://github.com/isXander/Zoomify
- Jade
- https://github.com/Snownee/Jade
- Better Sign Edit
- https://github.com/brunohpaiva/better-sign-edit
- Improved Sign Editing
- https://serilum.com/mod/improved-sign-editing
- ClientSort
- https://modrinth.com/project/K0AkAin6
- Sound Controller
- https://github.com/BVengo/sound-controller
- Presence Footsteps
- https://github.com/Sollace/Presence-Footsteps
- Mod Menu
- https://modrinth.com/mod/modmenu