Your first schematic

From a file on your computer to a build in your world, one step at a time.

Follow the button labels

Action buttons show their names, such as Materials or Bind schematic. Some include a Minecraft item or GUI icon beside the text. This wiki uses the displayed words; a hover tooltip or Minecraft’s narrator may give a longer description of the same action. Page-navigation arrows show their names when hovered.

1. Install the right build

Simple Schematics runs on the client and the server. Choose a JAR for your exact Minecraft version and mod loader, and install the same build on both sides. Singleplayer already includes its own server.

Minecraft	Loader	Java	Extra dependency
1.21.1	NeoForge	21	None
1.21.1	Fabric	21	Fabric API
1.20.1	Forge	17	None
1.20.1	Fabric	17	Fabric API

Put the matching mod JAR in your instance’s mods/ folder. For Fabric, also install Fabric API for that Minecraft version. The core library is bundled. Create, WorldEdit and Litematica are optional exporters or integrations; you do not need them just to use Simple Schematics.

Check the project’s releases for available downloads. The compatibility guide lists Minecraft, loader and dependency versions.

Upgrading from 0.1.0

Before installing 0.2.0, finish or cancel every unfinished paid build while still on 0.1.0. Make room for unused inputs to return and settle any owed returns on that old version. Then stop the game/server, back up the world, and update the matching client and server JARs.

A paused build still counts as unfinished. Saved work can require Recovery when the mod version changes, so do not treat updating as a way to clear a stopped job or an unpaid return. See Server upgrade and recovery guidance.

To downgrade later, restore the pre-upgrade world backup with its matching old mod files. A world saved by 0.2.0 can contain printer blocks and templates that 0.1.0 cannot load, even when no build is active.

2. Put your file in the library

Menu key by version

The 0.2.0 default is V. The older 0.1.0 release used K, and existing saved bindings may keep K after updating. Check Minecraft Controls and choose V or another unused key if your menu does not open, especially with shader mods.

Open the active launcher instance’s folder and put your schematic inside schematics/. This folder sits beside mods/, config/ and saves/. Different launcher instances have different libraries.

Folder layout

Your Minecraft instance/
├── mods/
├── config/
├── saves/
└── schematics/
    └── cottage.schem

Enter a world and press V. The browser has Open Folder, subfolders, search and Refresh. Select your file. If the import asks for a palette, replacement blocks or manual omissions, resolve those choices before loading.

Playing on a server?

The mod sends the selected file to the server. You do not need to manually put a second copy in the server’s schematic library.

3. Place the preview

Your loaded schematic appears as a transparent preview. Press G until the tool says Position, aim at a block in the world, then right-click to anchor the preview beside that surface.

Cycle through Move, Height, Rotate and Mirror to adjust it. Use Ctrl + mouse wheel or ↑ / ↓ for steps. Movement follows the horizontal preview face you aim at; rotation uses quarter turns. The controls guide explains every gesture.

4. Choose how to build

Press V again to open Settings for the loaded schematic.

• Creative: select Paste / Undo, review its options, then paste. Blocks are free and replace existing blocks. Read about paste and undo.
• Survival: open Materials, provide the missing items and clear obstructions, then start from the Survival build screen. Read the paid building guide.

Start with a small build

A small schematic makes it easy to check the anchor, rotation and material source before committing to a larger project. Preview changes do not move a build that has already started.

Where to go next

Use Preview & settings to change opacity and layers. If Materials says something needs a rule, follow the beginner Rules guide. Missing mods and unsupported formats are covered in Troubleshooting.