Minecraft Commands List

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/gamemode creative

The /gamemode creative command in Minecraft

The builder below opens on /gamemode already set to creative: pick the mode, leave the target empty to apply only to yourself or fill in a name or selector, and copy the line. The game syntax is short, but permission is what usually blocks people on their first try.

What the line does and why it sometimes fails

The full form is /gamemode <mode> [<target>]. The mode is one of four words, spelled out: survival, creative, adventure or spectator. Java accepts neither one-letter shortcuts nor numbers, so /gamemode c returns an error. With no target, the command changes whoever ran it; with a target, it changes that player or group, which is why /gamemode creative Steve leaves you untouched.
The missing-permission message appears because the command needs level 2, the game operator level. In a local world that means cheats on: tick the option when creating the world, or choose to allow cheats when opening the world to the network. On a server, an operator with a higher level runs /op for you. The level of every command is in the main list, and commands like /gamemode, /give and /tp all sit on the same step.
Selectors make the command go further. /gamemode creative @a changes every player, /gamemode survival @p picks the nearest and /gamemode creative @a[gamemode=survival] changes only those still in survival, leaving spectators and adventure players alone. A command block has no "you" to act as an implicit target, so there the target must be written out, such as @p or @a.
For new players to arrive in the right mode, there is /defaultgamemode, which sets the mode of anyone joining the world for the first time without changing those already inside. It also sits at level 2. The most common pair in test worlds is /defaultgamemode creative for arrivals and /gamemode survival to go back to a survival test on your own.

Ready /gamemode lines

Go creative

Input: /gamemode creative
Expected output: Set own game mode to Creative Mode

With no target, it applies to you.

Switch a player by name

Input: /gamemode creative Steve
Expected output: Steve passa a ser criativo; você não muda.

The name must be online.

Put everyone back in survival

Input: /gamemode survival @a
Expected output: Todos os jogadores online ficam em survival.

@a selects every player.

Only those in survival

Input: /gamemode creative @a[gamemode=survival]
Expected output: Quem estava em survival vira creative; os demais ficam como estão.

The gamemode filter picks the target before the switch.

Watch without interfering

Input: /gamemode spectator
Expected output: Você vira espectador e atravessa blocos.

The same command, another mode.

Mode for first-time joiners

Input: /defaultgamemode adventure
Expected output: Novos jogadores entram em adventure.

It does not change who is already in the world.

Full tool FAQ

How do I switch to creative mode with a command?

Type /gamemode creative in chat. For another player, add the name or a selector: /gamemode creative Steve or /gamemode creative @a. The four modes are survival, creative, adventure and spectator, spelled out: Java does not accept the s, c and a abbreviations. The command needs level 2, so in a local world the game must have cheats on.

Why does the command say I do not have permission?

What is the difference between /tp and /teleport?

How do I keep my inventory when I die?

How do I make it always day?

Are Bedrock commands the same?

How does /effect work?

What do @a, @p, @r, @s and @e mean?

Where does the data in this list come from?

What changes from one version to another?

Frequently asked questions

/gamemode creative does not work, what should I check?

Check three things, in this order: whether cheats are on (the command needs level 2), whether you typed the mode in full, without shortening it to c, and whether the target name belongs to someone online. If the message says "unknown command", the command was typed outside chat or with a doubled slash.

How do I go back to survival mode?

Use /gamemode survival, with or without a target. Going back to survival does not erase what you built or carried: the inventory and the world stay as they were, and only the mode rules change.

What is the difference between /gamemode and /defaultgamemode?

/gamemode switches the mode of players already in the world, right now. /defaultgamemode only stores the mode the next players will get when they join for the first time. Both need level 2.

Can I use /gamemode in a command block?

Yes, as long as the target is written out. A command block is not a player, so /gamemode creative alone has nobody to apply to; use @p for the nearest or @a[distance=..5] for whoever is within 5 blocks.

Next steps

What the line does and why it sometimes fails

The full form is /gamemode <mode> [<target>]. The mode is one of four words, spelled out: survival, creative, adventure or spectator. Java accepts neither one-letter shortcuts nor numbers, so /gamemode c returns an error. With no target, the command changes whoever ran it; with a target, it changes that player or group, which is why /gamemode creative Steve leaves you untouched.

The missing-permission message appears because the command needs level 2, the game operator level. In a local world that means cheats on: tick the option when creating the world, or choose to allow cheats when opening the world to the network. On a server, an operator with a higher level runs /op for you. The level of every command is in the main list, and commands like /gamemode, /give and /tp all sit on the same step.

Selectors make the command go further. /gamemode creative @a changes every player, /gamemode survival @p picks the nearest and /gamemode creative @a[gamemode=survival] changes only those still in survival, leaving spectators and adventure players alone. A command block has no "you" to act as an implicit target, so there the target must be written out, such as @p or @a.

For new players to arrive in the right mode, there is /defaultgamemode, which sets the mode of anyone joining the world for the first time without changing those already inside. It also sits at level 2. The most common pair in test worlds is /defaultgamemode creative for arrivals and /gamemode survival to go back to a survival test on your own.

Ready /gamemode lines

Go creative

Input: /gamemode creative
Expected output: Set own game mode to Creative Mode

With no target, it applies to you.

Switch a player by name

Input: /gamemode creative Steve
Expected output: Steve passa a ser criativo; você não muda.

The name must be online.

Put everyone back in survival

Input: /gamemode survival @a
Expected output: Todos os jogadores online ficam em survival.

@a selects every player.

Only those in survival

Input: /gamemode creative @a[gamemode=survival]
Expected output: Quem estava em survival vira creative; os demais ficam como estão.

The gamemode filter picks the target before the switch.

Watch without interfering

Input: /gamemode spectator
Expected output: Você vira espectador e atravessa blocos.

The same command, another mode.

Mode for first-time joiners

Input: /defaultgamemode adventure
Expected output: Novos jogadores entram em adventure.

It does not change who is already in the world.

Full tool FAQ

How do I switch to creative mode with a command?

Why does the command say I do not have permission?

What is the difference between /tp and /teleport?

How do I keep my inventory when I die?

How do I make it always day?

Are Bedrock commands the same?

How does /effect work?

What do @a, @p, @r, @s and @e mean?

Where does the data in this list come from?

What changes from one version to another?

Frequently asked questions

/gamemode creative does not work, what should I check?

How do I go back to survival mode?

Use /gamemode survival, with or without a target. Going back to survival does not erase what you built or carried: the inventory and the world stay as they were, and only the mode rules change.

What is the difference between /gamemode and /defaultgamemode?

/gamemode switches the mode of players already in the world, right now. /defaultgamemode only stores the mode the next players will get when they join for the first time. Both need level 2.