How to Change Your Character's Skin in 'Minecraft' to Give Them a Different Appearance

In many ways, "Minecraft" is all about customization. So you might be surprised when you launch the game and find that the cosmetics available to your protagonist are fairly limited.

But for the creatives who love the design and crafting aspects of "Minecraft," don't worry: In reality, your character's cosmetic choices are virtually limitless. For "Java" users, you can find or create a skin, upload it, and enjoy. And "Bedrock" users have that option and more through its character creator tool.

Here's how you can get your "Minecraft'' character's skin in both "Bedrock Edition" and "Java Edition."

Before you can change your skin, you'll first need to have a new skin to change to.The developers of "Minecraft" offer a few custom skins for free, usually created in honor of special events. You can also check out websites like The Skindex, which host user-created skins that you can download and use yourself.

If you're willing to put in the work though, you can make a skin yourself. Either edit the existing template using a program like Photoshop, or use a browser-based tool like the Minecraft Skin Editor.

The "Bedrock" version of the game also offers an in-game skin creator, as well as paid skins made by Mojang and partners. The in-game skin creator can be found in the "Edit Character" menu, which we'll show how to get to in the longer "Bedrock" section below. It gives a ton of color and style customization options for your skin, letting you edit each body part individually.

Some skin options in this menu will need to be unlocked first, either by earning achievements or by paying for them. You can use real money or Minecoins - which are purchased using real money - to buy skins.

A number of these premium skins are listed in the character creator, but you can find all of them by going back to the main menu and clicking "Marketplace." There's also an online store you can get to through your web browser.

1. Open the "Minecraft: Java Edition" launcher, but don't press "Play." Instead, select "Skins" from the top menu.

2. Tap the plus "+" sign to add a new skin.

3. On the "Add new skin" page, select "Browse." Find and select your image, making sure it's the specified dimensions and PNG format, and click "Open."

4. Name your skin if you'd like, choose the "Classic" size or "Slim" size, then click "Save & Use" in the bottom-right corner.

When you launch the game, your character will be wearing the new skin.