Every Litematica schematic starts life as an area selection: you mark a box around a build, adjust it, and save it — the saved file is the schematic. This guide walks through that process with the mod’s own tools: the two selection modes, the tool item, the Area Editor, and sub-regions. It assumes Litematica is already installed (see how to install Litematica if it is not). To use a schematic someone else made, you want how to load schematics instead.
Step 1: Switch to the Area Selection Tool Mode
Litematica’s tool item — by default a regular stick — does different jobs depending on the mod’s current tool mode, which is shown in the corner of the screen while you hold the tool. Switch the tool mode to Area Selection before you start clicking: in this mode the tool sets and moves selection corners instead of interacting with the world normally. Most “the stick does nothing” confusion is just the mod sitting in a different tool mode.
Step 2: Choose a Selection Mode — Normal or Simple
Litematica has two area selection modes, and picking the right one up front saves rework:
- Simple mode keeps one selection box, defined by two opposite corners. It is the fastest way to capture a single house, farm or machine, and what most players need most of the time.
- Normal mode manages the selection in the Area Editor and lets a schematic consist of several boxes — called sub-regions — saved together in one file. Use it when a build has physically separated parts that belong together, like a farm and its collection room, or a castle and its gatehouse.
You set the mode in the main menu (M) and in the Area Editor. A selection made in Simple mode is a single box; switching to Normal gives you the multi-box management described below.
Step 3: Set the Two Corners
With the tool item in Area Selection mode, click one bottom corner of the build to set the first corner, then click the opposite top corner to set the second. Left and right click set the two different corners — the selection box stretches between them and is drawn in the world so you can walk around it and check the fit from every side. Aim for a tight box: everything inside it, including the empty air, becomes part of the schematic file.
If you misclick, do not start over — corners can be grabbed and moved with the tool, and the next step exists precisely for fixing near-misses.
Step 4: Fine-Tune in the Area Editor
Open the Area Editor from the main menu. This is where a rough selection becomes a precise one:
- Adjust each box corner numerically or nudge it, instead of relying on clicking the exact block in the world.
- Rename the selection — the name you give it here is what you will recognize later in the Load Schematics list.
- Check the box dimensions before saving. If the box is one block too wide on a side, the extra slice of air travels with the schematic forever.
Step 5: Add Sub-Regions (Normal Mode)
In Normal mode, the Area Editor lets you add further boxes as sub-regions of the same schematic and manage them as a list: each sub-region can be moved, resized, renamed or removed independently, and all of them are written into the one .litematic file when you save. Sub-regions also stay meaningful after loading — a placement keeps its sub-region structure, which lets you position or toggle parts of a large build separately. Typical uses: a main hall plus its towers, a sorting system plus the farm that feeds it, or splitting a huge build into pieces you intend to construct in stages.
Step 6: Save the Schematic
Save from the Area Editor or the main menu’s save option for the current selection, give the file a clear name, and confirm. The schematic is written to the schematics folder as a .litematic file, ready to load from Load Schematics.
One warning to expect on large selections: if the selected area extends beyond the chunks your client has loaded, the mod shows a Missing Chunks notice at the bottom right, counting how many chunks are still missing. Fly or walk around the build once so your client loads the whole area, then save again — a schematic saved with missing chunks has holes in it.
Organizing the Schematics You Make
Files pile up quickly, so adopt two habits early. First, name schematics by what and where they are — iron-farm-v2 beats schematic7 every time. Second, use subfolders: the Load Schematics browser shows the folder structure inside schematics, so folders like farms, houses and redstone keep a growing library navigable. The full folder paths for each operating system are listed in how to load schematics.
Common Mistakes
- Wrong tool mode. Clicking with the stick in a different tool mode and concluding selections are broken — check the mode indicator first.
- Loose boxes. Extra air on every side makes alignment miserable later. Tighten in the Area Editor.
- Saving with Missing Chunks. The notice is not decoration; load the whole area first.
- One giant box instead of sub-regions. If parts of the build are far apart, Normal mode with sub-regions produces a cleaner file than one enormous box full of terrain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are schematics I create saved?
As .litematic files in the schematics folder inside your Minecraft directory (.minecraft/schematics). From there they appear in the Load Schematics browser, and you can copy the files to share them or back them up like any other file.
What is the difference between Normal and Simple selection mode?
Simple mode keeps a single selection box defined by two corners — enough for most single structures. Normal mode manages the selection in the Area Editor, where the schematic can consist of several boxes (sub-regions) that are saved together as one schematic. Use Normal for builds with separated parts, Simple for everything else.
Can I make a schematic of a build on a multiplayer server?
Yes. Litematica is client-side, so you can select and save any area you can see and load in your own client, including builds on servers. The area must be within loaded chunks — if part of it is too far away, the mod shows a Missing Chunks notice and you need to move closer so your client loads that part of the world first.
Does the schematic include the empty space inside my selection box?
Yes — the box is saved exactly as selected, including the air inside it. That is why the two corners matter: a box drawn loosely around a build makes a bigger file and a placement that is harder to align. Tighten the box in the Area Editor before saving.
Next Steps
Now place what you saved: how to use Litematica runs the full build loop, and the material list guide shows how to gather everything your new schematic needs.