Bats can be incredibly frustrating in Minecraft, whether it’s their constant squeaking or their habit of spawning in dark spaces. They can be a big distraction for players, especially when building or exploring. While completely removing bats isn’t straightforward in vanilla Minecraft, there are ways to manage or eliminate them using commands, world adjustments, or mods.
This guide will review practical ways to minimize or completely stop bats from spawning, so you can enjoy a quieter bat-free Minecraft world.
Why Do Bats Spawn in Minecraft?
Bats are ambient mobs that spawn under specific conditions in the Overworld. They appear in dark areas with a light level of 3 or less, making caves, mineshafts, and other shadowy spaces their natural habitat.
In Java Edition, bats spawn in conditions up to a light level of 6 from October 20 to November 3 during Halloween. They can normally spawn below layer 63 on opaque blocks and require at least two air blocks to move around, or a top trapdoor or slab above foot level will suffice as the space requirement.
On Superflat worlds, bats spawn below the topmost non-air layer and don’t pay any attention to the above-mentioned height restrictions.
These mechanics explain why bats so often appear in dark, covered areas of your Minecraft world.
How to Prevent Bats From Spawning in Minecraft
1. Increase Light Levels
Bats cannot spawn in well-lit areas. Raising the light level in your base or other dark spaces is the simplest way to prevent them.
- Place torches, lanterns, or glowstone blocks to increase the light level to at least 4 or higher.
- Ensure every dark corner, cave, or underground room is lit up.
Pro Tip: If you’re working on a large structure, consider using Redstone lamps for automated lighting.
2. Block Off Air Spaces
Bats require at least 1.5 air blocks to spawn and travel. You can disrupt their spawning conditions by:
- Adding top trapdoors or top slabs above foot level to reduce the available air space.
- Filling unnecessary gaps in walls, ceilings, and floors.
This method is particularly useful for builds like mob farms, where controlling unwanted spawns is important.
3. Use Commands to Kill Bats
If you’re comfortable using commands, you can use the /kill command to eliminate bats as they spawn.
Command to remove all bats:
/kill @e[type=bat]Place this command in a command block switching the first button to Repeat and the third to Always Active. To keep the command block active, place it at your world’s spawn point so it remains chunk-loaded.
To prevent being spammed in chat by execution commands, you can use this command:
/gamerule sendCommandFeedback falseThis will turn off messages whenever commands are run by command blocks.
Note: Command blocks are only accessible in Creative Mode.
4. Use Mods or Plugins
For players open to modifying their game, mods and plugins can give you greater control over bat spawning.
- Forge Mods: Write or download a mod that disables bat spawning. Forge is a reliable platform for creating and using mods.
- Server Plugins: On multiplayer servers, plugins like Essentials or WorldGuard may help manage mob spawns, including bats.
Pro Tip: Check mod descriptions and reviews to ensure compatibility with your version of Minecraft.
5. Create a Superflat World
In superflat worlds bats spawn below the top non-air layer, ignoring the normal layer-63 boundary. It is therefore theoretically possible to minimize the rate at which bats spawn in a superflat world, with careful world/builds setup.
Conclusion
While you can’t completely ban bats from spawning in Minecraft without using mods or commands, these methods can significantly reduce or even eliminate their whole presence:
- Light up dark spaces to prevent spawning.
- Block off air spaces with slabs or trapdoors.
- Use the
/killcommand with a command block for instant removal. - Explore mods and plugins for more control over mob spawning.
By following these tips, you can minimize or completely stop bats from spawning in your Minecraft world, keeping your builds clean and distraction-free.
