How to Enable Cheats in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: New world: turn on Allow Commands (Java) or Activate Cheats (Bedrock) in the creation screen. Existing Java world: Esc > Open to LAN > Allow Cheats: ON - commands work until you quit. Existing Bedrock world: toggle Activate Cheats in the world settings, which permanently disables achievements for that world.

What you need

A singleplayer world (servers need operator permissions instead)
Java: Esc menu for the LAN trick
Bedrock: access to the world settings

Step by step

New world (Java): Create New World > Game > Allow Commands: ON before generating the world.
New world (Bedrock): flip the Activate Cheats toggle in the creation screen - the game warns that achievements will be disabled for that world.
Existing Java world: press Esc > Open to LAN, set Allow Cheats: ON and start the LAN world. Commands work until you close the world - repeat the trick each session.
Existing Bedrock world: world settings > Activate Cheats. The change is permanent for that world: achievements stay off even if you turn cheats back off later.
What cheats unlock: /gamemode, /give, /tp, /time set, /weather, /seed and the full command list.
On Realms and servers, cheats come from operator permissions (/op from the owner), not from these world toggles.
Newer Java versions also let you toggle cheats at any time from the World Options menu in a singleplayer world. The Open to LAN trick is temporary and, its menu changed after Java 26.3, so look for the cheats option in the LAN screen or World Options.

Java vs Bedrock

Java keeps advancements with cheats on. Bedrock disables achievements per world the moment you activate cheats - there is no way to re-enable them on that world.

Versions: The Open to LAN trick works in every modern Java version. Java never blocks advancements for cheats; Bedrock blocks achievements the moment cheats turn on.

Frequently asked questions

Do cheats disable achievements?

Bedrock: yes, permanently for that world. Java: no - advancements keep working.

Can I enable cheats on someone else's server?

No. You need operator permissions from the server owner - there is no client-side trick.