How to Find Buried Treasure in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Buried treasure is a chest buried mainly in beaches, and it always holds a heart of the sea, the only source of one. Find it with a buried treasure map from a shipwreck, then dig where the map leads. In Java the chest is at chunk-relative 9,9 and faces east; in Bedrock it is at 8,8.

What you need

A buried treasure map (shipwreck map chest)
A shovel
Something for breathing underwater, if the chest is underwater

Step by step

Get a map: shipwrecks have up to 3 chests (supply, treasure and map chests), and they can contain buried treasure maps. Map chests are in the lower section of the ship. A cartographer villager can also sell one.
Follow the map to the treasure. Buried treasure generates in beach biomes (Java and Bedrock) and can also generate underwater.
Find the exact spot: in Java the chest is always at chunk-relative 9 on both X and Z, and faces east. In Bedrock it is at 8 on X and Z.
Dig down. The chest is usually under sand or gravel on beaches, under stone if it generated on an underwater hillside, and sometimes under other terrain blocks like coal ore or diorite.
If the chest is exposed to water it is waterlogged.
Loot: every buried treasure has a heart of the sea. Other possible items are iron and gold ingots, cooked cod and salmon, Water Breathing potions, TNT, emeralds, prismarine crystals, diamonds, a leather tunic, an iron sword, an iron spear and copper, iron, golden or diamond nautilus armor. Java has had this loot since 1.21.11 and Bedrock since 1.21.130.
Use the heart of the sea to craft a conduit.

Java vs Bedrock

Java: chunk-relative 9,9 and the chest faces east. Bedrock: chunk-relative 8,8. Bedrock also generates buried treasure in stony shore and mushroom field shore biomes, in addition to beaches and snowy beaches. Older Bedrock versions (before 1.21.130) had a different loot table.

Versions: Describes the current Java and Bedrock releases. See the edition note above for differences.

Frequently asked questions

Is buried treasure the only source of the heart of the sea?

Yes. Buried treasures are the only source, and every one contains a heart of the sea.

I am on the X but cannot find the chest. What now?

Check the chunk-relative coordinates: the chest is at 9,9 in Java and 8,8 in Bedrock. It can be under sand, gravel, stone or other terrain blocks, so dig around that spot.

Where do I find buried treasure maps?

Shipwreck map chests can contain them, and cartographer villagers can sell one. The Treasure Hunter advancement is for visiting the structure shown on a map bought from a cartographer.

What biomes does buried treasure generate in?

Beach and snowy beach in both editions, plus stony shore and mushroom field shore in Bedrock.