How to Find a Desert Temple in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Desert temples (pyramids) generate in desert biomes. Four loot chests hide under the center floor - but a TNT trap waits under the blue terracotta, and a secret side room holds suspicious sand to brush.

What you need

Brush (secret room)
Shovel
Weapon and torches

Step by step

Explore deserts: desert pyramids generate in desert biomes, sometimes half-buried in sand - scan from a high dune or while traveling by camel.
Or follow a map: in 26.3, abandoned camp secret chests can hold explorer maps that lead straight to a desert pyramid.
Enter through the top: the main chamber floor has a terracotta wind rose pattern with a blue terracotta center.
DO NOT step in the middle: a stone pressure plate under the blue terracotta is wired to a 3x3 grid of TNT - step on it and the chests, the loot and probably you go up in the blast.
Dig down safely instead: break the floor one block away from the center, drop down the side and destroy the pressure plate first.
Loot the four chests: expect bones, rotten flesh, gold, diamonds, emeralds, enchanted books, horse armor and a small chance of an enchanted golden apple (about 9% per pyramid across its four chests).
Find the secret room: a buried 5x5 side room with collapsed stairs hides 6-8 blocks of suspicious sand - brush them for pottery sherds and archaeology loot.
Take the TNT too: nine free TNT blocks sit under the floor - harvest them for your own traps once the plate is gone.

Java vs Bedrock

The temple, trap and secret room work the same in Java and Bedrock. Watch out in both: unlit chest rooms can spawn mobs that trigger the TNT before you ever arrive - a ruined pyramid with a crater means the trap already went off.

Versions: One of the oldest structures in the game: added in 1.3.1 (12w21a), with horse armor joining the loot in 1.6.1. The archaeology side room with suspicious sand came in 1.20, and 26.3 added explorer maps leading to pyramids.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the loot in a desert temple in Minecraft?

Four chests in a hidden room under the center of the main floor - but the blue terracotta block above them covers a stone pressure plate wired to nine TNT blocks. Dig down beside the center, never through it.

What is the suspicious sand in desert temples?

Since 1.20, desert pyramids have a buried 5x5 side room with 6-8 blocks of suspicious sand. Brush them with the archaeology brush for pottery sherds, TNT and other loot.

How rare is an enchanted golden apple in a desert temple?

Each of the four chests has a 2.4% chance, so a full pyramid has roughly a 9% chance of containing at least one notch apple - one of the best early sources.