How to Get a Cape in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Official capes cannot be crafted, bought or custom-made: Mojang grants them for events and promotions (event servers, Minecraft Live, migrations), and once a promotion ends the cape is gone forever. Every account has the default Pan Cape - anything claiming to sell you a cape is a scam.

What you need

A Mojang/Microsoft account in good standing
Participation in whatever cape promotion is currently live (they are time-limited)
Zero money - official capes are never sold

Step by step

Check what you already own: everyone has the Pan Cape (the golden pancake design) - equip it from your minecraft.net profile (Java) or the Dressing Room (Bedrock).
Watch official channels: Mojang announces cape promotions on minecraft.net, the launcher and Minecraft Live. Past capes came from event servers, Twitch/TikTok campaigns, account migrations and real-life events.
Claim during the promotion: capes are granted by playing an event server, redeeming a code from an official campaign, or automatically to qualifying accounts. Each promotion explains its own steps.
Accept that old capes stay locked: MINECON capes, the Migrator cape and similar were one-time promotions. They cannot be obtained anymore, by anyone, at any price.
Wear it: on Java, pick the cape on your minecraft.net profile; on Bedrock, equip it in the Dressing Room. The cape also reskins your elytra when you wear one.
Bedrock extra: the Dressing Room also sells cosmetic capes for Minecoins - those are character-creator items, separate from the official Java-style capes.
Never buy a 'cape account' or 'cape code' from a stranger: capes cannot be transferred between accounts, so any cape for sale is a scam or a stolen account.

Java vs Bedrock

Java equips capes on the minecraft.net profile page; Bedrock uses the Dressing Room. Mod capes (OptiFine and similar) only show to players using the same mod.

Versions: Capes apply to current Minecraft on both editions. Official capes earned on one edition usually sync to the other through your Microsoft account.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make or upload a custom cape?

No - unlike skins, capes cannot be custom-made. Only Mojang can grant one, and only through time-limited promotions. Mods can show unofficial capes, visible only to users of that mod.

Can I buy a cape?

Not from Mojang, ever. Sites or people selling capes sell either nothing, a stolen account, or a mod cape that only mod users can see. Do not pay for one.

I joined an event but did not get the cape?

Promotions sometimes take days to roll out and require claiming (redeeming a code or finishing a task). Check the event's official page and your minecraft.net profile before assuming it failed - and after the deadline, there is no way in.