X-Ray Resource Pack vs Mod

A resource pack is a collection of files that replace Minecraft's default textures, sounds, and models. The X-Ray resource pack works by replacing the textures of common blocks (stone, deepslate, dirt, gravel, netherrack, and others) with fully transparent PNG images. When Minecraft loads these textures, the affected blocks become invisible, revealing everything behind them.

This approach is entirely client-side. The pack modifies how your game renders blocks but does not change any game logic or server communication. Blocks still exist in the world; you can walk on them, mine them, and interact with them normally. They just do not render visually on your screen.

Because resource packs are a built-in Minecraft feature, no mod loader is needed. The pack works with vanilla Minecraft on Java Edition and with the .mcpack format on Bedrock Edition. Installation is as simple as placing a .zip file in your resourcepacks folder and activating it from the in-game menu. Full installation steps are in our installation guide.

The main limitation of the resource pack approach is that it is all-or-nothing. The set of transparent blocks is fixed in the pack files. You cannot toggle individual blocks on or off without modifying the pack. To switch between normal play and X-Ray mode, you need to open the Resource Packs menu, move the pack between Active and Available, and wait for textures to reload. This takes several seconds each time.

The resource pack also does not include lighting modifications. Transparent blocks change how Minecraft calculates light underground, often resulting in very dark visuals. You need to manually increase your brightness or edit the gamma value in options.txt to compensate.

The X-Ray mod is a Fabric mod that hooks into Minecraft's rendering engine. Instead of replacing textures, it modifies the block rendering pipeline to selectively skip rendering for specific block types. This gives the mod much more control over what is visible and how it appears.

The mod provides a keybind (default: X key) that toggles X-Ray mode on and off instantly. There is no texture reload, no menu navigation, and no delay. Press the key and blocks disappear. Press it again and they come back. This makes it practical to use X-Ray only when you need it and play normally the rest of the time.

Per-block transparency controls let you choose exactly which blocks are hidden. Want to see everything except stone and deepslate? Done. Want to hide water and lava too? Toggle them on. The in-game configuration menu lists every block in the game and lets you mark each one as visible or transparent.

Ore highlighting is another mod-exclusive feature. Instead of just making blocks transparent, the mod can draw colored outlines around specific ore blocks. Diamond ore gets a blue outline, ancient debris gets a brown one, iron gets a light gray one. This makes it easy to spot exactly what you are looking for at a glance, even at long distances.

Built-in fullbright is included so you never have to manually edit gamma values. The mod overrides Minecraft's lighting calculations to ensure full brightness at all times while X-Ray is active. When you toggle X-Ray off, lighting returns to normal.

The trade-off is complexity. You need to install the Fabric loader first, which involves downloading the Fabric installer, running it, and selecting your Minecraft version. Then you place the mod .jar file in the mods folder. If you already use Fabric for other mods (Sodium, Lithium, etc.), adding the X-Ray mod is trivial. If you have never used a mod loader before, there is a learning curve.

The mod is also Java-only. Fabric does not exist for Bedrock Edition, so mobile, console, and Windows Store Minecraft players cannot use it.

Use the Resource Pack When...

You want the absolute simplest setup with zero technical barriers. You play on Bedrock Edition (mobile, console, or Windows Store). You do not use any mods and do not want to install a mod loader. You only need basic X-Ray visibility and do not need per-block controls or keybind toggles. You want something that works immediately with no configuration.

Use the Mod When...

You already use Fabric for other mods. You want to toggle X-Ray on and off instantly with a keybind during gameplay. You need per-block transparency controls to customize what is visible. You want ore highlighting with colored outlines. You need built-in fullbright without manual gamma editing. You play exclusively on Java Edition.

What About Vanilla Glitches?

Vanilla X-Ray glitches exist and work without any downloads. However, they are limited to specific situations, require physical setup each time, only reveal blocks in a small area, and frequently get patched in new versions. They are useful in a pinch but are not a substitute for a resource pack or mod for regular mining. Our X-Ray glitches guide covers every working method if you want to try them.

What About Bedrock Edition?

Bedrock Edition only supports the resource pack method. There is no Fabric loader for Bedrock, so the mod is not an option. The .mcpack version of our resource pack works on iOS, Android, Windows 10/11 (Bedrock), and can be applied to Realms for console access. Visit our Bedrock download page for the latest .mcpack files.

Both options have negligible performance impact for most players. The resource pack simply swaps textures. Minecraft loads a transparent PNG instead of a stone texture, which requires no additional processing power. The mod hooks into the rendering pipeline to skip drawing certain blocks, which can actually improve performance slightly because fewer block faces are rendered.

In rare cases, having large numbers of transparent blocks can cause the rendering engine to draw more distant block faces than usual, slightly increasing GPU load. If you notice any FPS drops, reduce your render distance from the default 16 chunks to 8-10 chunks. This resolves the issue on virtually all hardware.

The mod is compatible with Sodium, Fabric's leading performance optimization mod. Running both together gives you X-Ray functionality with significantly better base performance than vanilla Minecraft. The resource pack works with OptiFine on Java and with Bedrock's built-in renderer without issues.