Cloud

Clouds are graphical effects in the Overworld sky. While serving a solely aesthetic purpose, they can be used to determine directions because they always move westward.

The appearance of clouds varies depending on the graphics settings used either on the specific clouds one‌^{[JE only]} or the general graphics mode:

• Fast/Simple: Clouds are opaque instead of transparent. Their color comes from the top of the fancy clouds. Their smallest horizontal dimensions are 8×8 blocks wide. In Java Edition, fast clouds are two-dimensional. Simple clouds in Bedrock Edition are also opaque, but remain 3D (three-dimensional), and are not faded with the render distance in Bedrock Edition.
• Fancy: Clouds are translucent, three-dimensional prisms, approximately four blocks tall and 12×12 blocks wide. The transparency can be affected by the daylight cycle.
• Fabulous! graphics in Java Edition also affect clouds, being the same as Fancy, but also being visible through transparent blocks and water. In Bedrock Edition, clouds are always visible through transparent blocks and water, even with Simple graphics.
• Vibrant Visuals‌^{[BE only]} adds more layers of lighting to clouds, making them lighter on the edges and darker in the middle. The clouds also create shadows and when a cloud blocks the sunlight, the environment darkens. Because clouds use environment mapping, they are always reflected by water regardless of whether they are visible on the screen. Instead of using specific tints, clouds are dynamically tinted and illuminated by ambient and directional lighting, which has unique colors and strengths for certain biomes and they are constantly changing with the daylight cycle.

Clouds are tinted light gray during the day, which changes to gray or dark gray depending on the weather and the daylight cycle. Specifically, clouds color
 rgb(191, 191, 191) during rain or snowfall and
 rgb(30, 30, 30) during thunderstorms or when a wither is nearby in Bedrock Edition, blended with regular cloud colors for 95%, and not applied in dry biomes with Vibrant Visuals. During the night, fancy clouds are more transparent. In Bedrock Edition, clouds gradually turn orange during sunset and sunrise at any graphics mode, along with ambient lighting.

In Java Edition, clouds are faded by environmental fog.

The shape, dimensions, and color of clouds can be changed by modifying the clouds.png file located within assets\minecraft\textures\environment within the version's JAR file‌^{[JE only]} or /textures/environment in the resource pack.‌^{[BE only]} The file's dimensions can be changed to any size.

Clouds are made from individual square pieces. The game assembles clouds by placing cloud pieces one by one.

Clouds always float westward between layer 192 and 196. They are not interactive, and simply float through blocks and entities. Unlike in real life, clouds themselves do not produce rain or snow, meaning rain or snow continues even above the clouds.

The maximum distance in which clouds are rendered depends on the cloud distance setting in Java Edition (max 128 chunks), while they are always rendered to 20 chunks in Bedrock Edition, and faded with the render distance on Fancy graphics. With Vibrant Visuals, the cloud distance is controlled by a separate "Clouds" slider, which has for different options at a maximum of 128 chunks.​^{[more information needed]} Clouds do not render with a render distance of 3 chunks or lower.

The position of the clouds is the same for every player on a server, due to their movement being dependent on world time.

• 👁 Textured infdev clouds
  
  Textured infdev clouds
• 👁 Early Pocket Edition clouds
  
  Early Pocket Edition clouds
• 👁 The cloud pattern prior to Java Edition 25w21a and Bedrock Edition Preview 1.21.90.26
  
  The cloud pattern prior to Java Edition 25w21a and Bedrock Edition Preview 1.21.90.26
• 👁 The cloud pattern from Bedrock Edition Preview 1.21.80.25 to Bedrock Edition Preview 1.21.90.26 with Vibrant Visuals turned on
  
  The cloud pattern from Bedrock Edition Preview 1.21.80.25 to Bedrock Edition Preview 1.21.90.26 with Vibrant Visuals turned on

Issues relating to "Cloud" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

• The cloud.png image includes a creeper face as gaps between clouds.

• 👁 Clouds pattern. A black background was added for visibility.
  
  Clouds pattern. A black background was added for visibility.
• 👁 The original texture file
  
  The original texture file

• 👁 Comparison of cloud colors in Bedrock Edition during clear weather
  
  Comparison of cloud colors in Bedrock Edition during clear weather
• 👁 Rainfall
  
  Rainfall
• 👁 Thunderstorm
  
  Thunderstorm
• 👁 Standing just above the cloud layer, looking down at the surface
  
  Standing just above the cloud layer, looking down at the surface
• 👁 Clouds with Vibrant Visuals
  
  Clouds with Vibrant Visuals
• 👁 Cloud reflections on water are blurry in contrast to detailed block reflections.
  
  Cloud reflections on water are blurry in contrast to detailed block reflections.
• 👁 The cloud distance set to Low
  
  The cloud distance set to Low
• 👁 The cloud distance set to Medium
  
  The cloud distance set to Medium
• 👁 The cloud distance set to High
  
  The cloud distance set to High
• 👁 The cloud distance set to Ultra
  
  The cloud distance set to Ultra
• 👁 Clouds on the surface in mountain peaks
  
  Clouds on the surface in mountain peaks
• 👁 Some clouds inside dripstone caves that generated extremely high in mountain peaks
  
  Some clouds inside dripstone caves that generated extremely high in mountain peaks

• 👁 The unimplemented cloud height slider
  
  The unimplemented cloud height slider

• 👁 Clouds artwork
  
  Clouds artwork
• 👁 Goku over the clouds
  
  Goku over the clouds