Sneaking

Sneaking causes the player to move slower and avoid falling off cliffs. Sneaking also has special block interactions, and prevents some types of damage.
Sneaking while walking is a special 2-frame animation in skins.

The player sneaks while pressing the S or Down key.

Behavior

Slower speed

Sneaking reduces the player's walking speed. Sneaking cannot be combined with sprinting.

Avoiding falling

The player will not walk off the edge of a block while sneaking. This is useful for building a bridge of blocks in the air, for example.

Reduced mob visibility

Sneaking lowers the player's "visibility" 20%, causing hostile mobs to pursue the player only at closer distances.

Preventing bouncing

Normally, landing on a slime block will cause the player to bounce. The bounce can be fully cancelled by activating sneak before landing.

Climbing and platforms

Sneaking while on a ladder or rope will prevent the player from automatically climbing downwards.

The interaction is the opposite for platforms; sneaking will cause the player to fall through the platform.

Cancelling damage

Sneaking past cacti and magma blocks will prevent the blocks from inflicting damage.

See also

• Skins