How to use the skin editor
Pick a tool in the tool bar: pencil, eraser, fill, eyedropper or turn. Paint straight on the 3D model, or on the texture map when you want exact pixels. Hover or tap a pixel and the bar under the map tells you which part and side it belongs to.
On a phone, one finger paints and two fingers turn and zoom the model. With a mouse, drag the empty space around the model to turn it and scroll to zoom. Turn on Mirror to paint the left and right side at the same time, which is great for eyes, sleeves and boots.
Undo and redo with the buttons or with Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Shift+Z (Cmd on a Mac). Your skin saves in this browser as you work, so you can close the tab and come back to it.
How a Minecraft skin file works
A skin is a 64 by 64 PNG that wraps around six boxes: the head, the body, two arms and two legs. Each box unfolds into a top, a bottom and four sides, like a cardboard box cut open and laid flat. The texture map shows every face with its outline and name.
Every box has a second copy that floats a little above it. That is the outer layer: the hat, jacket, sleeves and pants. Pixels you leave see-through on the outer layer simply show the skin underneath.
The dark hatched areas on the map are never used by the game, so there is no need to paint them. The bottom faces are flipped compared to the others. That is how the game draws them, and the editor handles it for you.
Tips for a skin that looks good in game
Use two or three shades of each color instead of one flat color. A slightly darker shade near the bottom of each part and a few random pixels of texture make cloth, hair and fur look real.
Paint every pixel of the base layer. The game can’t show see-through pixels there, so erased ones turn black. Save see-through tricks for the outer layer.
Use the outer layer for depth: hoods, hair fringes, collars, belts and boot cuffs. Then press Walk and turn the model around. People see your back and your boots more than your face.
Putting your skin in the game
Java Edition: open the Minecraft Launcher, go to the Skins tab, press New skin, choose the PNG and the matching arm model (Classic for 4 pixel arms, Slim for 3 pixel arms), then save.
Bedrock Edition on Windows, Android or iOS: open the Dressing Room, go to the classic skins, press Import and pick the PNG. Bedrock asks which arm model to use too.
Your skin shows on any server that checks accounts with Mojang, including your own server. If friends still see your old skin, rejoining the server refreshes it.