Border block in Minecraft Education Edition: All you need to know

Minecraft Education Edition has a large swath of tools for educators to set limits on a game world for their students, and the border block is one of the most evident and visually distinguishable tools at their disposal.

Border blocks prevent entities from moving above, below or through the block, effectively creating a barrier that keeps players and other entities within a certain area. These blocks are only obtainable through the use of the command console or by selecting the block within the Creative Mode inventory. Tools, fire and explosives are incapable of breaking them by default, and they basically operate as if they have no hitbox when placed.

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Using border blocks in Minecraft Education Edition

Border blocks take a similar shape to wall blocks that can be made out of various materials (Image via Mojang)

If educators or curious Minecraft players are hoping to close off an area and create a controlled environment of sorts, border blocks are the perfect thing to use. They create an infinite height barrier above and below them (not sideways, however, meaning the blocks will need to be connected together to create an effective enclosure) that cannot be overcome in most circumstances for players or students without worldbuilder permissions. They should be unable to perform any of the following without worldbuilder status:

• Tunneling, jumping, climbing, or swimming around the block.
• Walking through the block.
• Placing blocks above or below the border blocks.
• Destroying or otherwise removing the border block.

In addition to halting players, most mobs cannot pass through the border block's barrier either. However, certain Minecraft entities such as the Ender Dragon are capable of passing, and things such as projectiles and explosions can still reach through a border block's barrier. This may present issues for prospective players or educators, but for the most part should still keep the entities inside safe in almost any normal circumstance.

Border blocks can also be used in Minecraft Bedrock Edition if players have enabled the Education Edition setting within their world settings. This allows access to Minecraft Education Edition's features, though some that require peripheral or software support may not perform as intended (mostly those regarding programming code such as the Agent mob). However, the border block should operate as expected, so players without Education Edition can still enjoy the block's capabilities to some degree if they have Bedrock Edition available.