How to keep your items when you die in Minecraft

⚡ The short answer

You don't need a mod. Minecraft has a game rule that lets you keep your inventory and your experience when you die. On current versions you turn it on like this:

/gamerule keep_inventory true

On Minecraft 1.21.10 and older it is the same rule, spelled keepInventory. If you want death to still matter, just without your gear vanishing, what you are after is a grave mod or plugin: the options for Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Paper are further down.

⌨️ The command for your version

In Java Edition 1.21.11 (December 2025) every game rule was renamed, from camel case to lowercase with underscores. The releases after it, which are now numbered 26.1, 26.2, 26.3 and so on, use the new name.

Edition and version	Command
Java 1.21.11 and 26.x	/gamerule keep_inventory true
Java 1.21.10 and older	/gamerule keepInventory true
Bedrock	/gamerule keepinventory true

Rule names are case sensitive in Java, so type them exactly as shown. Plenty of modpacks still run on 1.20.1 or 1.21.1, where the old name applies. If the game rejects the command, try the other spelling. To go back to normal, run the same command with false.

In a single-player world you need cheats enabled; you can also tick the rule in the game rules menu when you create the world.

🖥️ On a server

The rule is saved with the world: set it once and it is still there after a restart. There are two ways to set it:

• From the server console, without the slash: gamerule keep_inventory true.
• In game, with the slash, if you are an operator.

On Paper and Purpur there is a catch that trips people up: each dimension stores its own game rules. If you set the rule and still lose your items in the Nether or the End, set it there too:

execute in minecraft:the_nether run gamerule keep_inventory true
execute in minecraft:the_end run gamerule keep_inventory true

On ZentexNode the console is in the panel, in your browser, so you don't have to join the game to type it. If your server lets Java and Bedrock players in together through Geyser (Minecraft on phone and PC on the same server), the server itself is Java, so use the Java command.

🪦 If you would rather have a grave

With the rule on, dying costs nothing. A grave mod is the middle ground: when you die, your items are stored in a grave at the spot where you fell instead of lying on the ground, where they despawn after five minutes. You still have to walk back for them.

• Fabric: Universal Graves. It is installed on the server only; players don't need to add anything. It has builds for Minecraft 26.x.
• Fabric and NeoForge: You're in Grave Danger, with versions up to 1.21.1. It goes on the server and in every player's game.
• Forge and NeoForge: GraveStone Mod and Corail Tombstone. Both also go on the server and on every client.

Before you download, check on the mod's page that it exists for your exact version and loader. Each one has its own settings; Universal Graves, for example, lets you decide how long a grave stays protected from other players and when it expires. If you have never installed mods on a server, see how to install mods on Forge and Fabric.

There is no need to combine the two: with keep_inventory on, you no longer drop anything when you die.

🔌 On Paper and Purpur: plugins

Paper and Purpur don't load mods, but there are plugins that do the same job. AxGraves is one: it leaves a death chest holding your items, runs on Spigot, Paper, Purpur and Folia, and has builds for Minecraft 26.x. Drop it into the plugins folder, as described in how to install plugins on Paper and Purpur; players don't have to install anything.

✨ What about experience?

Without the rule, your level resets to zero when you die: part of your experience drops as orbs (100 points at most) and the rest is gone. With keep_inventory you keep all of your experience as well. Potion effects are lost either way. With grave mods and plugins, what happens to experience depends on the one you pick and how you configure it.