Capes in Minecraft
How to get a cape in 2026. Official capes, mods and the Marketplace.
Capes are some of the most coveted cosmetic items in Minecraft. Unlike skins, which anyone can change for free, capes are exclusive. Most of them are available only to people who met specific conditions: they migrated their account, took part in an event or support mod creators. A cape on a character's back is a mark of prestige and seniority in the Minecraft community.
Below we describe the known ways to get a cape in 2026. For each method we note whether the cape is official (visible to all players in vanilla Minecraft) or needs a mod (visible only to users of the same mod).
Official Mojang capes
Over the history of Minecraft, Mojang has released more than a dozen official capes. All of them are visible to every player in vanilla Minecraft, with no mods needed. Here are the most important ones:
MINECON capes (2011-2016)
Handed out to attendees of the annual MINECON event. Each year had its own design. There is no way to get them in 2026.
Minecraft Live capes
Mojang gave away free capes at some Minecraft Live events. All you had to do was log in with your Microsoft account on minecraft.net on the day of the event and claim the cape, and each one had its own design.
Capes tied to Minecraft Dungeons II (2026)
Several capes appeared around the launch of Minecraft Dungeons II (September 29, 2026), but not all of them can be worn in Minecraft. Deadlines are given as of October 2026. The Hero Cape works in both games and is free for people who played the first Minecraft Dungeons and log in to Dungeons II with the same Microsoft account before December 31, 2026. The Aurora Cape is a cape for regular Minecraft only and isn't in Dungeons II itself. You get it by watching a Dungeons II livestream with rewards enabled (at least 15 minutes on Twitch or 3 minutes on TikTok) until October 14, 2026, which means until the morning of October 15, Polish time. The code (one per account, limited supply) has to be entered at minecraft.net/redeem by October 31, and we show how to do that in our guide to redeeming a cape with a code. The Twisted Cape, which can also be worn in both games, was a pre-order bonus. The pre-order period has ended, but people who ordered the game can still claim the cape. The Soul Cape from the Deluxe edition and the Corrupted Creeper Cape work only in Dungeons II. You'll find the details in the article Minecraft Dungeons II capes and how to get them.
Mojang employee capes
Employees of the Mojang studio have their own cape with the company logo. It was never available to the public. You can see it in the game when you meet a Mojang employee on a server.
Migrator Cape
Mojang required all owners of Mojang accounts to move them to Microsoft accounts. As a reward for migrating, players received a special Migrator Cape. The migration period ended in September 2023 and the cape is no longer available for new accounts.
If you migrated your account on time, the cape should be visible in your profile on minecraft.net in the "Capes" section. You can turn it on or off at any time. If you don't see the cape even though you migrated, contact Mojang/Microsoft support.
OptiFine cape
OptiFine, the most popular optimization mod for Minecraft, offers a cape as a reward for donations. It costs 10 USD. After paying, you can set your own cape design or pick one of the ready-made designs on optifine.net.
The key limitation: an OptiFine cape is visible only to players who have OptiFine installed or a compatible mod (for example Cosmetica, OF Capes). Players on plain Minecraft won't see it. It is not an official Mojang cape.
Despite this limitation, the OptiFine cape is very popular, because OptiFine has millions of users. On most multiplayer servers, a good share of players will see your cape.
Capes from mods
Several mods let you set capes that other users of the same mod can see. These are the three most popular in 2026:
Cosmetica
A free mod with a huge library of capes, wings and other cosmetic items. Supports Fabric and Forge. Cosmetica also displays OptiFine capes automatically, so you don't need both mods at once. Very popular on servers with a modded community. The full cape library is at cosmetica.cc.
Essential
A community mod that combines cosmetic features with game invites and voice chat. Offers free capes and other cosmetics. Visible only between Essential users. Supports Fabric and Forge and is available at essential.gg.
MinecraftCapes
A dedicated cape mod that lets you upload your own design. Simple to install and use. Capes are visible only between users of the same mod. Available at minecraftcapes.net.
Cape scams
Capes are so coveted that they attract scammers. These are the most common traps to watch out for:
- Sites promising free official capes - official Mojang capes can't be obtained outside designated events. Any site promising a "free MINECON cape" is phishing or a scam. Never enter your login and password on third-party sites.
- Selling accounts with capes - buying Minecraft accounts with MINECON capes goes against Mojang's terms. The account can be banned, and the seller can take it back after the sale.
- Cape and key generators - there are no "generators" that give out capes. Such tools are malware or data harvesters. The only legitimate sources are official Mojang events, OptiFine and the mods listed above.
FAQ
How do I get a cape in Minecraft in 2026?
In 2026 you can get a cape in Minecraft in several ways: the Hero Cape for people who played the first Minecraft Dungeons and log in to Minecraft Dungeons II before December 31, 2026; the Aurora Cape for regular Minecraft by watching Dungeons II livestreams until October 14, 2026 (as of October 2026); buying an OptiFine cape (visible only with OptiFine); using the free Cosmetica or Essential mods; or buying a skin pack that includes a cape on the Bedrock Marketplace. The Soul Cape and the Corrupted Creeper Cape work only in Minecraft Dungeons II itself.
Is the Migrator Cape still available?
No. The Migrator Cape was available only to players who migrated their Mojang account to a Microsoft account before September 2023. New accounts created directly with Microsoft don't qualify for this cape.
Can other players see my OptiFine cape?
OptiFine capes are visible only to players who also have OptiFine installed, or a mod that is compatible with the OptiFine cape system (for example Cosmetica). Players on plain vanilla Minecraft can't see OptiFine capes.