How to Detect Minecraft Xray Hack Users Fast: 2025 Guide

If you're a server administrator, you know that cheaters using Minecraft Xray hack tools can be a major headache. These hacks turn common blocks like stone and dirt transparent, letting players see valuable ores through walls. This can wreck your server's economy and ruin the game for everyone else. This guide offers a reliable, three-layer strategy that combines automated tools with manual checks, helping you catch cheaters before they do serious harm.

Set Up PaperMC Anti-Xray for Immediate Protection

Your first line of defense against X-ray hacks is PaperMC's built-in Anti-Xray system. This server-side tool works by actively countering X-ray clients with three different engine modes:

Engine-mode 1: Replaces hidden ores with fake blocks, like stone.
Engine-mode 2: Hides real ores by scattering fake ones throughout hidden areas.
Engine-mode 3: Offers a more basic level of obfuscation.

For the best results, enable engine-mode 2. This setting not only conceals real ore veins but also generates false positives that will confuse X-ray mods. You'll know it's working when would-be cheaters start wasting their time digging up fake ore deposits.

X-ray detection setup interface — PaperMC Anti-Xray configuration interface showing engine mode settings

Deploy Real-Time Monitoring with XrayDetector

For your second layer, the XrayDetector plugin adds active monitoring to your server. This tool is specifically designed to identify suspicious behavior, using a four-tier system to track ore collection rates and automatically alert staff.

Here are some of its most useful features:

Automated alerts: Flags players who find ores at an unusually high rate.
Invisible spectating: Use /xray tp <player> to watch suspects without being seen.
Efficiency tracking: Keeps an eye on ore-to-stone ratios and digging behavior.
Real-time notifications: Sends immediate alerts to staff when a player's activity crosses a certain threshold.

By installing XrayDetector alongside PaperMC's Anti-Xray, you'll have a comprehensive system that can catch both blatant and more subtle forms of cheating.

Learn to Spot Cheaters Manually

Automated tools are a great start, but manual observation is still essential for confirming if someone is using X-ray. The OPBlocks community puts it well: "X-ray is one of the harder hacks to detect because it doesn't have visual cues; watching mining patterns is best."

Keep an eye out for these telltale signs:

Tunneling in straight lines: Creating direct paths to ore veins while clearing very little stone.
Unnatural efficiency: Finding far more valuable ores than the average player.
Selective digging: Consistently avoiding worthless blocks and only targeting valuables.
Specific depth activity: Sticking to optimal ore levels without any normal exploration.

To spot unusual activity quickly, get a feel for what normal resource gathering looks like on your server. Make a note of typical diamond-to-stone ratios and how long it usually takes to find ores. This will give you a clear baseline for any investigations.

Mining pattern analysis showing suspicious vs normal behavior — Comparison of normal exploration mining versus suspicious direct-path mining patterns

Putting It All Together: Your Action Plan

By combining these three layers, you can create a standard procedure for handling potential cheaters:

Let the tools work: Allow PaperMC Anti-Xray and XrayDetector to do the initial flagging.
Respond to alerts: When you get a notification from XrayDetector, check it out within 5-10 minutes.
Confirm manually: Use invisible spectating to watch the player's behavior for yourself.
Gather proof: Document any suspicious activity before you take action against the player.

This layered strategy helps you catch users of a Minecraft Xray hack quickly and fairly. With server-side protection, automated alerts, and manual verification, you create a robust system that makes it very difficult for cheaters to go unnoticed.

For more in-depth strategies and advanced techniques, explore our complete guide to detecting Minecraft X-ray hacks. If you're a server owner who wants to stop cheaters before they become a problem, consider specialized monitoring solutions that can identify them before they affect your community.