MCA File – What is .mca file and how to open it?

MCA File Format

A MCA file, short for Minecraft Anvil Region, is a binary file format utilized in Minecraft to store chunks of the world. Chunks are cuboid sections of the world, typically measuring 16x16x256 blocks in size. Each MCA file contains data for one or more chunks, enabling efficient storage and retrieval of world data.

The MCA format is a hierarchical structure that consists of a header followed by a sequence of chunk data entries. The header contains information such as the number of chunks present, the world seed, and the biome data. The chunk data entries contain the actual block data for each chunk, organized into a 3D array. Additionally, the MCA format includes metadata about each chunk, such as lighting information, entity positions, and tile entity data.

Opening MCA Files with Minecraft

Minecraft Anvil Region files (.MCA) are essential components of Minecraft worlds. They store chunks of world data, including terrain, structures, and entities. To open an MCA file, you need to use a Minecraft world editor or viewer.

One popular option is MCEdit. This free and open-source program allows you to edit and view Minecraft worlds, including MCA files. To open an MCA file with MCEdit, simply launch the program and drag and drop the file onto the main window. MCEdit will load the world and display the chunks in the MCA file. You can then edit the world using MCEdit’s tools and save the changes back to the MCA file.

Other Methods of Opening MCA Files

Apart from MCEdit, there are several other methods to open MCA files:

• Minecraft Pocket Edition: You can import MCA files into Minecraft Pocket Edition by copying them to the “games/com.mojang/minecraftworlds” folder on your device.
• VoxelEdit: VoxelEdit is a free and open-source voxel editor that supports opening and editing MCA files.
• AnvilEdit: AnvilEdit is a command-line utility that allows you to manipulate and extract data from MCA files.

File Format

MCA (Minecraft Anvil Region) files are binary data files used by Minecraft to store world data. They are used to store chunks of the world, which are 16x16x256 blocks in size. Each MCA file stores data for a specific region of the world, which is 32 chunks wide and 32 chunks long. The file format is designed to be efficient and compact, allowing Minecraft to quickly load and save world data.

MCA File Structure

MCA files are divided into several sections. The first section contains a header that contains information about the file, such as the version of the file format and the size of the file. The second section contains a chunk index, which is a list of the chunks that are stored in the file. The third section contains the chunk data itself. Each chunk is stored in a separate subfile, which is compressed using the zlib algorithm. The fourth section contains a block light table, which stores the light levels for each block in the world. The fifth section contains a sky light table, which stores the light levels for the sky for each block in the world.

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