Creating Skin Packs

Skin packs use their own root folder rather than sitting inside a resource or behavior pack. At minimum, the root directory must contain a manifest.json file, a skins.json configuration file, the PNG texture files for each skin, and a texts folder containing localization files.

When you are ready to distribute or test the pack on a device outside of your development folder, zip the contents of the root directory (not the folder itself) and rename the file extension from .zip to .mcpack. Double-clicking this archive imports it directly into the game.

Every skin pack requires a manifest.json at its root to identify the pack to Minecraft. The format is identical to resource and behavior pack manifests, except the module type must be set to skin_pack. You must generate two unique version 4 UUIDs: one for the header and one for the module.

Unlike resource packs, skin pack manifests do not look up their display name from the manifest header in the UI. Instead, the game relies entirely on the localization files to display both the pack title and individual skin names. The name and description fields in the manifest header are primarily for internal organization.

{
  "format_version": 1,
  "header": {
    "name": "pack.name",
    "version": [1, 0, 0],
    "uuid": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-4a5b-8c9d-0e1f2a3b4c5d"
  },
  "modules": [
    {
      "version": [1, 0, 0],
      "type": "skin_pack",
      "uuid": "f6e5d4c3-b2a1-4f5e-8d9c-0b1a2f3e4d5c"
    }
  ]
}

The skins.json file sits beside the manifest and registers every skin texture in your pack. It binds each PNG file to a base player model and a localization key, and tells the game how to group the skins in the dressing room.

The serialize_name and localization_name at the bottom of the file should be set to the same unique identifier string. This string is used as part of the translation key in your language files to name the pack and its contents.

{
  "skins": [
    {
      "localization_name": "knight_classic",
      "geometry": "geometry.humanoid.custom",
      "texture": "knight.png",
      "type": "free"
    },
    {
      "localization_name": "rogue_slim",
      "geometry": "geometry.humanoid.customSlim",
      "texture": "rogue.png",
      "type": "free"
    }
  ],
  "serialize_name": "medieval_heroes",
  "localization_name": "medieval_heroes"
}

Skin textures must be standard 64x64 or 128x128 pixel PNG files mapped to the default Bedrock humanoid UV layout. If your texture has transparency in the base layer (such as a missing head or invisible limbs), the game will fill those transparent pixels with solid black or reject the texture to prevent competitive advantages in multiplayer.

Standard community skin packs are restricted to the two built-in humanoid geometries: geometry.humanoid.custom (the classic 4-pixel wide arm model) and geometry.humanoid.customSlim (the 3-pixel slim arm model). While older versions of Bedrock allowed arbitrary geometry.json files inside skin packs to create custom 3D hats, wings, or non-humanoid shapes, modern versions restrict custom skin geometry to partner packs signed by the Marketplace.

Without a language file, your skin pack and its skins will display raw translation keys in the dressing room. Create a texts folder in the root of your skin pack, and inside it, create an en_US.lang file and a languages.json file that lists "en_US" inside a JSON array.

Skin pack translation keys follow a strict naming pattern based on the values in skins.json. The pack title uses skinpack.<localization_name>, and each individual skin uses skin.<pack_localization_name>.<skin_localization_name>. Make sure there are no spaces around the equals sign.

skinpack.medieval_heroes=Medieval Heroes Skin Pack
skin.medieval_heroes.knight_classic=Armored Knight
skin.medieval_heroes.rogue_slim=Shadow Rogue

Applies to all modern Bedrock versions (1.12.0 and later). No experimental toggles exist for skin packs since they are loaded globally outside of worlds. Format version 1 is the standard for skin pack manifests.

Read out of the game itself, so the ids match the version you are building for.