How to Make Structures Spawn Farther Apart (or Closer Together) in Sparse Structures

Find and edit the config file

Open your Minecraft instance folder and go to the config directory. Locate the file named sparsestructures.json5 and open it in any plain text editor. Inside you will see the spreadFactor option. This single number controls how far apart structures generate: it multiplies both the spacing and separation values that Minecraft uses when placing structures.

Choose your value and test it

A higher spreadFactor pushes structures farther apart, making them rarer and harder to stumble across. A lower value (closer to 1) packs them together so you find them more often. The default is 2, which already doubles the normal distance. If you want a dense, exploration-heavy world, try a value just above 1. If you want a lonely, sparse world where every structure feels like a discovery, raise it well above 2.

Save the file, then create a brand new world to test the result — structure placement is decided at world generation, so existing chunks will not change. Load in, use a structure-finding command or just explore, and adjust the number again if the spacing does not feel right. Repeat until the world matches the difficulty you want, then keep that value for your real playthrough.