Historically the first option was the X-Ray texture pack. The oldest and simplest method: download a zip, drop it into resourcepacks, enable it in settings, and every stone block goes transparent. Works on any client version, doesn't count as a mod, doesn't write anything into logs. The downsides are obvious too: switching between normal textures and X-Ray goes through the resource pack menu, takes a few seconds and gets caught on screen recordings. On top of that the pack can't filter specific ores — you either see everything or nothing, and that transparent mess burns your eyes out fast.
Second approach — the X-Ray mod. It's a jar file you install into Fabric or Forge, usually together with Fabric API and sometimes Sodium for FPS. The mod version can do more: block filtering by list, hotkey binding, smooth toggling, outline highlighting, separate fullbright, render distance control. Support for 1.21 and 1.21.4 is stable, and for 1.16.5 there's a whole pile of legacy builds still around. The problem is that the mod shows up in F3 and in the client log: a server with an anticheat and a mod whitelist system (the standard setup on the larger Russian anarchy servers) calmly reads your loaded mod list and bans without much discussion.
Third path — a built-in X-Ray inside a custom client. That's what Winlend offers on the 1.16.5, 1.21.4 and 1.21.11 branches. Here X-Ray isn't a separate jar in the mods folder, it's a module inside the client, launched through its own launcher. From the outside it's just Minecraft of the right version, with all the vanilla libraries. The mods log is empty, F3 shows nothing extra. The server sees a normal client, identical on handshake. Past that point it comes down to which anticheat is installed and how smart the bypass is, but the basic detect-by-mod-list path is cut off immediately.
Now about the modes, because modern X-Ray hasn't been a single toggle for a long time. In Winlend the module is split into presets. Ores-only shows only ores: diamond, netherite, emerald, gold, iron, lapis, redstone, copper and ancient debris. Stone, dirt and other filler stays normal so you can see where to dig and where the tunnel ends. This is the most workable mode for survival: your eyes don't bleed, spatial orientation is preserved, and diamonds pop as bright cubes against a grey background. Fullbright pairs with it: it kills darkness completely, in caves and in the nether you see every corner without torches. On 1.21.11 vanilla gamma is capped, and fullbright bypasses that cap.
Cave-finder is a mode tuned for the 1.21 cave update. It highlights air pockets in voids underground so you see the cave map before you even crawl into it. Useful in the new terrain with deep dark caves and in the nether for finding bastions and fortresses. Chest-tracer locates chests within a radius and highlights them through walls: this is the mode for raiding other players' bases and for looting structures like ancient cities, mineshafts and outposts. It sees ender chests, regular chests and shulkers sitting on the floor. Mob-ESP highlights entities through walls and splits them by faction: hostile in red, neutral in yellow, players in white. On anarchy that's half of survival, because you spot enemy players long before they spot you.
About anticheat bypass specifically. No X-Ray is fully invisible. A server-side anticheat can catch X-Ray three ways: by the mod packet, by suspicious mining patterns (you walk straight through dirt in a perfect line to a diamond) and by chunk requests. The first path is cut off by the built-in implementation with no external mods involved. The second is handled by behaviour: don't dig in a straight line to the target, zigzag, miss occasionally. The third one is the client's job, and Winlend on 1.21.4 and 1.21.11 uses staged chunk processing and client-side render filtering, without sending extra server requests. The server doesn't see you searching for anything — it sees a normal data stream, and block parsing happens in your local memory.
Why 1.16.5, 1.21.4 and 1.21.11 are the main versions for X-Ray in 2026. 1.16.5 is the anarchy classic, the netherite update, and a huge chunk of the Russian community still runs on it: old private vanilla servers and long-lived anarchy worlds. X-Ray on 1.16.5 is tuned for finding netherite in the nether and diamonds at the old generation heights. 1.21.4 is the current combat version with the reworked caves and the new mobs, and X-Ray here targets the new cave generation, ancient cities and copper. 1.21.11 is the latest hotfix as of 2026, used by everyone who always sits on the freshest vanilla and on private servers running the current version. Winlend supports all three branches from a single install through the launcher, profiles switch in one click, with no client redownload and no dancing around Fabric Loader for each version.
Why the built-in X-Ray in a client beats texture packs and mods on the whole. You don't have to keep two texture sets and switch them by hand. You don't have to assemble a Fabric build for every new Minecraft version. You don't have to scrub mod logs before joining a server. All modes — ores, fullbright, cave, chest, mob — toggle by hotkey on the fly without opening a menu. Configs persist between sessions, and the ore list is editable: turn off coal and iron so they don't clutter the view, leave only netherite and diamond. On top of that the same client ships other modules without which X-Ray on anarchy only works at half capacity: ChestStealer for fast chest looting, AutoTotem, KillAura, Fly, player tracers. One client, one launcher, three versions. Details on the product page: https://cheatgarden.com/ru/product/winlend.
About mobile and Bedrock briefly. X-Ray on phone in the Bedrock edition works through texture packs and through third-party modifications on older client builds. In 2026 most Bedrock servers filter out third-party clients and the loading of packs with transparent blocks, so X-Ray on mobile is mostly a singleplayer thing. Winlend is a Java client for PC, there's no mobile edition, and it doesn't run on Bedrock at all by design. If you're aiming at Java anarchy servers, this is your option. If you play on a phone in Bedrock realms, you'll have to hunt for packs that match your specific version, and know upfront that the selection is thin.
And last, by scenario. On a private server with friends X-Ray saves hours of mining and lets you reach endgame in an evening instead of a week. On anarchy it's a survival tool: you find resources without spending half an hour exposed in the nether, and you spot raiders through the walls of your own base. In solo survival it's a way to get through the early game in one run and start building a proper house instead of squatting in a coal pit. For all three scenarios the built-in module in a custom client fits better than a mod or a texture pack, because it doesn't need manual maintenance and doesn't get caught by the most obvious check. Download the current build for 1.16.5, 1.21.4 and 1.21.11 here: https://cheatgarden.com/ru/product/winlend.
Frequently asked questions
How is X-Ray in Winlend different from a mod or a texture pack?
X-Ray in Winlend is a built-in client module, not a standalone file in the mods folder and not a resource pack. From the outside the client looks like vanilla Minecraft of the relevant version: the mods log is empty, F3 has no extra lines, the server sees nothing unusual on handshake. A texture pack makes stone transparent across the board and gets caught the moment you switch packs in the menu. A mod requires Fabric or Forge and is visible to anticheats that check the loaded module list. The built-in X-Ray gives you per-ore filtering, separate presets for caves, chests and mobs, plus hotkeys for fast switching without ever opening a menu.
Which Minecraft versions does Winlend's X-Ray support?
Winlend supports three branches: 1.16.5, 1.21.4 and 1.21.11. That covers the main scenarios in the Russian community in 2026: 1.16.5 for classic anarchy servers and old vanilla worlds with the netherite meta, 1.21.4 for current caves, ancient cities and combat servers on the current meta patch, and 1.21.11 for fresh private servers on the latest hotfix. All three versions install through a single launcher, profiles switch in one click, and X-Ray and other module configs are stored separately for each branch. Bedrock and mobile devices are not supported — this is a Java build for PC.
What X-Ray modes are in the client and what is each one for?
The base mode is ores-only, which shows only ores: diamond, netherite, emerald, gold, iron, copper, lapis and redstone. The ore list is configurable — you can turn off coal and iron so they don't clutter your view. Fullbright kills darkness in caves and in the nether and bypasses the vanilla gamma cap on 1.21.11. Cave-finder highlights air pockets in underground voids, useful for finding caves and bastions. Chest-tracer locates chests, ender chests and opened shulkers through walls — a working mode for raids and structure looting. Mob-ESP highlights mobs and players, splits them by faction, and lets you see raiders long before they reach your base.
Does X-Ray get caught by anticheat on anarchy servers?
Server-side anticheat catches X-Ray three ways: by the loaded mod list, by a suspicious mining pattern, and by abnormal chunk requests. Winlend cuts off the first path through its built-in implementation — no external mods, nothing in the log. The third is also closed: render filtering happens on the client side, no extra requests go out to the server. That leaves behaviour: if you dig in a straight line to every ore without a single miss, any halfway competent moderator will catch it from a screen recording or from mining statistics. Zigzag your tunnels, miss occasionally, keep some distraction blocks in your inventory, and don't pull three stacks of diamonds in an hour on a fresh account.
Can you use X-Ray on a phone or on Bedrock?
In the Bedrock edition X-Ray exists only as texture packs and a few rare modifications for older client builds on Android. Most public Bedrock servers in 2026 filter out third-party clients and the loading of packs with transparent blocks, so the real use case stays mostly in singleplayer and on realms with lenient settings. Winlend is a Java client for PC and does not launch on phones or on Bedrock. If your main goal is Java anarchy servers and private worlds on current versions, the mobile edition isn't a fit anyway because of the different mechanics and the lack of ports for many of the modules.
Do you need to install Fabric, Forge or OptiFine separately for X-Ray in Winlend?
No. Winlend ships with its own launcher that pulls in the correct Minecraft version (1.16.5, 1.21.4 or 1.21.11), the libraries and its own modules. Fabric, Forge, Fabric API and third-party mods are not needed — X-Ray, fullbright, cave-finder and the rest are already inside the client. OptiFine is also not required: the client uses its own renderer for performance. That simplifies things when a new Minecraft patch drops — you don't have to wait for Fabric Loader, Sodium and the X-Ray mod itself to update for the new version.
Which X-Ray mode should you pick for finding diamonds and netherite?
For diamonds on 1.21.4 and 1.21.11, turn on ores-only with the filter set to diamond, netherite and ancient debris, plus fullbright so you can drop the torches. It makes sense to disable coal and iron — they spam the screen at the old generation heights. Cave-finder helps you spot pre-existing caves so you're not breaking stone by hand. For netherite in the nether, run the mode with only ancient_debris and burnable blocks enabled — everything else in the lower world just gets in the way. On 1.16.5 diamonds sit lower than in the newer versions, so keep Y between 5 and 12. Don't dig straight to the target; run standard 2x1 branches with a three-block step.