Minecraft 26.3 Snapshot 2 Default Whitelist Changes

Mojang released Minecraft Java Edition 26.3 snapshot 2 on 30 June 2026, introducing significant rendering adjustments alongside backend technical additions. For anyone testing early test builds or managing instances on the Minecraft Server List, the update alters default server configurations, introduces order-independent transparency, and reworks pack schemas.

Server Configuration and Data Pack Updates

The Default Whitelist Switch

In previous server releases, fresh worlds started open to any connecting account unless manually restricted. Starting in snapshot 2, the white-list setting in server.properties defaults to true. Dedicated hosts and community managers generating fresh configuration files must explicitly toggle this back to false or populate their whitelist immediately, otherwise unlisted players cannot join the server.

Data Pack and Resource Pack Version Bumps

Technical data structures receive version bumps in this release:

• Data Pack version advances to 109.0.
• Resource Pack version advances to 90.0.
• The definition attribute has been dropped from the generated blocks.json report.

Alongside these version bumps, world generation removes Cave Air from Nether cave systems, and a dedicated till/rooted_dirt loot table now handles item drops whenever players till Rooted Dirt with a hoe.

The Block Transformer Component

Data Pack 109.0 adds minecraft:block_transformer, an item component that changes one block into another when interacted with by a player. The component takes an array of rules using block_state_provider (sharing functionality with worldgen providers), along with optional configuration fields:

• sound: Plays an interaction sound event, such as minecraft:item.axe.strip.
• particle: Spawns particles, accepting none, scrape, wax_on, or wax_off.
• disallowed_faces: Prevents interactions against specified faces (up, down, north, south, east, west).
• loot: Dictates items dropped via an assigned loot table.
• drop_strategy: Chooses drop origins using from_middle or clicked_face.
• transform_type: Controls whether alterations affect a single_block or expand across copper_chest pairs.
• Item consumption rules via consume_on_use (stackables) or item_damage_per_use (durability tools).

World generation also gains minecraft:copy_properties_provider to transfer shared state values between blocks, while earlier basalt features have been reworked into minecraft:stepped_column_cluster, minecraft:single_block_pillar, and minecraft:random_neighbor_spread.

Rendering Changes and Visual Artifacts

Snapshot 2 updates the "Improved Transparency" visual toggle to use an order-independent transparency (OIT) algorithm. In prior client builds, translucent textures were rendered across separate texture layers before being composited, creating performance penalties and sorting conflicts.

OIT renders translucent geometry without sorting individual triangles back-to-front. Mojang notes this resolves historic translucency bugs, such as objects vanishing when viewed through glass or water, but warns that the approximation creates new minor visual anomalies, like altered cloud colouring across stacked translucent planes. Players disabling Improved Transparency will revert to traditional sorted geometry. Mojang also highlighted that running Vulkan on Mac leads to broken rendering displaying a pink screen, while entity lighting may render top faces too dark.

Mob AI and Combat Adjustments

Snapshot 2 refines how entities behave when no players remain close enough to engage them. Persistent mobs now suspend their random walking and swimming routines when players leave their vicinity, matching the idle handling previously reserved only for non-persistent mobs. In combat situations, Trident-wielding Drowned will transition to melee attacks whenever a player approaches within 3 blocks. Tool interactions have also been adjusted so that holding a Shield alongside a Hoe or Shovel prioritises the defensive block over tilling ground or flattening paths.

What Server Owners Must Adjust

Anyone planning to run a Minecraft server on this snapshot must inspect server.properties upon installation. Because white-list defaults to true, newly generated installations will reject incoming player connections until administrators either populate whitelist.json or switch the property back to false.

Custom data packs targeting older builds require updates to package metadata for 109.0, and any worldgen packs referencing minecraft:basalt_columns, minecraft:basalt_pillar, or minecraft:glowstone_blob must adopt their new renamed feature identifiers.

What Players Will Experience on Servers

When exploring worlds or testing combat on Minecraft 26.3 servers, players will notice immediate responsiveness changes during close-quarters encounters with Trident Drowned, who will stab rather than throw projectiles inside 3 blocks. Offhand shield users will no longer accidentally till farmland or create grass paths while bracing against attacks. Visually, players enabling Improved Transparency will notice fewer disappearing objects behind stained glass and water, offset by slight colour shifts through layered translucent blocks.