Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 7: Calcite Blocks, Flurry Disc and Fixes

Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 7 is the Java Edition test build Mojang released on November 3, 2026, and its headline additions are three new calcite block sets and a new music disc called “Flurry” by Hyper Potions. It also tweaks how Strays and Frostbites appear, refreshes the title screen panorama for the winter drop, runs a temporary Vulkan versus OpenGL test, and fixes a batch of bugs.

Below is a breakdown of everything in the snapshot, a known crash to watch out for, and how to try it safely. Details are accurate as of November 4, 2026; snapshot content can change before the final release.

What is 26.4 Snapshot 7?

Snapshots are early Java Edition builds that let players test features before they ship. The 26.4 snapshots belong to the fourth game drop of 2026, often called the winter drop, which ships as Java 26.4 and Bedrock 26.70. That drop centers on Ice Caves, a new cave biome under frozen biomes announced at Minecraft LIVE in September 2026, along with the Frostbite zombie variant and a Freezing effect.

Mojang has not confirmed a release date for the drop. Reports point to the fourth quarter of 2026, with December the commonly cited window, but specific dates you may see online are speculation, as Cybrancee’s 26.4 overview also notes.

New calcite block sets

The biggest building change is that calcite finally gets a full family of blocks. According to the official Minecraft.net changelog and the Minecraft Wiki, there are now three sets:

Calcite variants can also be made in a Stonecutter, which saves material compared with crafting stairs and slabs at a crafting table.

The official notes also list Calcite, Polished Calcite and Polished Calcite Bricks under the “Slow Bouncy” Sulfur Cube archetype, which ties these blocks into the Sulfur Cube behavior added in an earlier drop. If you build with Sulfur Cubes, test how these blocks behave in your snapshot world before relying on it.

How to make Polished Calcite

1. Collect at least four Calcite blocks. Calcite generates naturally around amethyst geodes and in some mountain areas.
2. Place them in a 2x2 square in a crafting grid to make Polished Calcite.
3. Put Calcite into a Stonecutter to get stairs, slabs, walls and pillars, and check the Stonecutter for the polished variants too.

Exact recipe yields can change between snapshots, so check the recipe book in-game if a count differs from what you expect.

The “Flurry” music disc

Snapshot 7 adds a new music disc, “Flurry,” by Hyper Potions. It can be found in chests in igloo basements, which fits the drop’s winter theme. A summary from Endgame Tools puts the chance at 30% per basement chest; the official notes are the place to confirm that figure.

Igloos generate in snowy biomes, and not every igloo has a basement. If you are hunting for the disc, you will likely need to check several.

Stray and Frostbite changes

Two mob changes support the drop’s cold-weather theme.

Leather armor stops conversions

Wearing any piece of leather armor now prevents Zombies from converting into Frostbites and Skeletons from converting into Strays. Some coverage words this slightly differently. Beebom, for example, does not phrase it the same way as the official notes. Mojang’s changelog and the wiki both describe it as Zombies to Frostbites and Skeletons to Strays, so go with that.

In practice, a Zombie or Skeleton that picked up or spawned with a leather helmet, tunic, pants or boots will stay as it is in freezing conditions.

Expanded Stray spawns

Strays now spawn in more frozen biomes. The wiki lists:

• Deep Frozen Ocean
• Frozen Ocean
• Frozen Peaks
• Frozen River
• Jagged Peaks
• Snowy Slopes

Sources do not list this in exactly the same way, so check the official article for the authoritative list. Either way, expect more ranged undead with Slowness arrows in cold areas, and plan your armor accordingly.

New panorama

The title screen panorama has been updated for the fourth drop of 2026 and now shows the new Ice Cave biome. It is a purely cosmetic change.

Graphics: the temporary Vulkan test

This is the change most likely to affect how your game runs. In Snapshot 7, the “Default” Graphics API option picks either OpenGL or Vulkan at random on each launch. Mojang says this is temporary and is meant to test both rendering backends after recent large changes to its rendering code. It will be reverted in a future snapshot.

If you want consistent performance while testing, open Video Settings and choose a specific Graphics API instead of Default.

Known issue: resizing with Vulkan

The Minecraft Wiki flags a serious problem. Resizing the game window while Vulkan is active can crash and hard-lock the game. Windowed mode can also cause rendering problems and visual distortion with the Vulkan backend.

To avoid it:

1. Before launching, decide whether you will play fullscreen or at a fixed window size.
2. In Video Settings, switch the Graphics API from Default to OpenGL if you need to resize the window often.
3. If you stay on Vulkan, avoid dragging the window edges or switching between windowed and fullscreen mid-session.

Notable bug fixes

Snapshot 7 fixes a list of reported bugs. Ones that stand out, as reported in coverage of this snapshot:

• MC-307991: With Vulkan unsupported, the game could prefer a software renderer (llvmpipe) over the real GPU.
• MC-312962: The Vulkan backend leaked native memory on every render pass.
• MC-309586: The Stonecutter’s scroll position kept resetting.
• MC-311029: The equipment predicate did not include the saddle slot.
• MC-312913: Trees were missing in abandoned camp tents.
• Several OpenGL texture-write errors (MC-311520, MC-311522, MC-311856).

The full fixed-issue list is in the official changelog. If a fix you care about is not listed, it may still be open on Mojang’s bug tracker.

Unconfirmed: the “secret” block

Some YouTube videos and Beebom mention a hidden decorative block in this snapshot, reported as Chiseled Soulshale. That comes from players digging through the game, not from Mojang’s changelog, so treat it as unconfirmed. Unannounced content like this often changes or vanishes before release.

How to play 26.4 Snapshot 7

Snapshots are free for anyone who owns Minecraft: Java Edition, and you install them through the official Minecraft Launcher.

1. Open the Minecraft Launcher and select Minecraft: Java Edition.
2. Go to the Installations tab and turn on Snapshots.
3. Click New Installation, choose “Latest snapshot” as the version, and save it.
4. Select that installation on the Play tab and launch.

Make a backup of any world before opening it in a snapshot, or better, use a fresh test world. Snapshots can corrupt worlds, and once a world has been opened in a newer version it may not open correctly in older ones. Mods and many servers will not work on snapshot versions.

Bedrock players can test the winter drop features through Minecraft Preview and Beta builds, where they are behind the Drop 4 of 2026 experiment. That is a separate track from Java snapshots, and the feature set will not always match from week to week.

Should you bother?

If you build a lot, Snapshot 7 is worth a look for the calcite sets alone. They give you a bright, clean white stone palette with proper stairs, slabs and walls. If you mainly want to explore Ice Caves, earlier 26.4 snapshots already added the biome, and this build mostly adds polish around it. Watch the Vulkan resize issue, keep your main worlds away from it, and expect more snapshots before the drop ships.