Players
What you download
The skin is a 64 by 64 PNG, the cape a 64 by 32 PNG, named after the player. The zip holds both for every player found.
The skin file is laid out the way the game reads it: the head in the top left, the body and right limbs below it, and the left limbs along the bottom, each with a second outer layer for hats, jackets and sleeves. Very old accounts can still have a 64 by 32 skin from before 1.8, which has no left limbs and no outer layer except the hat; the game mirrors the right side.
To look at a skin before saving it, open the 3D skin viewer. To change it, the 3D skin editor opens the PNG, and the avatar maker turns it into a profile picture.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I download someone's Minecraft skin?
Type their Java username above and press Get skin, then Skin PNG. You get the same 64 by 64 file the game downloads when that player joins a server. Several names at once work too, one per line, with a zip of all of them.
How do I wear a skin I downloaded?
On Java, open the launcher, go to Skins, add a new skin, choose the PNG and pick the arm style (classic or slim), then save and use it. On Bedrock for Windows, Android or iOS, open the Dressing Room, go to Classic Skins, then Owned, and choose Import. Consoles can't import skin files.
Can I download a Bedrock player's skin?
Only if that player has joined a Java server that lets Bedrock players in, called a Geyser server. That is the one way a Bedrock skin ends up online, and the downloader reads it from GeyserMC. If the player never has, there is no file anywhere to download.
Why is there no cape?
Most players have none. Capes come from Minecraft events, Minecon tickets and owning both editions, and a player can also have one but not have it equipped. Bedrock capes aren't shared online at all.