Why does my friend see me as Steve on Bedrock?

Bedrock has a setting called Only allow trusted skins, under Settings and then General. It replaces custom imported skins of other players with default skins. Your friend must turn it off on their game.

Can I import a custom skin on a console?

No. Custom skin files can be imported on Windows and on mobile devices, in the Classic Skins tab. Consoles have no import option.

What sizes does Minecraft accept for a skin?

Java Edition accepts a 64×64 PNG, or a legacy 64×32 PNG. Bedrock Edition accepts 64×32, 64×64, or 128×128 PNG files.

Why do my arms have black lines?

The skin was drawn for one arm width and applied as the other. Classic arms are 4 pixels wide and Slim arms are 3 pixels wide. Switch the model in the launcher, on minecraft.net, or when you import on Bedrock.

Why is my hat layer missing?

On Java, open Options and then Skin Customization and turn every layer on. Also check that the unused areas of the file are transparent, not white or black.

Why do Java players see me as Steve when I join from Bedrock?

The server needs Floodgate 2.0 to show Bedrock skins to Java players. Floodgate uploads the skin through a queue, so it can take a while to appear.

Minecraft skin not showing? Every cause and fix

Your skin shows as Steve or Alex, your friends cannot see it, or the hat layer vanished. Work through the causes in order. Each one names the edition it applies to.

Bedrock

1. Your friend has "Only allow trusted skins" turned on

What you see: You see your custom skin. Your friend sees Steve, Alex, or another default skin instead.
Why: Bedrock has a setting called Only allow trusted skins. The game describes it as: replace custom imported skins of other players with default skins. It is under Settings, in the General section. It is set on the viewer's game, not on yours.
Fix: Ask your friend to open Settings, then General.
Turn off Only allow trusted skins.
Leave the world and join it again.
Skins from the Marketplace and the Character Creator are trusted. Only imported PNG files are hidden by this setting.

Bedrock

2. You play on a console

What you see: There is no Import button in the Dressing Room.
Why: Custom skin files can be imported on Windows and on mobile devices, in the Classic Skins tab. Consoles have no import option. This is a limit of the game, not of the file.
Fix: Use a Character Creator skin or a Marketplace skin on the console.
A custom PNG imported on a phone or a PC does not follow the account to a console.

Java

3. The game still shows the old skin

What you see: You changed your skin in the launcher or on minecraft.net. In the world you still wear the old one.
Why: The game reads your skin when you join. A change made while you are in a world does not appear until the skin is loaded again. Other players keep the copy they loaded when you joined.
Fix: In the launcher, open the Skins tab and press Use on the skin you want.
Leave the world or the server. Then join again.
If the old skin stays, close the game and the launcher, then start them again.
Ask friends to leave and rejoin. Their game keeps the copy it loaded first.

Servers

4. You use a third-party launcher or an offline server

What you see: Your skin shows for you, or for people on the same launcher, but not for anyone else.
Why: Some launchers use their own skin system. Those skins live in that launcher, not on your Minecraft profile, so other players never receive them. On a server that runs without account checks (offline mode), the game cannot load a skin at all without a mod or a plugin.
Fix: A skin on your Minecraft profile shows to everyone. Set it in the official launcher or on minecraft.net.
Server owners: the SkinsRestorer plugin sends skins to players on offline-mode servers.
SkinsRestorer's own docs list launchers whose skin system replaces the plugin's skins. Turn that launcher feature off, or use the official launcher.

Servers

5. You join a Java server from Bedrock

What you see: Java players see you as Steve or Alex. You may also see yourself as the default skin.
Why: A Bedrock skin does not exist on the Java side. The server needs Floodgate 2.0, which converts Bedrock skins to Java skins and uploads them so Java players can see them. The upload goes through a queue. When the queue is long, the skin takes a while to appear.
Fix: Ask the server owner whether Floodgate 2.0 is installed. Without it, skins do not show up for Java players.
Wait. A long upload queue delays the skin, then it appears on its own.
Rejoin the server after a few minutes.

Both

6. The arms show black or stretched pixels

What you see: Your arms have thin black lines, or the texture on the arms looks shifted by one pixel.
Why: The skin was drawn for one arm width and applied as the other. Classic arms are 4 pixels wide. Slim arms are 3 pixels wide. The file is the same size for both. The game reads the arm columns differently, so a Slim skin shown as Classic has an empty column, and a Classic skin shown as Slim loses one.
Fix: Java: in the launcher's Skins tab, open the menu on the skin and pick the other arm width. The profile page on minecraft.net has the same choice.
Bedrock: import the file again. The game asks for Classic or Slim when you import.
Not sure which one the file is? Open it in the Skin Editor and switch Classic and Slim until the arms look right.

Java

7. The hat, jacket, or sleeves are missing

What you see: The base skin shows. The second layer (hat, jacket, sleeves, pants) does not.
Why: Two common causes. First, the game can hide each second layer. Options, then Skin Customization, has a toggle for Hat, Jacket, Left Sleeve, Right Sleeve, Left Pants Leg and Right Pants Leg. Second, the file may have a solid background where it should be transparent. A pixel on the outer layer can be fully transparent. Unused pixels should be fully transparent too.
Fix: Open Options, then Skin Customization. Turn every layer on.
Open the file in the Skin Editor. Hide the outer layer in the Parts panel and check that the unused areas are see-through, not white or black.
On versions before 1.9.3, colored pixels in the unused areas of the file hid the second layer (bug MC-82464). Erase them if you play an old version.

Both

8. The upload is rejected

What you see: The launcher or the Dressing Room refuses the file, or says it is not a valid skin.
Why: The file must be a PNG at an accepted size. Java accepts 64×64, or a legacy 64×32 texture. Bedrock accepts 64×32, 64×64, or 128×128. A JPG, a screenshot of a skin, or a PNG at any other size is refused.
Fix: Check the size. Open the file in the Skin Converter to resize a 128×128 skin to 64×64 for Java, or to upgrade a 64×32 file.
Check the format. Save as PNG. A file renamed from .jpg to .png is still a JPG.
A Bedrock 128×128 skin does not work on Java. Convert it first.

Both

9. Both arms and both legs look the same

What you see: You drew different left and right limbs. In the game they match.
Why: A 64×32 file has no left arm or left leg of its own. The game mirrors the right side onto the left. Only a 64×64 file carries separate left limbs.
Fix: Upgrade the file to 64×64 with the Skin Converter, or open it in the Skin Editor, which upgrades it on load.
Then paint the left arm and the left leg on their own areas.

Both

10. It looks different in the game than in the preview

What you see: Colors look darker, the face is hidden, or the back of the head is blank.
Why: The game lights the model from above, so the sides and the bottom are darker than a flat preview. Armor covers most of the skin. Some pieces cover the face. A preview that only shows the front hides an unpainted back.
Fix: Turn the character around in the Skin Editor and check the back and the top.
Take off armor to see the full skin.
Use a shade or two lighter than you want. The game darkens the sides.

Java

11. Everyone is Steve or Alex at once

What you see: Every player on the server, including people who never changed anything, shows a default skin.
Why: Skins come from Mojang's servers when a player joins. When that service is down or slow, the game shows a default skin for everyone. Nothing is wrong with your file.
Fix: Wait, then rejoin. The skins come back when the service does.
If only you are affected, work through the causes above instead.

Still not fixed?

Open the file in the Skin Editor. The Parts panel shows each layer on its own, so a blank or an opaque area is easy to spot.
Fix the size or the model with the Skin Converter.
Check what the game actually serves for a Java name with the Skin Grabber. If it shows your new skin, the problem is on the viewer's side.
Found a cause that is not here? Tell us.

Questions

Why does my friend see me as Steve on Bedrock?: Bedrock has a setting called Only allow trusted skins, under Settings and then General. It replaces custom imported skins of other players with default skins. Your friend must turn it off on their game.
Can I import a custom skin on a console?: No. Custom skin files can be imported on Windows and on mobile devices, in the Classic Skins tab. Consoles have no import option.
What sizes does Minecraft accept for a skin?: Java Edition accepts a 64×64 PNG, or a legacy 64×32 PNG. Bedrock Edition accepts 64×32, 64×64, or 128×128 PNG files.
Why do my arms have black lines?: The skin was drawn for one arm width and applied as the other. Classic arms are 4 pixels wide and Slim arms are 3 pixels wide. Switch the model in the launcher, on minecraft.net, or when you import on Bedrock.
Why is my hat layer missing?: On Java, open Options and then Skin Customization and turn every layer on. Also check that the unused areas of the file are transparent, not white or black.
Why do Java players see me as Steve when I join from Bedrock?: The server needs Floodgate 2.0 to show Bedrock skins to Java players. Floodgate uploads the skin through a queue, so it can take a while to appear.