Filled Map is the activated Minecraft map that records explored terrain at a 128 to 2048-block scale and can be cloned in a Cartography Table.
Java & Bedrock Guide
In Java Edition put 8 Paper around 1 Compass in the 3x3 grid; in Bedrock fill the full 3x3 with 9 Paper to get an Empty Map without a position marker.
Hold the Empty Map and right-click to centre and fill in the chunk you are standing on. The map becomes a level-0 Filled Map covering 128x128 blocks.
Walk across the area you want recorded while holding the map; chunks reveal as you enter them at the current zoom level.
Place the Filled Map in a Cartography Table with 1 Paper to upgrade it; repeat up to four times to reach level 4 (2048x2048 blocks).
Combine a Filled Map with an Empty Map in a Cartography Table or 3x3 grid to produce a synced duplicate for another player.
Java Empty Maps need a Compass and start as locator maps; Bedrock Empty Maps without a Compass do not show a position marker until a Compass is added in the Cartography Table.
A level-4 Filled Map covers 2048x2048 blocks. Each upgrade in a Cartography Table doubles the side length, starting from 128x128 at level 0.
Combine a Filled Map with an Empty Map in a Cartography Table or 3x3 crafting grid. The clone updates in sync with the original as you explore.
Right-click a placed Banner while holding the Filled Map. A coloured marker with the Banner's design appears at that location on the map.
Explorer Maps are special Filled Maps sold by Cartographer villagers. They point to Ocean Monuments, Woodland Mansions or Trial Chambers and reveal terrain as you approach.
Maps work in the Nether but rely on the local ceiling, so terrain often reads as random noise. Maps started in the Overworld cannot be filled in The End from scratch.