Open a Crafting Table
Place 4 Iron Ingots in a square to make a Compass
Place 8 Paper around 1 Compass to make a Map
Hold the Map in your hand
Open the map to create a locator map in Bedrock Edition
In Java Edition, use the map to track explored terrain but player markers are not shown by default
Add more paper to expand the map size if needed
Keep the map in your inventory or hotbar to use it while exploring