How to enchant items in Minecraft
A complete guide to the enchanting system, from building the table to combining enchantments in the best order.
Enchanting table: crafting and how it works
The enchanting table is the basic utility block for putting enchantments on items. It's the most common way to enchant, and the only one that applies enchantments directly, without any enchanted books. If you're just getting started in Minecraft, enchanting is one of the pillars of Survival mode. Enchantments make your tools, weapons and armor far more effective, so you mine faster, hit harder and stay better protected.
Crafting an enchanting table
To craft an enchanting table, you need:
Layout: the book goes in the top middle slot, a diamond on each side of the middle row, and obsidian fills the bottom row plus the center slot. You'll find more about crafting items in our tool crafting guide.
An enchanting table gives off light level 7 (the same as a redstone torch) and can't be moved by pistons. Its signature visual effect is the letters that float from the bookshelves toward the table: these are characters of the Standard Galactic Alphabet, which we cover later in this guide. An enchanting table also works as a light source in dark rooms, though it won't replace a proper torch.
How enchantment levels work
The enchanting table offers three slots with enchantments of different levels. Each slot takes a different amount of experience and lapis lazuli. Experience (XP) is the key resource in enchanting: to gain levels quickly, use our guide to XP farms.
| Slot | Required player level | XP cost | Lapis lazuli cost | Min. bookshelves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top (slot 1) | Level 1-8 | 1 level | 1 lapis | 0 |
| Middle (slot 2) | Level 8-15 | 2 levels | 2 lapis | 4-8 |
| Bottom (slot 3) | Level 30 | 3 levels | 3 lapis | 15 |
The third (bottom) slot, which needs level 30, gives the strongest enchantments, such as high-level Sharpness and Efficiency or Protection IV. That's why you should always aim for the third slot when you enchant important items. If your level is too low, it's worth putting time into an experience farm: an Enderman farm, for example, is one of the fastest sources of XP in the game.
The best layout for 15 bookshelves
To unlock the maximum enchanting level (30), you need 15 bookshelves placed around the enchanting table. They have to meet a few conditions, and beginners often get these wrong. Even a small mistake in placement can lower the enchanting level you get, which means weaker enchantments on your tools and armor.
The most popular layout: a ring
The simplest and most common layout is a ring of bookshelves around the table:
B B B B B B . . . B B . E . B B . . . B B B B B B E = Enchanting table B = Bookshelf . = Empty space
This layout uses 16 bookshelves (one more than the minimum) and gives you the full 15 effective bookshelves, since the corners count too. You can remove 1 bookshelf from a corner to make an entrance.
Each bookshelf takes 3 leather, paper and 6 planks to craft, so for 15 bookshelves you need 45 leather (from about 45 cows), 90 planks and a stock of paper made from sugar cane. You'll find more recipes in our crafting guide.
The two-level trick
Bookshelves also work at Y+1, one block above the table. That means you can build a partial ring on the bottom layer and complete it with bookshelves on the layer above, for a more compact setup that's ideal for small rooms. This method is especially handy in underground bases or wherever space is tight. The bottom layer could have 8 bookshelves and the top layer 7, for example, which together gives you the 15 you need.
How to enchant at the enchanting table
Enchanting at the table is simple, but you need to understand a few mechanics. Before you start, make sure you have enough experience levels and a supply of lapis lazuli. If you're short on experience, check out our guide to XP farms, where you'll find proven ways to gain levels fast.
The offer reset trick
If none of the three enchantments on offer suits you, you can reset the offers by enchanting a cheap item (a wooden shovel, for example) in the first slot for 1 level and 1 lapis. New offers are then rolled at random for your other items. This is a really important technique: it keeps you from wasting valuable materials on enchantments you don't want.
Enchantments at the table are pseudo-random: a seed tied to your player affects the options you see. Every time you enchant anything, though, the offers change. It's often worth repeating the process a few times to get the perfect enchantment. When you enchant weapons, aim for enchantments like Sharpness or Looting, and on tools look for Efficiency and Fortune.
Anvil: combining enchantments and repairing
The anvil is the key block for advanced work with enchantments. It lets you combine enchanted books with items, combine two enchanted items, repair items and rename them. You need it to make items with several enchantments at once, for example a sword with Sharpness V, Looting III, Fire Aspect II and Unbreaking III.
Crafting an anvil
31 iron ingots in total (3 blocks = 27 ingots, plus 4 loose ones). You can collect iron efficiently with a Fortune III pickaxe.
Combining enchantments on an anvil
The anvil's basic mechanic is combining two items. The left slot holds the target (the item you want to upgrade), and the right slot holds the source (an enchanted book or a donor item). The key rules:
- If both items have the same enchantment at the same level, the anvil raises the level by 1 (for example Sharpness III + Sharpness III = Sharpness IV).
- If the levels are different, the higher level stays (Sharpness II + Sharpness IV = Sharpness IV).
- If the enchantments are mutually exclusive (for example Fortune + Silk Touch), the anvil refuses to combine them and shows an X.
- Every anvil use raises the item's prior work penalty, which makes the next operations more expensive.
The "Too Expensive!" limit
If an anvil operation would cost more than 39 levels, the game shows the "Too Expensive!" message and refuses to do it. This is a key limitation, and it's why the order in which you combine enchantments matters so much. Planning the order is especially important when you build perfect items with 5-7 enchantments.
The binary combining rule
To keep the prior work penalty low, combine enchantments in pairs, like a binary tree: first combine pairs of books, then pairs of those pairs, and only apply the result to the item at the very end. Every operation adds to the penalty, so the fewer operations an item goes through, the lower the final cost. You'll find more on optimizing your enchantments in our enchanting guide.
Repairing on an anvil
The anvil can also repair items in two ways:
- Material + item: put the damaged item in the left slot and its material (for example a diamond for a diamond pickaxe) in the right one. Each ingot or gem restores 25% of the durability.
- Two identical items: put in two of the same item, and their durability adds up, plus a 12% bonus. The enchantments from both items are combined.
Keep in mind, though, that repairing on an anvil also raises the prior work penalty. That's why the best long-term strategy is the Mending enchantment, which repairs the item automatically with the experience you collect.
Grindstone: removing enchantments
The grindstone is a block for removing enchantments from items. You can find one in villages at the weaponsmith's, or craft it yourself. Beginners often skip it, but it comes in very handy in advanced play.
Crafting a grindstone
What a grindstone does:
- Removes enchantments: every enchantment except curses is removed, and you get some of the experience back. Curses (Curse of Vanishing, Curse of Binding) can't be removed.
- Repairs: you can combine two identical items, and their durability adds up, plus a 5% bonus. It's free (no XP cost), but the enchantments are removed.
- Resets the prior work penalty: a grindstone resets an item's prior work penalty to 0, which is extremely useful for getting around the "Too Expensive!" limit, though you lose the enchantments in the process.
Enchanted books: where to find them and how to use them
Enchanted books are special items that store enchantments, which you can put on any compatible item using an anvil. They're a key part of advanced enchanting, because they let you control exactly which enchantments end up on your items. With them you can put together the perfect set of weapons, tools and armor.
Ways to get enchanted books
Enchanting table
Put a plain book in the enchanting table and you'll get an enchanted book with a random enchantment. It's the cheapest method, but the result is random.
Villager trading
Librarians sell enchanted books. You can reroll their offers by breaking the lectern and placing it again until the enchantment you want shows up. It's the only reliable source of Mending.
Chests in structures
You can find enchanted books in the chests of dungeons, mineshafts, strongholds, woodland mansions, End cities and ancient cities. They often hold rare enchantments.
Fishing
A fishing rod with Luck of the Sea III gives you a better chance of fishing up enchanted books as treasure. It's rare, but possible, and it costs nothing.
Piglin bartering
In the Nether, you can barter gold ingots with piglins, and sometimes they give you enchanted books with Soul Speed.
Combining enchanted books
You can combine two enchanted books on an anvil to get a single book with both sets of enchantments. It's a key technique for building "perfect" items with many enchantments. Remember the combining order: always combine pairs of books first and apply the result to the item last, to keep the prior work penalty low. We cover detailed combining strategies in the full enchanting guide.
Standard Galactic Alphabet: the language of the enchanting table
The symbols you see in the enchanting table's interface, and the ones floating through the air between the bookshelves and the table, are characters of the Standard Galactic Alphabet (SGA), a fictional script originally created for id Software's Commander Keen series of games.
Each SGA symbol stands for one letter of the English alphabet. Notch (the creator of Minecraft) used this alphabet to give the enchanting system its atmosphere. The words shown in the enchanting table's interface are random strings of English words, such as:
These words have no effect on the enchantment you're offered: they're purely decorative. The text is completely random and doesn't depend on the item, the level or the bookshelves. Even so, lots of players enjoy translating the SGA symbols as a piece of trivia and part of the game's atmosphere.
Fun fact
The phrase "klaatu berata nikto" is a reference to classic science fiction: it originally comes from the 1951 film "The Day the Earth Stood Still". "The elder scrolls", meanwhile, is an obvious nod to Bethesda's game series. These easter eggs are just a few examples of Notch's humor hidden in Minecraft's code.
Enchanting tips and tricks
Always aim for level 30
The enchanting table's third slot (the one that needs level 30) gives by far the best enchantments. Save up 30 levels before you enchant important items: a zombie spawner or Enderman farm gives you XP the fastest.
Reset offers with a wooden shovel
Don't like what the table is offering? Enchant a wooden shovel for 1 level and 1 lapis to reset the offers. It's the cheapest way to change the random enchanting options for all your items.
Librarian = Mending
Reroll a librarian's trades (by breaking and replacing the lectern) until they offer Mending for emeralds. It's the only reliable source of this enchantment and the key to gear that lasts forever.
Anvil combining order
Combine enchantments like a binary tree: pairs of books first, then pairs of pairs, and the item last. That keeps the prior work penalty low and helps you avoid "Too Expensive!" when you add many enchantments. More in the enchanting guide.
Don't enchant golden tools
Golden tools have the lowest durability but the highest enchantability (diamond has just 10). They get the best enchantments, but they wear out far too quickly. Use diamond or netherite items instead.
Netherite keeps your enchantments
Upgrading a diamond item to netherite at a smithing table keeps all its enchantments. Fully enchant the diamond item first, then upgrade it with a netherite ingot. You'll find netherite in the Nether.
Material enchantability
Every material has an "enchantability" value that affects the quality of your enchantments: gold (25), netherite (15), leather/wood (15), diamond (10), iron (9), stone (5). A higher value means better enchantments at the table.
Enchantment calculator
When you build perfect items with many enchantments, use the enchantment calculator to work out the best combining order and stay under the 39-level limit.
Enchanting is one of the deepest systems in Minecraft. Mastering it gives you a huge advantage, both in Survival (PvE) and on PvP servers. Enchantments like Sharpness, Efficiency, Protection and Mending completely change how the game plays. Check out our full enchanting guide, and browse the individual pages in the enchantments section to learn about every enchantment in detail.
