Ultimate Enchanting Guide (2025)

Minecraft Enchanting is quite literally it's own language! It's complex, confusing, and that doesn't even include factors like XP calculation, anvil mechanics, or how enchantments can conflict or stack differently! Todays video will hopefully be the only guide you need for Minecraft Enchanting, cover both Java and Bedrock! This video will cover every single enchantment in both versions of Minecraft. We'll go over everything you need to know regarding enchanting.

1.21 Tutorials [Bedrock] Jul 1, 2025 9 Add to Tutorial Stash.

Enchanting enables special powers in Minecraft. It essentially upgrades a given item, giving it a greater edge over its default version. When an item is enchanted, it will have a "glint" texture, which appears as a shiny, glossy look on the item.

Enchanting Equipment:

Enchanting Table
Allows you to apply enchantments to tools, weapons, books, and armor using experience levels and lapis lazuli. Higher-level enchantments are unlocked by placing bookshelves around it (up to 15).
Anvil
Lets you combine enchanted books with gear, merge enchanted items, and rename items. Costs experience levels and may increase the item’s "prior work penalty."
Grindstone
Removes enchantments from items (excluding curses) and returns some experience. Also used to repair gear by combining two of the same item.
Bookshelf
Placed around an enchanting table to increase its available enchantment level. Must be placed with one block of air between them and the table.
Lapis Lazuli
Required when using an enchanting table. Each enchantment attempt consumes 1–3 pieces depending on level.
Enchanted Book
Holds a specific enchantment that can be applied to compatible items using an anvil. Allows more control over which enchantments you get.

There are several ways to enchant items in Survival mode, each with its own approach and benefits:

Enchanting Table
Use an enchanting table with lapis lazuli and experience levels to enchant unenchanted gear. Surrounding the table with up to 15 bookshelves unlocks higher-tier enchantments.
Anvil + Enchanted Book
Combine an enchanted book with your gear using an anvil. This lets you apply specific enchantments you’ve already obtained.
Anvil + Two Items
Merge two of the same item (with different enchantments) on an anvil to combine their enchantments into one.
Librarian Villagers
Trade with librarian villagers to get enchanted books in exchange for emeralds. This method doesn't require lapis or XP—though you still gain XP from the trade.

How to Find Pre-Enchanted Items

You can also get items that are already enchanted through various means:

Villager Trades
Some villagers offer enchanted items or books in exchange for emeralds.
Fishing
There's a chance to fish up enchanted gear, books, or bows.
Mob Drops
Certain mobs like zombies, skeletons, piglins, or drowned may drop enchanted weapons or armor when defeated—each item has about an 8.5% drop chance.
Treasure Chests
Naturally generated structures (like ancient cities, end cities, dungeons, temples, and bastions) can contain chests with enchanted loot.
Piglin Bartering
Trading gold with piglins may yield enchanted items, including books or Soul Speed boots (level 1–3).
Raid Drops (Bedrock Edition)
In Bedrock Edition, pillagers and vindicators may drop enchanted gear during village raids.

Creative Mode & Commands

In Creative or when using cheats:

You can enchant items freely using commands like /enchant or /give.
Items can also be enchanted with books and anvils without requiring XP.
Creative inventory includes enchanted books at max level, with additional levels searchable in the “Search” tab.

Enchanting Table [Continued]

The enchanting table is the core method for enchanting in Minecraft. To use it, place your item in the input slot and lapis lazuli (1–3 pieces) in the dedicated lapis slot. Up to 64 lapis can be held at once.

Once an item is placed, the table presents three enchantment options based on your current XP level and how many bookshelves are around the table. These options are random but influenced by the item type and your enchantment seed. Hovering (or tapping on mobile) shows one of the possible enchantments before confirming.

You need enough experience to unlock an enchantment, but you only spend as much XP and lapis as the option shows (e.g., a level 30 enchantment only costs 3 XP and 3 lapis).
A maximum of 15 bookshelves, placed one block away from the enchanting table, unlocks level 30 enchantments.
Even high-level enchantments are random. A level 30 enchant might give one enchantment or multiple (e.g., Efficiency IV + Unbreaking III).
Enchanting a book instead of a tool creates an enchanted book, which stores that enchantment for future use via an anvil.

Refreshing Enchantments [Seeding]

If you don’t like the enchantments offered:

Use 1 lapis and 1 XP level to enchant a cheap item (like a book) to refresh all enchantment options.
Rearranging bookshelves or moving the enchanting table does not change the enchantments unless the total bookshelf count changes.

⚒️ Anvil Combinations

Using an anvil, you can:

Combine two items with enchantments.
Combine an item with an enchanted book.
Rename an item.
Repair an item by merging it with a duplicate.

How It Works:

The target item goes in the first slot.
The sacrifice item (book or duplicate) goes in the second slot.
You’ll see the output item, along with the Enchantment Cost in experience levels.

Anvils also let you upgrade enchantments (e.g., combine two Efficiency II books into Efficiency III). Just note:

There’s a level cap of 39 XP per operation in Survival.
Too many operations on one item increases the prior work penalty, making it more expensive or even impossible to upgrade further.

Enchanted Books

Enchanted books are crafted by enchanting regular books at an enchanting table or found in loot chests, villager trades, or via fishing. You can apply them to tools, weapons, or armor with an anvil.

Why use books?

You can save enchantments for later.
Books let you target specific enchantments without the randomness of the table.
Some enchantments (like Thorns on boots) can only be applied this way.
Books can hold multiple enchantments, but only the relevant ones will transfer (e.g., Power won’t apply to armor).

In Creative mode, enchanted books can apply any enchantment to any item—including combinations normally impossible in Survival. (e.g., Knockback on a stick).

⚙️ Best Enchanting Order

To save experience when combining items and books:

Use an order calculator or enchantment planner.
The order in which you merge books matters and can reduce overall XP cost.

Disenchanting

To remove enchantments, use a grindstone or the crafting grid:

Grindstones remove all enchantments except curses (Curse of Binding, Curse of Vanishing).
You’ll receive some XP back based on the strength of the removed enchantments.

OP Armor Sets

Helmet (Netherite)

Protection IV
Respiration III
Aqua Affinity
Unbreaking III
Mending
Thorns III (optional – adds extra damage but increases durability loss)

Chestplate (Netherite)

Protection IV
Unbreaking III
Mending
Thorns III (optional)

Leggings (Netherite)

Protection IV
Unbreaking III
Mending
Thorns III (optional)

Boots (Netherite)

Protection IV
Feather Falling IV
Depth Strider III or Frost Walker II (can’t have both)
Soul Speed III (barter-only enchantment)
Unbreaking III
Mending
Thorns III (optional)

⚔️ OP Weapons

Sword (Netherite)

Sharpness V (or Smite V / Bane of Arthropods V – only one works at a time)
Looting III
Sweeping Edge III (Java Edition only)
Unbreaking III
Mending
Fire Aspect II
Knockback II (optional – some players avoid this)