Minecraft Enchantments: Every Enchantment and Max Level
Every enchantment in the game, what it goes on and how high it stacks, filterable by gear type. Learn how the enchanting table, lapis and anvils work together, and which combinations give the strongest sword, armor, bow and tools.
Open the Enchantments Database →Browse enchantments by type
Real max levels and effects. Open the database for level-by-level detail and conflicts.| Enchantment | Max | Applies to | Effect | Treasure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aqua Affinity | 1 | helmet | Increases underwater mining speed to be the same as on land. | - |
| Bane of Arthropods | 5 | sword, axe | Increases damage dealt to arthropod mobs (spiders, cave spiders, bees, silverfish, endermites). | - |
| Blast Protection | 4 | helmet, chestplate, leggings | Reduces explosion damage and knockback from explosions. | - |
| Breach | 4 | mace | Reduces the effectiveness of the target's armor, allowing the mace to ignore a portion of armor. | - |
| Channeling | 1 | trident | Summons a lightning bolt when a mob is hit with the thrown trident during a thunderstorm. | - |
| Curse of Binding | 1 | helmet, chestplate, leggings | Prevents the item from being removed from an armor slot once equipped (except by dying or breaking). | Treasure |
| Curse of Vanishing | 1 | sword, pickaxe, axe | Causes the item to disappear (be deleted) upon the player's death instead of dropping. | Treasure |
| Density | 5 | mace | Increases the damage dealt by the mace based on fall distance, adding extra damage per block fallen. | - |
| Depth Strider | 3 | boots | Increases underwater movement speed. | - |
| Efficiency | 5 | pickaxe, shovel, axe | Increases mining speed. When applied to an axe, increases the chance of stripping a log on use. | - |
| Feather Falling | 4 | boots | Reduces fall damage and ender pearl teleportation damage. | - |
| Fire Aspect | 2 | sword | Sets the target on fire when hit, dealing fire damage over time. | - |
| Fire Protection | 4 | helmet, chestplate, leggings | Reduces fire damage taken and decreases burn time. | - |
| Flame | 1 | bow | Arrows shot from the bow are set on fire, igniting targets. | - |
| Fortune | 3 | pickaxe, shovel, axe | Increases the number of drops from mining blocks like ores, crops, and gravel. | - |
| Frost Walker | 2 | boots | Creates frosted ice blocks when walking over water. | Treasure |
| Impaling | 5 | trident | Increases trident damage against aquatic mobs (Java) or mobs in contact with water (Bedrock). | - |
| Infinity | 1 | bow | Prevents regular arrows from being consumed when shot. Requires at least one arrow in inventory. | - |
| Knockback | 2 | sword | Increases the knockback dealt to mobs and players when hit. | - |
| Looting | 3 | sword | Increases the amount and chance of mob drops when killing mobs. | - |
| Loyalty | 3 | trident | Causes the trident to return to the player after being thrown. | - |
| Mending | 1 | sword, pickaxe, axe | Uses experience orbs to repair the item instead of adding to the player's experience bar. | Treasure |
| Multishot | 1 | crossbow | Shoots 3 arrows or firework rockets at the cost of one, with a slight spread. | - |
| Piercing | 4 | crossbow | Arrows from crossbows pass through multiple entities. | - |
| Power | 5 | bow | Increases arrow damage from bows. | - |
| Projectile Protection | 4 | helmet, chestplate, leggings | Reduces damage taken from projectiles (arrows, fireballs, tridents, etc.). | - |
| Protection | 4 | helmet, chestplate, leggings | Reduces most types of damage taken. | - |
| Punch | 2 | bow | Increases the knockback of arrows shot from a bow. | - |
| Quick Charge | 3 | crossbow | Decreases the loading time of crossbows. | - |
| Respiration | 3 | helmet | Extends the time you can breathe underwater and improves underwater vision. | - |
| Riptide | 3 | trident | Launches the player in the direction they are facing when thrown while in water or rain. | - |
| Sharpness | 5 | sword, axe | Increases melee damage dealt to all mobs. | - |
| Silk Touch | 1 | pickaxe, shovel, axe | Mined blocks drop themselves instead of their usual drops (e.g., stone instead of cobblestone). | - |
| Smite | 5 | sword, axe | Increases damage dealt to undead mobs (zombies, skeletons, wither, phantoms, etc.). | - |
| Soul Speed | 3 | boots | Increases walking speed on soul sand and soul soil. | Treasure |
| Sweeping Edge | 3 | sword | Increases the damage of sweep attacks (Java Edition only). | - |
| Swift Sneak | 3 | leggings | Increases sneaking speed while wearing enchanted leggings. | Treasure |
| Thorns | 3 | helmet, chestplate, leggings | Reflects some damage back to attackers when hit. | - |
| Unbreaking | 3 | sword, pickaxe, axe | Increases item durability by giving a chance to not consume durability on use. | - |
| Wind Burst | 3 | mace | Creates a burst of wind on successful mace smash attack, launching the player back into the air. | Treasure |
Showing 40 of 40 enchantments.
Full Enchantments DatabaseEvery enchantment with per-level effects, weights, conflicts and how to obtain each one.Open the Enchantments Database →How enchanting works
You enchant gear at an enchanting table using XP levels and lapis lazuli. Surrounding the table with bookshelves (up to 15) unlocks higher-level enchantments. The three offered options are partly random, so many players "reroll" with cheap tools, or use an anvil to apply enchanted books for full control over what they get.
Enchanting table vs anvil vs villagers
- Table: cheapest XP cost, but semi-random results.
- Anvil + books: exact control, combine and upgrade enchantments, but the cost climbs with each use (the "too expensive" cap).
- Librarian villagers: trade specific enchanted books for emeralds, the reliable way to farm a single enchant like Mending.
Treasure and curse enchantments
Some enchantments are treasure-only (Mending, Soul Speed, Swift Sneak, Frost Walker) and never appear at the table, only from loot, fishing or trades. Curses (Curse of Vanishing, Curse of Binding) are negative and stick to the item. The list above flags treasure enchantments so you know what to hunt for.
Best enchantment combos
For most gear the core is Unbreaking III + Mending so it self-repairs. From there: a sword wants Sharpness V, Looting III and Sweeping Edge; armor wants Protection IV; a bow wants Power V with Infinity or Mending; tools want Efficiency V and Fortune III (or Silk Touch). The combat guides below show the exact priority per slot.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the max enchantment level in Minecraft?
- It depends on the enchantment. Sharpness, Protection, Bane of Arthropods and a few others cap at level V (5); many like Unbreaking and Power cap at III; some like Mending and Infinity are level I only. The list above shows each one's max.
- How do I get Mending?
- Mending is treasure-only: it cannot be made at an enchanting table. Get it from librarian villager trades, fishing, or loot chests. Librarian trading is the most reliable source.
- How many bookshelves do I need for level 30 enchants?
- 15 bookshelves placed one block away from the enchanting table, with a one-block gap, unlock the maximum level 30 enchantment options.
- Can you remove an enchantment?
- Yes, with a grindstone, which strips enchantments (returning some XP) but not curses. You can also overwrite books on an anvil, but a grindstone is the clean way to reset an item.
Related guides
All Combat & Survival guides →How to Beat a Blaze in Minecraft (Fortress Spawner Tactics)3DHow to Beat a Breeze in Minecraft (Trial Chamber Guide)3DHow to Beat a Creeper Without Taking a Hit3DHow to Beat a Ghast in Minecraft3DHow to Beat a Guardian3DHow to Beat a Hoglin in Minecraft3DHow to Beat a Phantom in Minecraft3DHow to Beat a Pillager Outpost3DHow to Beat a Ravager in Minecraft3DHow to Beat a Shulker (End City Levitation Survival)3DHow to Beat a Silverfish in Minecraft3DHow to Beat a Vindicator in Minecraft3D
