A Simple Guide to Using Enchanted Books in Minecraft

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Learn how to apply enchantments to your weapons and armor

Co-authored by Zac Churchill and Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: March 12, 2026 Fact Checked

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Using Enchanted Books

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Creating an Enchanted Book

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Other Ways to Get Enchanted Books

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Q&A

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Tips

In Minecraft, enchanted books are one way to get enchantments onto your gear. In this article, we'll go over how to use enchanted books, as well as how to craft them and other ways to find them. We also include some exclusive expert tips from Minecraft specialist Zac Churchill. Read on to learn more.

Enchanted Books in Minecraft

To use an enchanted book, place it in the second slot of an anvil, and place the item you want to enchant in the first slot. As long as the enchantments in the book are compatible with the item you've placed in the anvil, the item will become enchanted. You can craft, find, or trade for enchanted books.

Section 1 of 3:

Using Enchanted Books

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Gather the necessary materials for an anvil. "Using enchanted books in Minecraft allows a user to get random enchantments from an enchantment table," explains Churchill. "It also allows a user to add more enchantments to previously enchanted items through the use of an anvil."^{[1]
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Expert Source

Zac Churchill
Minecraft Specialist

Expert Interview} To craft an anvil, you will need three iron blocks and four iron ingots.
- Each iron block requires nine iron ingots to craft. In total, you'll need 31 iron ingots (27 for the iron blocks and 4 for the anvil).
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Craft an anvil. To do so, open the crafting table. You'll place the three iron blocks in the top row of the crafting table grid, three of the four iron ingots along the bottom row of the grid, and the final iron ingot in the center of the grid, then select the anvil icon.
- On the PE version of Minecraft, you'll tap the black anvil icon on the left side of the screen.
- On the console version of Minecraft, you'll select the anvil icon in the "Structures" tab.
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You're now ready to craft an enchanted item.
It will open to three boxes.
Place the item in the first slot.
Place the book in the second slot.
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Select the item in the output box. This is the box on the far-right side of the anvil's menu. Doing so will add your enchanted item to your inventory. You can only use an enchanted book once, and you must have sufficient experience to use the enchanted book.^{[2]
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- All compatible enchantments from the book will be added to the item. If the book has any incompatible enchantments, they will be lost.
- The higher enchantment level will be taken when combining an enchanted book and an item.
  - For example, if your item has Unbreaking I and the enchanted book has Unbreaking II, your item will be enchanted to have Unbreaking II.
- If the enchanted book and the item have the same enchantment at the same level, the enchantments will combine (as long as the enchantment has higher levels available).
  - For example, if your item has Unbreaking I and the enchanted book has Unbreaking I, the resulting enchanted item will have Unbreaking II.

Section 2 of 3:

Creating an Enchanted Book

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1
Gather the necessary resources. To create an enchanted book, you will need the materials for the following items:
- Crafting table: Four wooden planks, which come from one wood log.
- Book: Three pieces of paper, which come from three pieces of sugar cane, and one piece of leather, which comes from a cow or horse.
- Enchanting table: Two diamonds, four blocks of obsidian, and a book.
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Open your inventory. You should see your crafting items here.
- In Minecraft PE, you'll tap the ... icon to open your inventory.
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Make a crafting table. To do this, you'll use the four wood planks, which come from placing one log in the crafting grid.
- On the PC version of Minecraft, you'll click and drag each of your four wooden blocks into the two-by-two crafting grid at the top of your inventory.
- On Minecraft PE, you'll tap the tab above your inventory tab on the left side of the screen and then tap the crafting table icon, which resembles a box with lines on it.
- On console, you'll press the "Crafting" button (X or circle), then select a wooden crate.
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Place your crafting table on the ground. You'll need to select it from the hotbar at the bottom of the screen.
- If your hotbar is full, you must first open your inventory and replace an item in the hotbar with your crafting table.
It will open to a three-by-three grid, along with the contents of your inventory (PE and PC versions only).
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Craft a book. To do so, you'll place three pieces of sugar cane across the middle row of the crafting grid, select the resulting paper, and then place the three pieces of paper in an L-shape in the top-left corner of the crafting grid. Your leather should go in the top-middle box, thus filling in the "L" shape.
- In Minecraft PE, just tap the book icon on the left side of the screen, then click the 1 x [book] button on the right side.
- On the console version of Minecraft, select the book icon from the paper section of the "Decorations" tab.
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Craft an enchanting table. The enchanting table requires a book in the top-middle box of the crafting grid, a diamond in both the middle-left and middle-right boxes, and obsidian in the center box, as well as the entire bottom row. You should see the enchanting table icon appear on the right side of the crafting grid.
- On consoles, select the enchanting table from the crafting table area of the "Structures" tab.
You'll do this in the same way in which you placed the crafting table here.
It will open to a single space where you can place your book.
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Place the book on the table. To do so, simply click and drag the book into the space (PC).
- For Minecraft PE, you'll tap the book on the left side of the screen to place it on the table.
- For consoles, select the book in your inventory.
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Select an enchantment. The level of enchantment you can place on your book depends on your level. Selecting an enchantment will apply it to your book, causing it to turn purple.
- For example, if you're level 3, you can select any enchantment with a 1, 2, or 3 next to it.
- Enchantments are randomized, so you won't be able to select a specific enchantment.
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Select your book. Doing so will place it in your inventory. Now that you have an enchanted book, it's time to apply it to an item.^{[3]
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- In Minecraft PE, you must double-tap your book to add it to your inventory.

Section 3 of 3:

Other Ways to Get Enchanted Books

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Chest lootOther than crafting, one of the main ways you'll get enchanted books is by finding them as loot.^{[4]
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Research source} Below are all the locations you can find enchanted books as chest loot:
- Level 30 books:
  - Jungle Pyramid chests
  - Stronghold storeroom chests, altar chests, and library chests
- Random enchantment books:
  - Monster Room chests
  - Mineshaft chests
  - Ancient City chests
  - Desert Pyramid chests
  - Pillager Outpost chests
  - Ocean Ruins big ruins chests
  - Woodland Mansion chests
- Soul Speed books:
  - Bastion Remnant generic chest
- Swift Sneak books:
  - Ancient City chests
- Wind Burst books:
  - Trial Chambers ominous vaults
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Trading and bartering
- Novice, Apprentice, Journeyman, and Expert Librarian villagers have a 50% to 67% chance (33% to 50% chance on Bedrock Edition) to have an enchanted book available for trade. The villager will want 5-64 emeralds and 1 book in the trade.^{[5]
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- Bartering with piglins has a 1.07% chance to give an enchanted book with any level of Soul Speed on it.^{[6]
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EXPERT TIP

Zac Churchill
Minecraft Specialist
Zac Churchill is a Minecraft Specialist based in Davidson, North Carolina. Zac has played Minecraft for over 10 years and has extensive knowledge of how to play Minecraft and how the game has changed over the different versions. Specifically, Zac has expert experience in survival worlds, large builds on creative mode, and server design/upkeep. He graduated in 2023 with a BA in Sociology and English from Tufts University.

Zac Churchill
Minecraft Specialist

Villagers offer hard-to-find enchantments. I recommend trading with and breeding for librarian villagers to find the rarest of enchantments, which they will give you through enchanted books
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FishingThere is a 0.8% chance you'll obtain an enchanted book while fishing.^{[7]
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Mob dropsIn Bedrock edition, Vindicators and Pillagers have a chance of dropping enchanted books. In easy to normal raids, both Vindicators and Pillagers have a 3.33% chance of dropping a book, while in hard raids, they have a 4.1% of dropping a book.^{[8]
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What do I use an enchanted book for in Minecraft Pocket Edition?

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You apply the book to an item that you'd like to have that particular feature. For example, if you got a book with sharpness, you can put it in an anvil with a sword; the sword would then have sharpness on it.

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Can I apply multiple enchantments to one weapon?

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Yes you can! Simply select the enchanted weapon as the item to enchant, then select a different enchantment than you used previously.

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Does enchanting items really make them better?

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Yes. Enchanting items (mainly tools, weapons, and armor) does indeed make them better. An enchanted book can add useful features to the item you are enchanting, such as sharpness to a sword.

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Some enchantments won't work on certain items (for example, "Smite" won't work on a helmet).

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The Roman numeral to the right of an enchantment's name indicates its strength on a scale of one to four ("I" to "IV"), with "I" being the weakest and "IV" being the strongest.

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