An end portal with most of its open slots filled with eyes of ender. There is lava below the end portal.

Minecraft: How to Build an End Portal


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If you want to build an End Portal in Minecraft, you’re going to have to do so in Creative Mode. If you’re playing in Survival Mode, there is no way for you to get the right pieces.

Table Of Contents

    What You Need to Build an End Portal in Creative Mode

    An end portal with most of its open slots filled with eyes of ender. There is lava below the end portal.

    When you’re in Creative Mode, you can search the menu for “End Portal Frame” to bring up the components of an End Portal. Each End Portal Frame is a green and pale yellow opaque block that has a hole on the top side.

    You can insert an Eye of Ender into the slot on top of an End Portal Frame. When you fill all of the slots of an End Portal with Eyes of Ender, it will open to reveal a black space within. Entering this black stretch, which is composed of End Portal blocks, will transport you to the End.

    The Size and Shape of an End Portal

    You’ll need 12 End Portal Frames total to make an End Portal. With these 12 blocks, you will need to make the outline of a square that has 3-block-long sides. This formation only works horizontally; building a vertical square outline will not create a useable End Portal.

    The Properties of End Portal Frames

    • In Survival Mode, End Portal Frames are indestructible—similar to Bedrock
    • When an End Portal Frame is empty, it outputs a Redstone signal of 0
    • However, an End Portal Frame that has an Eye of Ender inserted will output a Redstone signal of 15
    • End Portal Frames emit a small amount of light (light level 2)
    • You cannot move End Portal Frames with Pistons or Sticky Pistons
    • There is no crafting recipe for End Portal Frames

    How to Find an End Portal in Survival Mode

    An eye of ender floating upward with purple particles trailing behind it.

    To find an End Portal, you’re going to need to use Eyes of Ender to guide you. When you have an Eye of Ender in your hand, you can use it to cause the green disc to float away. The direction that it slowly flies will point you towards the nearest End Portal in the chunk.

    If you are close to an End Portal, used Eyes of Ender will float down into the ground instead of up into the air. That’s your cue to start digging, as this means there is an End Portal deep beneath you. There is a 20% chance of the Eye of Ender shattering after being used.

    Tips for Saving Eyes of Ender

    If you don’t want to go through a lot of Eyes of Ender while looking for an End Portal, you can pick a better starting location for your search. End Portals only spawn in Strongholds. Strongholds can spawn in many places, however, have a much higher chance of generating under specific surface structures.

    Where to Find Strongholds

    You’ll have much higher chances of finding a Stronghold under a Village or other Villager-related structure. It’s even possible for a Stronghold to appear underneath isolated fishing cottages and other small dwellings. These are the best places to start using your Eyes of Ender to track down an End Portal.

    How to Make an Eye of Ender

    Using 1 ender pearl and 1 blaze powder to make 1 eye of ender.

    For every 1 Eye of Ender that you want to make, you’ll need 1 Ender Pearl and 1 Blaze Powder. On any kind of crafting grid, place an Ender Pearl on any of the left slots and then place the Blaze Powder to the right of it.

    How to Get Ender Pearls

    You have a 50% chance of getting 1 Ender Pearl as a drop each time you defeat an Enderman. You can also find Ender Pearls as loot in the Chests of Strongholds, albeit at low odds. This isn’t particularly useful, however, due to you needing a bunch of Eyes of Ender to even find a Stronghold.

    Besides potentially farming Endermen, you can get decent amounts of Ender Pearls by trading. In the Java Edition of Minecraft, Expert-level Cleric Villagers have a 66% chance to have a trade option to sell you 1 Ender Pearl at the cost of 5 Emeralds. However, in the Bedrock Edition of the game, Expert-level Cleric Villagers will always possess this trade option.

    Interestingly, Piglins can also give you Ender Pearls on rare occasions. For every Gold Ingot that you give a Piglin, there is a 2.18% chance that they will give you from 2 to 4 Ender Pearls.

    How to Get Blaze Powder

    You can only get Blaze Powder by breaking down Blaze Rods. Each Blaze Rod that you place on any kind of crafting grid can be converted to 2 Blaze Powder. As for obtaining Blaze Rods, you can only get them from mobs called Blazes. Every time that you slay a Blaze, you have a 50% chance of getting 1 Blaze Rod—similar to getting Ender Pearls from slain Endermen.

    The only place that you’ll find Blazes is within Nether Fortresses. Blaze Spawners can be found on the top levels—the upper bridges—of Nether Fortresses. Just be sure to approach Blaze Spawners while wearing fireproof armor.