An enchanted book is an item which allows players to add enchantments to certain items.
Obtaining
Natural generation
Level-30 books
| Item | Structure | Container | Quantity | Chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Java Edition | ||||
| Enchanted Book[A] | Jungle temple | Chest | 1 | 4.5% |
| Stronghold | Altar chest | 1 | 2.5% | |
| Storeroom chest | 1 | 4% | ||
| Library chest | 1 | 67.8% | ||
| Bedrock Edition | ||||
| Enchanted Book[A] | Jungle temple | Chest | 1 | 5.3% |
| Stronghold | Altar chest | 1 | 2.9% | |
| Storeroom chest | 1 | 3.8% | ||
| Library chest | 1 | 72.9% | ||
- ↑ a b Enchantment probabilities are the same as a level-30 enchantment on an enchantment table that was able to apply treasure enchantments (except Soul Speed, and Swift Sneak), and where the chance of multiple enchantments is not reduced.
Enchantment probabilities are the same as a level 30 enchantment on an enchantment table, but treasure enchantments are available and the chance of multiple enchantments is not reduced.
Random enchantment books
| Item | Structure | Container | Quantity | Chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Java Edition | ||||
| Enchanted Book[A] | Dungeon | Chest | 1 | 14.7% |
| Mineshaft | Chest | 1 | 14.1% | |
| Ancient City | Chest | 1 | 35.9% | |
| Desert temple | Chest | 1 | 23.5% | |
| Pillager Outpost | Chest | 1 | 11% | |
| Underwater ruins | Big ruins chest | 1 | 21.7% | |
| Woodland mansion | Chest | 1 | 14.9% | |
| Bedrock Edition | ||||
| Enchanted Book[A] | Dungeon | Chest | 1 | 14.7% |
| Mineshaft | Chest | 1 | 14.1% | |
| Ancient City | Chest | 1 | 35.9% | |
| Desert temple | Chest | 1 | 23.5% | |
| Pillager Outpost | Chest | 1 | 11% | |
| Underwater ruins | Big ruins chest | 1 | 21.7% | |
| Woodland mansion | Chest | 1 | 17.5% | |
- ↑ a b All enchantments are equally probable, including treasure enchantments (except Soul Speed, and Swift Sneak), and any level of the enchantment is equally probable.
These books have an equal chance of having any single enchantment, and an equal chance of any level of the enchantment.
Fishing
Enchanted books can be obtained as a "treasure" item from fishing with a fishing rod as part of the "treasure" category. The book has the equivalent of a level 30 enchantment from an enchantment table, but treasure enchantments are available and the chance of multiple enchantments is not reduced.
Trading
Enchanted books can be bought from librarian villagers as part of their tier 1, 4 and 5 trades, meaning each librarian villager will sell up to three books. The cost varies from 5-64 emeralds, based only on the level of the enchantment (for example, Infinity I and Protection I both cost 5-19 emeralds), although treasure enchantments such as Mending cost double. They may contain any available enchantment at any available level.
Enchanting
An enchanted book with multiple high level enchantments.
An enchanted book with multiple enchantments that can be applied to the same item.
Players can create an enchanted book by enchanting a book on an enchantment table. Books have a decreased chance of getting multiple enchantments (specifically, if multiple enchantments would be added then one will be removed at random), and have a lower "enchantability level" than most other items. Treasure enchantments such as Mending cannot be obtained from an enchantment table.
Usage
In Survival, enchanted books are the only method to obtain certain enchantments on certain tools, such as Unbreaking on shields. Enchanted books have a shine effect on their sprite.
To use an enchanted book, the player must place an item in the first slot in an anvil, and a book in the next. In order to complete the enchantment, the player must have the required amount of experience. Note that using an enchanted book gets significant discounts at the anvil. Enchanted books themselves can be combined to create a single book with increased or multiple enchantments, similar to combining tools or weapons.
When combining items, the compatible enchantments from the book in the second slot are transferred to the item from the first slot, keeping the highest level of any type. If two enchantments have the same level and a higher level is available, they will combine into the next level. If a book is applied to an item which can't take all of its spells, the appropriate spells are transferred, while the unusable ones are lost. Enchanted books are single-use.
Enchanted books do not exhibit their enchantment. For example, a book with Sharpness IV as an enchantment will do no more damage than an un-enchanted book, or any non-weapon item, would when used as a weapon.
Available items
Enchanted books can enchant the usual items that can be enchanted at an enchanting table, but unlike an enchanting table, they are able to boost enchantments such as Sharpness or Thorns to their maximum power, and may apply the following enchantments to items:
| Enchantment | Items unenchantable at an enchanting table |
Note |
|---|---|---|
| Efficiency | Increases mining speed | |
| Thorns | Will inflict damage on attacker | |
| Unbreaking | Increases durability | |
| Sharpness | Increases damage | |
| Smite | Increases damage to "undead" mobs | |
| Bane of Arthropods | Increases damage to "arthropod" mobs | |
| Frost Walker | Creates walkable ice layer over water | |
| Mending | Uses XP Orbs to repair tool / weapon damage |
Creative mode
The player can enchant any item with any enchantment in creative mode, allowing any applied effects to exhibit themselves. For example, a stick can be enchanted with Silk Touch to allow the player to successfully dig grass blocks. The enchanted item can still be used in Survival mode without any loss of enchantments.
If a block is enchanted, it will lose the enchantments upon being placed in the world.
Data values
Enchanted books have a data value of 403 , and an ID name of minecraft:enchanted_book. They use their item data to determine what enchantments are stored for enchanting in anvil.
Item data
Enchanted books use an NBT tag StoredEnchantments to indicate the enchantment.
The allowed sub-tags are id and lvl, equivalent to the format of the ench tag which is used for enchantments applied to items.
The following NBT structure is provided to show how the StoredEnchantments tag is organized, and is not comprehensive above the tag tag. The full NBT for an item can be found here.
- Entity data
- Item: The item
- tag: Additional information about the item. This tag is optional for most items.
- StoredEnchantments: The list of enchantments on this book.
-
- id: The enchantment numeric ID
- lvl: The enchantment level
-
- StoredEnchantments: The list of enchantments on this book.
- tag: Additional information about the item. This tag is optional for most items.
- Item: The item
History
| release | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 November 2012 | Dinnerbone stated that he wanted to add a way to enchant items in an anvil using paper at MineCon 2012. | ||||
| 6 December 2012 | Dinnerbone released the first image of enchanting a diamond sword using an enchanted book that has Looting II for 6 levels. He also stated that "this is the reason I originally added the anvil". | ||||
| 1.4.6 | 12w49a | Enchanted books added. Their enchantments can be applied to any item. | |||
| 12w50a | In Survival mode, enchanted books now can be used with limited kind of items. In Creative mode, they can still be used with any item. It was stated that the remaining functionality in Creative mode is intentional.[1][2] | ||||
| Librarian villagers would sell enchanted books at a cost of 1 book at 5–64 emeralds. | |||||
| Enchanted books will now spawn in dungeon, abandoned mineshaft, desert and jungle temple, stronghold and village blacksmith chests. | |||||
| 1.4.6-pre | Enchanted books are added to the creative inventory. | ||||
| 1.5.1 | 13w11a | The player can now combine enchanted books of the same level to create a higher level variation. | |||
| 1.7.2 | 13w36a | Enchanted books can be obtained by fishing as a "treasure" item. It is possible for the book to have multiple enchantments. | |||
| 13w39a | When enchanting books, books can now gain multiple enchantments. | ||||
| 1.8 | 14w25a | Enchanted book Depth Strider added, can go up to Level III and allows for faster underwater moving. | |||
| 1.9 | 15w43a | More than tripled the average yield of enchanted books found in stronghold library chests. | |||
| 15w44a | Substantially increased the average yield from desert temple, mineshaft and dungeon chests. The enchantments on these books are now fully random, rather than enchanted only at level 30. | ||||
| Pocket Edition Alpha | |||||
| 0.12.1 | build 1 | Added enchanted books. | |||
| Legacy Console Edition | |||||
| TU14 | CU1 | 1.04 | Patch 1 | Added enchanted books. | |
Issue list
Issues relating to "Enchanted Book" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.
Trivia
- When obtained through the
/givecommand, if you do not include any stored enchantments the enchanted book will have no attached enchantments, but will still shine as if it is enchanted.
Gallery
References
External links
- Minecraft enchantment calculator Another enchantment calculation tool.

