This article is about the book that can give items enchantments when used on an anvil. For the artifact that can enchant allied mobs in Minecraft Dungeons, see Enchanter's Tome.
An enchanted book is an item that lets players add enchantments to certain items using an anvil.
Obtaining[]
Chest loot[]
Level-30 books[]
| Enchanted Book[A] | Jungle temple | Chest | 1 | 4.5% |
| Stronghold | Altar chest | 1 | 2.5% | |
| Storeroom chest | 1 | 4% | ||
| Library chest | 1 | 67.8% | ||
| 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.
Random enchantment books[]
| 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% | |
| Enchanted Book[A] | Dungeon | Chest | 1 | 14.9% |
| 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.
Soul Speed books[]
| Enchanted Book[A] | Bastion remnant | Generic chest | 1 | 11.2% |
| Enchanted Book[A] | Bastion remnant | Generic chest | 1 | 11.2% |
- ↑ a b Enchanted with a random level of Soul Speed.
Swift Sneak books[]
| Enchanted Book[A] | Ancient City | Chest | 1 | 23.2% |
| Enchanted Book[A] | Ancient City | Chest | 1 | 23.2% |
- ↑ a b Enchanted with a random level of Swift Sneak.
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[]
In Bedrock Edition, librarian villagers have a 50% chance to sell enchanted books as part of their trades at novice, apprentice, and journeyman-level, and have 1⁄3 chance to sell enchanted books at expert-level as part of their trades, meaning each librarian villager can sell up to four books. They are bought for 1 book and 5-64 emeralds, based only on the level of the enchantment (for example, Infinity and Protection I both cost 5-19 emeralds), although treasure enchantments (such as Mending) double the cost.
In Java Edition, librarian villagers have a 2⁄3 chance to sell enchanted books as part of their trades at the novice, apprentice, and journeyman level, and have a 50% chance to sell an enchanted book at the expert level, meaning each librarian can sell up to four books. They are bought for 1 book and 5-64 emeralds, based only on the level of the enchantment (for example, Infinity and Protection I both cost 5-19 emeralds), although treasure enchantments (such as Mending) double the cost.
They may contain any available enchantment (except Soul Speed and Swift Sneak) at any available level. See trading notes for more information on enchantments and prices.
Drops[]
Vindicators and pillagers that spawn from raids have a small chance to drop an enchanted book with a level 30 enchantment, which may be a treasure enchantment.[Bedrock Edition only]
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 is 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.
Bartering[]
Players can barter with piglins by using or throwing gold ingots, and doing so has a 5⁄459 chance for piglins to give the player an enchanted book with any level of Soul Speed. Soul Speed enchanted books are only obtainable through bartering, chest loot inside a bastion remnant, and fishing. They cannot be obtained through enchanting or trading.
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 combine into the next level. If a book is applied to an item that 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 does no more damage than an un-enchanted book, or any non-weapon item, would when used as a weapon. An exception is the Fire Aspect book which can ignite TNT and light campfires and the Mending book if the block mined can be broken by fist.[Bedrock Edition only]
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 (the table displays only netherite tools and armor, but any type can be enchanted):
| Efficiency | Increases mining speed | |
| Thorns | Inflicts damage on attacker | |
| Unbreaking | Increasing durability on enchanted tools/armors | |
| Frost Walker | Creates walkable ice layer over water | |
| Mending | Uses XP Orbs to repair damaged tools/weapons/armors | |
| Curse of Binding | Prevents removal of cursed item | |
| Curse of Vanishing | Cursed item is destroyed upon death | |
| Soul Speed | The wearer's speed is increased when walking on soul sand or soul soil. | |
| Swift Sneak | The wearer's speed is increased while sneaking. |
Creative mode[]
The player can enchant any item with any enchantment in Creative mode, allowing any applied effects to exhibit themselves.[Java Edition only] 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.
Enchantments that are normally incompatible are still incompatible; for example, Piercing and Multishot cannot be both applied to the same item, even in Creative mode.
If a block is enchanted, it loses the enchantment upon being placed in the world.
Disenchanting[]
Disenchanting an enchanted book at a grindstone yields a normal book and some experience depending on the quality of the book.
Data values[]
ID[]
Java Edition:
| Enchanted Book | enchanted_book | Item | item.minecraft.enchanted_book |
Bedrock Edition:
| Enchanted Book | enchanted_book | 521 | Item | item.enchanted_book.name |
Item data[]
Java Edition:
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 Enchantments tag that 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.
- tag: The tag tag.
- StoredEnchantments: The list of enchantments on this book.
- An enchantment
- id: The enchantment name ID
- lvl: The enchantment level
- An enchantment
- StoredEnchantments: The list of enchantments on this book.
Bedrock Edition:
See Bedrock Edition level format/Item format.Advancements[]
| Enchanter | Enchant an item at an Enchantment Table | Diamonds! | Insert an item in an enchanting table, then apply an enchantment. | story/enchant_item |
History[]
| Dinnerbone stated that he wanted to add a way to enchant items in an anvil using paper at MINECON 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." |
| The enchantments of enchanted books can be applied to any item. |
| In Survival mode, enchanted books can now 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 now sell enchanted books at a cost of 1 book at 5–64 emeralds. The cost depends on the enchantment level, and the cost can occasionally go above 64 emeralds; see Trading/Before 1.8 for more details. |
| Enchanted books now spawn in dungeon, mineshaft, desert and jungle temple, stronghold and village blacksmith chests. |
| Enchanted books have been added to the Creative inventory. |
| The player can now combine enchanted books of the same level to create a higher level variation. |
| Enchanted books can now be obtained by fishing as a "treasure" item. It is possible for the book to have multiple enchantments. |
| When enchanting books, books can now gain multiple enchantments. |
| Trading for enchanted books has been changed: the emerald cost has been doubled for treasure enchantments, and cost has been capped at 64. |
| Enchanted book Depth Strider added, which can go up to Level III and allows for faster underwater moving. |
| Enchanted book Frost Walker added, which can go up to Level II and turns water into frosted ice. |
| Enchanted book Mending added, which repairs tools/armor upon receiving experience. |
| The average yield of enchanted books found in stronghold library chests has now more than tripled. |
| The average yield from desert temple, mineshaft and dungeon chests has been substantially increased. The enchantments on these books are now fully random, rather than enchanted only at level 30. |
| Enchanted books are now found in the new woodland mansion chests, with fully random enchantments. |
| Enchanted book Curse of Binding added, which prevents removal of cursed armor. |
| Enchanted book Curse of Vanishing added, which destroys cursed items upon death. |
| Prior to The Flattening, this item's numeral ID was 403. |
| Enchanted books now have a chance of generating in underwater ruins chests. |
| Enchanted books now have a chance of generating in Pillager outpost chests. |
| Added Soul Speed enchanted book, which increases player's speed on soul sand and soul soil. It can be obtained only via the bartering. |
| Soul Speed enchanted books now generate in bastion remnants chests. |
| Added Swift Sneak enchanted book, which increases player's speed while sneaking. It can be obtained only in ancient city chests. |
| Enchanted books now generate in ancient city chests. |
| Enchanted books now generate in desert temples. |
| Enchanted books now generate in mineshafts. |
| Enchanted books now generate in jungle pyramids. |
| Enchanted books now generate in end cities. |
| Enchanted books can now be bought from librarian villagers for 5-64 emeralds as part of their tier 1, 4 and 5 trades. |
| Enchanted books now generate in woodland mansions. |
| Enchanted books Mending and Frost Walker added. |
| Added Curse of Binding and Curse of Vanishing enchantments, but they are obtainable only via trading with librarian villagers. |
| Enchanted books can now be found in underwater ruins. |
| Curse enchantments are no longer obtainable via trading. |
| Enchanted books can now be found in pillager outposts. |
| Vindicators and pillagers that spawn in raids can now drop enchanted books. |
| Trading has been changed, enchanted books bought from librarian villagers now cost 15-64 emeralds. |
| Librarian villagers now have a 50% chance to sell enchanted books as part of their first, second, and third tier trade, and 1⁄3 chance to sell enchanted books as part of their fourth tier trades. |
| Added Soul Speed enchanted book, which can be obtained only via bartering and at bastion remnants chests. |
Issues[]
Issues relating to "Enchanted Book" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.
Trivia[]
- When obtained through the /give command with no stored enchantments, the enchanted book has no attached enchantments, but still shines as if it is enchanted.
- A book enchanted with Unbreaking III appears in both the tools tab and combat tab of the Creative inventory.
Gallery[]
First image of an enchanted book, released by Dinnerbone.
An enchanted book found in a dungeon chest.
An animation of an enchanted book.
References[]
- ↑ "Also enchanted books + items they're not intended for are a little broken and I kindly ask you to not exploit it too badly thanks." – @Dinnerbone (Nathan Adams) on Twitter, December 7, 2012
- ↑ MC-4203