How to Make Portals in Minecraft (Nether & End) Step-by-Step Guide
Every big Minecraft adventure starts with a portal, which is why so many players search for how to make portals in Minecraft. The Nether gives you blaze rods, quartz and fast travel, while the End is where the Ender Dragon, Elytra wings and shulker boxes wait. New to the game? Start with our guide on how to play Minecraft. If you have been wondering how to make portals in Minecraft, this guide walks you through both portals block by block, with the exact materials, the crafting recipes and the small mistakes that stop a portal from lighting up.
Everything here works in the latest Minecraft APK for Android, in Bedrock Edition and in Java Edition. The steps are the same on every device. For the full technical details, see the Nether portal page on the Minecraft Wiki.
What Is a Portal in Minecraft?
A portal is a doorway that moves you from one dimension to another. Minecraft has three dimensions: the Overworld where you spawn, the Nether, which is a fiery underworld full of lava and hostile mobs, and the End, a dark floating island ruled by the Ender Dragon. You cannot walk or dig your way into the Nether or the End. The only way in is through a portal.
Learning how to make portals in Minecraft is one of the first big goals in Survival. Portals also save time. Because one block walked in the Nether equals eight blocks in the Overworld, a pair of linked Nether portals turns a long trip into a short one.
Types of Portals in Minecraft
Before you learn how to make portals in Minecraft, it helps to know which ones exist. Players can only build the Nether portal from scratch. The others are either found in the world or appear after a boss fight.
| Portal | Where It Takes You | How You Get It |
|---|---|---|
| Nether Portal | Overworld to the Nether and back | Build an obsidian frame and light it |
| End Portal | Overworld to the End | Find it in a stronghold and fill it with 12 Eyes of Ender |
| Exit Portal | The End back to your spawn point | Becomes active after you defeat the Ender Dragon |
| End Gateway | Main End island to the outer End islands | Appears each time the Ender Dragon is defeated; throw an ender pearl into it |
How to Make a Nether Portal
The Nether portal is the first portal most players build. If you only learn one thing about how to make portals in Minecraft, learn this frame. It needs only two things: obsidian for the frame and something to set it on fire.
Materials Needed
| Item | Amount | Why You Need It |
|---|---|---|
| Obsidian | 10 (or 14 with corners) | Builds the portal frame |
| Diamond or Netherite Pickaxe | 1 | The only tools that can mine obsidian |
| Flint and Steel | 1 | Lights the portal |
| Water Bucket | 1 or more | Turns lava into obsidian |
How to Get Obsidian
Obsidian is the heart of every Nether portal, so gathering it is step one when you make portals in Minecraft. It forms when flowing water touches a lava source block. Caves and the lava pools near the bottom of the world are the easiest places to find one. You have a few options:
- Mine it: pour water over a lava pool, then break the obsidian with a diamond pickaxe. Any weaker pickaxe breaks the block without dropping anything.
- Bucket method: no diamonds yet? Build the frame shape out of a temporary mold, pour a lava bucket into each frame spot, then splash water over it so every block turns to obsidian in place.
- Ruined portals: these broken portals spawn all over the Overworld. They come with some obsidian already in place, and the chest next to them often holds more obsidian or a flint and steel.
Note that crying obsidian, the purple dripping version, does not work in a Nether portal frame.
How to Craft Flint and Steel
- Break gravel blocks until one drops flint. A shovel makes this quicker.
- Smelt iron ore in a furnace to get an iron ingot.
- Put 1 iron ingot and 1 flint in your crafting grid. Placement does not matter.
If you have no flint, a fire charge also lights the portal. You can even use lava or nearby burning blocks, although those are less reliable.
Step-by-Step: How to Make Portals in Minecraft (Nether)
- Pick a flat spot on the ground with a little free space around it.
- Lay the base: place 2 obsidian blocks side by side on the ground.
- Build the sides: stack 3 obsidian blocks upward on each side of the base, leaving a 2-block gap in between.
- Close the top: place 2 obsidian blocks across the top to finish the rectangle.
- Check the shape: the frame should be 4 blocks wide and 5 blocks tall, with an empty 2 by 3 space inside. The four corners are optional.
- Light it: use flint and steel on the inside edge of the bottom obsidian.
- Watch it glow: a swirling purple portal fills the frame. Step inside and you are on your way to the Nether.
That is all it takes to make portals in Minecraft for the Nether. 4 by 5 is the smallest size. If you want a bigger, more dramatic gateway, the frame can go all the way up to 23 by 23 blocks, as long as it stays a complete rectangle.
What to Carry Before Entering the Nether
- Iron armor or better, and a sword or bow.
- A shield to block ghast fireballs.
- Plenty of cooked food.
- Cobblestone or other building blocks to bridge over lava.
- A spare flint and steel, because a ghast can blow your portal out and you will need to relight it to get home.
- At least one piece of gold armor, so piglins stay friendly.
How to Make an End Portal
The second half of how to make portals in Minecraft is the End portal, and it works differently. In Survival mode you cannot craft or pick up End portal frames, so there is no way to build one yourself. Every world already has End portals hidden inside underground structures called strongholds. Your job is to find one and finish it.
Materials Needed for the End Portal
- Eyes of Ender: up to 12 to fill the frame, plus extra for tracking the stronghold.
- A pickaxe and torches for digging down and lighting the stronghold.
- Good armor, food and a bow for the fight with the Ender Dragon.
How to Craft Eyes of Ender
Each Eye of Ender takes 1 ender pearl and 1 blaze powder. Ender pearls drop from Endermen or come from trading with piglins. Blaze powder comes from blaze rods, which blazes drop inside Nether fortresses. That is why, when you make portals in Minecraft, the Nether portal always comes first.
Plan on 15 to 20 eyes. The portal room usually already has a couple of eyes in place (each frame has a 10% chance to start filled), but every eye you throw has a 20% chance to shatter.
How to Find a Stronghold
- Throw an Eye of Ender into the air in the Overworld.
- It flies a short distance toward the nearest stronghold, leaving a purple trail. Walk in that direction.
- Keep throwing every few hundred blocks and pick the eye back up if it drops.
- When the eye flies down into the ground instead of forward, you are standing above the stronghold.
- Dig down carefully, then explore the corridors until you find the room with the lava pool and the stairs leading to the portal.
Step-by-Step: Activate the End Portal
- Climb the steps above the lava in the portal room.
- Count how many of the 12 frames already hold an eye.
- Right-click or tap each empty frame to place an Eye of Ender in it. Once placed, an eye cannot be taken back out.
- When the last frame is filled, the centre opens into a black, starry portal.
- Jump in. You arrive on a small platform in the End, so be ready to fight right away.
Building an End Portal in Creative Mode
Creative mode is the one place where you can make portals in Minecraft for the End yourself. Take End portal frames from the inventory and place 12 of them in a ring around a 3 by 3 empty space, 3 on each side, with no corners. Every frame must face inward toward the middle, so place each one while standing inside the ring. Then add an eye to each frame.
How to Use Portals in Minecraft
- Stand still inside a Nether portal for about 4 seconds in Survival. Your screen will swirl before you are moved. In Creative, travel is instant.
- To come back, walk into the portal that appears on the other side. The game builds or links one for you automatically.
- Use the 1:8 rule for fast travel: divide your Overworld X and Z coordinates by 8, build a second portal at that spot in the Nether, and you have a shortcut.
- The End is one way until you beat the Ender Dragon. After that, the exit portal sends you back to your spawn point or bed.
Tips for Building and Using Portals Safely
- Plan the spot: the safest way to make portals in Minecraft starts with choosing a good location.
- Protect your portal: build it inside your base (see our guide on how to build a house in Minecraft) or wall it in with stone so mobs and ghast fireballs cannot reach it.
- Avoid wood around it: the fire from lighting the portal can spread to planks, wool and leaves.
- Light the area: torches stop mobs from spawning next to the portal on both sides.
- Leave some room: two or three free blocks in front make it easy to step in and out.
- Mark the Nether side: a pillar or a line of torches helps you find your way home in the dark.
- Back up first: before a risky End trip, it is smart to back up your world, especially on mobile.
Common Portal Problems and How to Fix Them
| Problem | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Nether portal will not light | Frame is incomplete, too small or not a rectangle | Check that it is at least 4 wide and 5 tall with no gaps |
| Flint and steel does nothing | A block is inside the frame, or crying obsidian was used | Clear the inside and use regular obsidian only |
| Obsidian breaks but does not drop | Pickaxe is too weak | Use a diamond or netherite pickaxe |
| End portal will not open | A frame is still empty or, in Creative, a frame faces the wrong way | Fill all 12 frames and rebuild frames so they face inward |
| Portal sends you to the wrong place | Another portal is close by and linking takes over | Space portals apart or use the 1:8 coordinates |
Pros and Cons of Portals
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Open two new dimensions to explore | Obsidian needs a diamond pickaxe or careful bucket work |
| Rare loot like netherite, Elytra and shulker shells | Strongholds can take a long time to find |
| Nether shortcuts make long trips 8 times shorter | The Nether and the End are dangerous for new players |
| Unlock the Ender Dragon fight and the game credits | Dying there can mean losing your items in lava or the void |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest way to make portals in Minecraft?
Start with a ruined portal. Most of the frame is already there, so you only need a few obsidian blocks and a flint and steel. For new players, this is the quickest answer to how to make portals in Minecraft.
How many obsidian blocks do you need for a Nether portal?
10 is the minimum. A full frame with corners uses 14, but the corners are only for looks.
Can you make a Nether portal without a diamond pickaxe?
Yes. Use the bucket method to create obsidian directly in the frame, or finish a ruined portal you find in the world.
Can you build an End portal in Survival?
No. End portal frames cannot be crafted or mined in Survival. You must find the one inside a stronghold and fill it with Eyes of Ender.
How many Eyes of Ender do you need?
Up to 12 to fill the portal. Carry extra, because some break when you throw them to find the stronghold.
Do portals work the same in Minecraft PE and Java?
Yes. The materials, frame sizes and steps are the same in Minecraft Pocket Edition, Bedrock and Java, so you make portals in Minecraft the same way on every device. Only the controls differ: you tap on mobile and right-click on PC. iPhone players can follow the same steps in Minecraft for iOS.
Final Thoughts
Now you know how to make portals in Minecraft from start to finish. Build a Nether portal first, gather blaze rods and ender pearls on the other side, craft your Eyes of Ender, then track down a stronghold and open the End. Take it step by step, carry spare supplies and protect your portals, and both dimensions will open up some of the best loot in the game. If you have not installed the game yet, grab the latest Minecraft APK download and start building your first portal today.
