Complete Vanilla Minecraft Enchantments Reference

Minecraft enchantments can turn basic gear into long-lasting tools, stronger weapons, safer armor, or occasionally a cursed mistake that refuses to leave. The in-game enchanting language is not exactly beginner-friendly, so this reference lists every vanilla enchantment with its compatible item types, maximum level, incompatibilities, and main effect.

General Enchantments

Unbreaking

Type: All items and armor with durability.

Max Level: III

Incompatibilities: None

Reduces the chance that an item loses durability when used.

Mending

Type: All items and armor with durability.

Max Level: I

Incompatibilities: Infinity

Experience orbs repair equipped or held items with Mending instead of going to the experience bar.

Note: Mending is rare. It is commonly found as an enchanted book from chest loot, fishing, and trading. Bedrock Edition players can also obtain it through village raids.

Tool Enchantments

Efficiency

Type: Pickaxe, Axe, Shovel, Hoe, Shears

Max Level: V

Incompatibilities: None

Increases block gathering speed. In Java Edition, Efficiency also improves an axe's shield stun chance by 5% per level.

Fortune

Type: Pickaxe, Axe, Shovel, Hoe

Max Level: III

Incompatibilities: Silk Touch

Increases drops from blocks that already drop items, such as diamonds, emeralds, lapis, and coal. Blocks like iron ore and ancient debris are not affected in the same way.

Silk Touch

Type: Pickaxe, Axe, Shovel, Hoe, Shears

Max Level: I

Incompatibilities: Fortune

Makes many blocks drop themselves instead of their usual item drops. Diamond ore, for example, drops as diamond ore instead of diamonds.

Lure

Type: Fishing Rod

Max Level: III

Incompatibilities: None

Shortens the wait before a fish bites by five seconds per level. At level III, the maximum bite window becomes 5 to 15 seconds.

Luck of the Sea

Type: Fishing Rod

Max Level: III

Incompatibilities: None

Raises the chance of fishing treasure and lowers the chance of junk catches.

Melee Weapon Enchantments

Sharpness

Type: Sword, Axe

Max Level: V

Incompatibilities: Smite, Bane of Arthropods

Increases damage against players and mobs.

Smite

Type: Sword, Axe

Max Level: V

Incompatibilities: Sharpness, Bane of Arthropods

Increases damage against undead mobs, including the Wither and Warden.

Bane of Arthropods

Type: Sword, Axe

Max Level: V

Incompatibilities: Sharpness, Smite

Deals extra damage to spiders, cave spiders, silverfish, endermites, and bees, while also applying Slowness IV.

Sweeping Edge

Type: Sword

Max Level: III

Incompatibilities: None

Increases the damage from sword sweeping attacks.

Note: Sweeping Edge is exclusive to Java Edition.

Fire Aspect

Type: Sword

Max Level: II

Incompatibilities: None

Sets mobs and players on fire when hit. In Bedrock Edition, Fire Aspect swords can also light candles, campfires, and TNT.

Knockback

Type: Sword

Max Level: II

Incompatibilities: None

Increases the distance targets are pushed back by attacks.

Looting

Type: Sword

Max Level: III

Incompatibilities: None

Increases item drops from mobs killed with the enchanted sword.

Cleaving

Type: Axe

Max Level: III

Incompatibilities: Sharpness, Smite, Bane of Arthropods

Increases axe damage and shield stunning.

Note: Cleaving is an unreleased Java Edition enchantment and may change if it is released.

Ranged Weapon Enchantments

Impaling

Type: Trident

Max Level: V

Incompatibilities: None

In Java Edition, Impaling increases damage against mobs that naturally spawn in oceans. In Bedrock Edition, it increases damage against mobs and players that are in water or rain.

Channeling

Type: Trident

Max Level: I

Incompatibilities: Riptide

Summons lightning on enemies hit by the trident. It only works during thunderstorms and only when the target is outside.

Loyalty

Type: Trident

Max Level: III

Incompatibilities: Riptide

Causes thrown tridents to return automatically. Higher levels reduce the return time.

Riptide

Type: Trident

Max Level: III

Incompatibilities: Channeling, Loyalty

Launches the player with the thrown trident. Riptide only works in water or rain.

Power

Type: Bow

Max Level: V

Incompatibilities: None

Increases arrow damage.

Punch

Type: Bow

Max Level: II

Incompatibilities: None

Increases arrow knockback.

Flame

Type: Bow

Max Level: I

Incompatibilities: None

Fires flaming arrows. The effect does not work in rain or underwater. Flaming arrows can also light candles, campfires, and TNT.

Infinity

Type: Bow

Max Level: I

Incompatibilities: Mending

Lets bows fire without consuming normal arrows. Tipped arrows and spectral arrows still must be supplied.

Quick Charge

Type: Crossbow

Max Level: III

Incompatibilities: None

Reduces crossbow loading time.

Piercing

Type: Crossbow

Max Level: IV

Incompatibilities: Multishot

Allows arrows to pass through mobs, players, and shields.

Multishot

Type: Crossbow

Max Level: I

Incompatibilities: Piercing

Fires three arrows in a spread while consuming only one arrow.

Armor Enchantments

Aqua Affinity

Type: Helmet, Turtle Shell

Max Level: I

Incompatibilities: None

Improves mining speed underwater.

Respiration

Type: Helmet, Turtle Shell

Max Level: III

Incompatibilities: None

Increases how long players can stay underwater before needing air.

Protection

Type: Helmet, Turtle Shell, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots

Max Level: IV

Incompatibilities: Projectile Protection, Fire Protection, Blast Protection

Reduces most damage types. Status effects such as poison and wither are not reduced.

Projectile Protection

Type: Helmet, Turtle Shell, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots

Max Level: IV

Incompatibilities: Protection, Fire Protection, Blast Protection

Reduces projectile damage.

Fire Protection

Type: Helmet, Turtle Shell, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots

Max Level: IV

Incompatibilities: Protection, Projectile Protection, Blast Protection

Reduces fire damage and shortens burn time from lava, fire, Fire Aspect, and similar sources.

Blast Protection

Type: Helmet, Turtle Shell, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots

Max Level: IV

Incompatibilities: Protection, Projectile Protection, Fire Protection

Reduces explosion damage and explosion knockback.

Thorns

Type: Helmet, Turtle Shell, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots

Max Level: III

Incompatibilities: None

Damages attackers when they hit the enchanted armor. This costs durability on the armor piece.

Feather Falling

Type: Boots

Max Level: IV

Incompatibilities: None

Reduces fall damage.

Soul Speed

Type: Boots

Max Level: III

Incompatibilities: Swift Sneak

Increases movement speed on soul sand and soul soil, at the cost of durability.

Note: Soul Speed can only be obtained by bartering with piglins.

Swift Sneak

Type: Leggings

Max Level: III

Incompatibilities: Soul Speed, Frost Walker, Depth Strider

Increases movement speed while sneaking.

Note: Swift Sneak can only be found by looting ancient cities.

Frost Walker

Type: Boots

Max Level: II

Incompatibilities: Swift Sneak, Depth Strider

Turns nearby water into frosted ice, allowing temporary water walking. It also lets players stand on campfires and magma blocks without taking damage.

Note: Frost Walker can only be obtained through chest loot, fishing, village raids, and trading.

Depth Strider

Type: Boots

Max Level: III

Incompatibilities: Swift Sneak, Frost Walker

Increases underwater movement speed.

Curses

Curse of Vanishing

Type: All Items

Max Level: I

Incompatibilities: None

Destroys the cursed item when the player dies.

Note: Curse of Vanishing comes from chest loot and fishing. Java Edition players may also find it through villager trading.

Curse of Binding

Type: Wearable items for the head, chest, legs, and feet armor slots.

Max Level: I

Incompatibilities: None

Prevents the cursed item from being removed unless the player uses creative mode, the item breaks, or the player dies.

Note: Curse of Binding comes from chest loot and fishing. Java Edition players may also find it through villager trading.

Final Notes

As of version 1.19, that covers the vanilla Minecraft enchantment list. Most enchantments improve a clear part of survival, combat, mining, or exploration, while curses exist to make loot chests slightly more suspicious than they already were.