How to make a Crossbow in Minecraft

This Minecraft tutorial explains how to craft a crossbow with screenshots and step-by-step instructions.

In Minecraft, a crossbow is a new weapon that will be available in the Village & Pillage Update (Java Edition 1.14). Similar to a bow, you use your crossbow to shoot arrows in Minecraft.

crossbow

Let's explore how to make a crossbow.

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Supported Platforms

A crossbow is available in the following versions of Minecraft:

PlatformSupported (Version*)
Java Edition (PC/Mac) Java Edition (PC/Mac)Yes (1.14)
Pocket Edition (PE) Pocket Edition (PE)Yes (1.10.0)
Xbox 360 Xbox 360No
Xbox One Xbox OneYes (1.10.0)
PS3 PS3No
PS4 PS4Yes (1.90)
Wii U Wii UNo
Nintendo Switch Nintendo SwitchYes (1.10.0)
Windows 10 Edition Windows 10 EditionYes (1.10.0)
Education Edition Education EditionYes (1.12.0)

* The version that it was added or removed, if applicable.
NOTE: Pocket Edition (PE), Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows 10 Edition are now called Bedrock Edition. We will continue to show them individually for version history.

Where to find a Crossbow in Creative Mode

Required Materials to make a Crossbow

In Minecraft, these are the materials you can use to craft a crossbow:

How to craft a Crossbow in Survival Mode

1. Open the Crafting Menu

First, open your crafting table so that you have the 3x3 crafting grid that looks like this:

3x3 crafting area

2. Add Items to make a Crossbow

In the crafting menu, you should see a crafting area that is made up of a 3x3 crafting grid. To make a crossbow, place 3 sticks, 2 string, 1 iron ingot and 1 tripwire hook in the 3x3 crafting grid.

When making a crossbow, it is important that the items are placed in the exact pattern as the image below. In the first row, there should be 1 stick in the first box, 1 iron ingot in the second box and 1 stick in the third box. In the second row, there should be 1 string in the first box, 1 tripwire hook in the second box and 1 string in the third box. In the third row, there should be 1 stick in the middle box. This is the Minecraft crafting recipe for a crossbow.

Crafting recipe for crossbow

Now that you have filled the crafting area with the correct pattern, the crossbow will appear in the box to the right.

crossbow

3. Move the Crossbow to Inventory

Once you have crafted a crossbow, you need to move the new item to your inventory.

Completed crossbow

Congratulations, you have made a crossbow in Minecraft!

Item ID and Name

Give Command for Crossbow

Attack Damage and Durability

Attack damage is the amount of damage the item will deal when attacking a mob.

Durability represents how long the item will last. For tools, weapons and transportation, durability is the number of useful actions before the item is destroyed. For armor items, durability is the number of hits (that can be blocked by armor) before the item is destroyed. So the higher the durability number, the longer the item will last.

The following table shows the attack damage and durability for each weapon in Minecraft:

Name Attack Damage Durability
Netherite Sword 8 2031
Diamond Sword 7 1561
Bow <varies> 384
Crossbow <varies> 326
Iron Sword 6 250
Trident 9 250
Stone Sword 5 131
Wooden Sword 4 59
Golden Sword 4 32

Enchantments for Crossbow

In Minecraft, you can enchant a crossbow with the following enchantments:

Enchantment Description
Curse of Vanishing Cursed item will disappear after player dies
Mending Uses xp to mend your tools, weapons and armor
Multishot Shoots 3 arrows at once but only costs 1 arrow (from your inventory)
Piercing Arrow can pierce through multiple entities
Quick Charge Reduces the amount of time to reload a crossbow
Unbreaking Increases durability of item, in effect, by decreasing the chance of the tool, weapon, or armor taking durability damage when used

See a complete list of Minecraft Enchantments that is interactive and searchable.

Things to Make with Crossbows

You can use crossbows to make items in Minecraft such as: