Mending is one of the best enchantments in Minecraft because it repairs your items using experience points. Instead of letting your favorite tools, weapons, or armor break over time, Mending uses collected XP to restore durability.
This makes Mending extremely useful for long-term survival worlds, especially when you have rare gear like diamond or netherite tools.
Quick Summary:
Enchantment: Mending
Use: Repairs items using XP
Works On: Tools, weapons, armor, elytra, fishing rods, and more
Best Use: Netherite gear, Elytra, pickaxes, swords, and armor
Important Rule: Mending and Infinity cannot be used together on the same bow
Related Guides: You can also check our Minecraft Guides, How to Allocate More RAM to Minecraft, How to Tame a Parrot in Minecraft, and Best Minecraft Seeds for more Minecraft tips.
What Is Mending in Minecraft?
Mending is a treasure enchantment that repairs an item’s durability when you collect experience points. If you are wearing or holding an item with Mending, the XP you collect can be used to repair that item instead of going only to your XP level.
For example, if your pickaxe has Mending and you collect XP from mining, the pickaxe can repair itself as long as it has lost durability.
This makes Mending one of the most valuable enchantments in the game because it can keep important gear usable for a very long time.
What Does Mending Do?
Mending repairs your enchanted item by using XP orbs. When you collect XP, Minecraft checks whether any item with Mending needs repair. If it does, the XP is used to restore durability instead of increasing your experience bar.
If the Mending item is already fully repaired, the XP goes to your experience bar normally.
| Situation | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Mending item is damaged | XP repairs the item’s durability. |
| Mending item is fully repaired | XP goes to your experience bar. |
| Multiple Mending items are equipped | XP repairs one eligible item at a time. |
How Mending Repairs Items
Mending does not repair items automatically without XP. You must collect experience orbs from activities such as mining, killing mobs, smelting, fishing, trading, or using XP farms.
When XP is collected, it repairs eligible Mending items that are currently equipped, worn, or held.
- Armor with Mending repairs when you wear it.
- Tools repair when you hold them in your hand.
- Weapons repair when you hold them while collecting XP.
- Elytra repairs when worn while collecting XP.
Which Items Can Have Mending?
Mending can be applied to many items that have durability. It is most useful on expensive or hard-to-replace gear.
| Item Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Tools | Pickaxe, Axe, Shovel, Hoe, Shears, Flint and Steel |
| Weapons | Sword, Bow, Crossbow, Trident |
| Armor | Helmet, Chestplate, Leggings, Boots, Turtle Shell |
| Special Items | Elytra, Fishing Rod, Shield, Carrot on a Stick, Warped Fungus on a Stick |
Best Items to Use Mending On
Mending is rare, so you should use it on your most valuable items first. It is best on gear you use often and do not want to replace.
- Elytra: One of the best items for Mending because it is hard to replace.
- Netherite Pickaxe: Very useful for mining and long-term survival.
- Netherite Sword: Keeps your main weapon repaired.
- Netherite Armor: Helps expensive armor last longer.
- Fishing Rod: Useful if you fish often or use AFK fishing farms.
- Trident: Good because tridents can be hard to replace.
How to Get Mending in Minecraft
Mending is a treasure enchantment, which means you cannot get it from a normal enchanting table. Instead, you must find or trade for a Mending enchanted book.
You can get Mending from:
- Librarian villagers
- Fishing treasure loot
- Chest loot in structures
- Raid rewards in some versions
Best Way to Get Mending
The best way to get Mending is through a Librarian villager. Place a lectern near an unemployed villager to turn it into a Librarian. Then check the trade offers.
If the Librarian does not offer Mending, break the lectern and place it again to refresh the trade. Repeat this before locking the villager’s trades.
- Find an unemployed villager.
- Place a lectern near the villager.
- Check the Librarian trade.
- If Mending is not available, break and replace the lectern.
- Once Mending appears, trade with the villager to lock the offer.
Can Mending and Infinity Work Together?
No, Mending and Infinity cannot be used together on the same bow in normal survival gameplay
If you want a bow that never runs out of arrows, choose Infinity. If you want a bow that repairs itself using XP, choose Mending.
| Bow Enchantment | Best For |
|---|---|
| Mending | Players who want the bow to repair itself with XP. |
| Infinity | Players who want unlimited arrows using only one arrow. |
Mending vs Unbreaking
Mending repairs durability using XP, while Unbreaking reduces how quickly durability is lost. These two enchantments can work together, making your item last much longer.
The best setup for most tools and armor is to use both Mending and Unbreaking III.
Does Mending Repair Items Automatically?
Mending repairs items when you collect XP. It does not repair items by itself over time.
If your tool is damaged, you need to collect XP while the item is equipped, worn, or held. Once the item is fully repaired, XP will go back into your experience bar.
Best XP Sources for Mending
To repair Mending gear quickly, use reliable XP sources.
-
- Mob farms
- Enderman farms
- Guardian farms
- XP from mining ores
- Trading with villagers
- Smelting items in furnaces
- Fishing
Mob farms are one of the fastest ways to repair damaged Mending gear because they provide steady XP.
Final Thoughts
Mending is one of the most powerful enchantments in Minecraft because it repairs your tools, weapons, armor, and Elytra using XP.
It is best used on valuable gear like Netherite tools, Netherite armor, Elytra, tridents, and fishing rods. Since Mending cannot be obtained from a normal enchanting table, the best way to get it is by trading with Librarian villagers.
If you combine Mending with Unbreaking III, your gear can last for a very long time as long as you keep collecting XP.
FAQs
What does Mending do in Minecraft?
Mending repairs an item’s durability using XP orbs you collect while the item is equipped, worn, or held.
Can you get Mending from an enchanting table?
No, Mending is a treasure enchantment and cannot be obtained from a normal enchanting table.
What is the best way to get Mending?
The best way to get Mending is by trading with a Librarian villager.
Can Mending and Infinity go on the same bow?
No, Mending and Infinity cannot be used together on the same bow in normal survival gameplay.
Does Mending work with Unbreaking?
Yes, Mending and Unbreaking work together and are one of the best enchantment combinations for long-lasting gear.
Why is my Mending item not repairing?
Your item may not repair if you are not collecting XP, the item is not equipped or held, or another damaged Mending item is receiving the XP instead.
Is Mending worth it?
Yes, Mending is one of the best enchantments because it keeps valuable gear repaired using XP.
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