Reaching the End dimension to fight the Ender Dragon is the biggest endgame goal for most Minecraft players, but far too many new players get stuck on the first big hurdle: figuring out how do you make an end portal minecraft that actually works. Even tiny mistakes, like a portal frame facing the wrong direction, can leave you staring at an unresponsive structure for hours. This guide breaks down every step for both Creative and Survival play, plus common errors to skip so you can get to the End as fast as possible.
How Do You Make an End Portal in Minecraft: Required Materials First
The materials you need will change drastically depending on which game mode you play in, so it’s important to gather the right supplies before you start building. Creative mode gives you unlimited access to every block in the game, so you can skip the long grind entirely. Survival mode, on the other hand, requires you to explore both the Overworld and the Nether to track down rare, uncraftable items.
For unmodded Survival play, you’ll need the following supplies to get your portal up and running:
- 12 end portal frames (naturally generated in strongholds, you cannot craft end portal frames in vanilla Survival Minecraft)
- At least 12 eyes of ender (crafted from 1 ender pearl and 1 blaze powder each)
- A pickaxe with Silk Touch if you want to move portal frames in modded playthroughs
- Torches to light up the stronghold area and stop mobs from spawning while you build
If you’re playing in Creative, you only need end portal frames and eyes of ender, no extra supplies required. Always carry 2-3 extra eyes of ender when you’re heading to a stronghold in Survival, just in case you drop one while placing or you miss a throw when tracking the stronghold’s location. It’s frustrating to travel thousands of blocks to a stronghold only to realize you’re one eye short of activating the portal.
Step-by-Step Process to Build a Working End Portal
If you’re building in Creative mode, the process is a lot simpler than Survival, but you still have to follow one critical rule to make it work. Start by finding a flat, open area, and stand in the exact spot where you want the center of your portal to be. You’ll be placing 3 portal frames on each of the 4 sides of a 3x3 empty square, and as long as you stay standing in the center while placing, the frames will automatically orient inward, which is required for the portal to activate.
Once all 12 frames are placed, walk around and add an eye of ender to each frame. As soon as you place the 12th eye, the portal will activate with a loud noise, and you’ll see the dark, starry portal surface fill the 3x3 center space. For Survival players, you first need to use eyes of ender to track down a stronghold: throw an eye in the air, follow the direction it floats, and repeat until it starts floating downward, then dig straight down to find the stronghold’s portal room.
Long grind sessions for rare materials can leave you burnt out fast, especially if you keep running into endermen that run away before you can kill them or blazes that knock you off Nether fortresses. Many players like to take 10 minute breaks between grinding stretches to reset their focus, and casual players often load up Royal Yono Vip for a quick, low-stakes distraction that doesn’t take long enough to make you lose your train of thought for your build. Once you’re refreshed, head back to the stronghold, fill any empty portal frames with eyes of ender, and your portal will activate instantly.
You don’t have to clear the lava that usually spawns under stronghold portals, but it’s a good idea to place blocks over it to avoid falling in as you step through the portal. All portal frames must face the center of the portal, so if your portal doesn’t activate after you place all the eyes, double check each frame to make sure none are facing outward.
Common End Portal Mistakes That Stop It From Working
Even experienced players make these mistakes from time to time, so don’t feel bad if your portal isn’t working right away. The most common error by far is misaligned portal frames. If you’re building in Creative and you walk around while placing frames, some will face outward instead of inward, and the portal won’t activate no matter how many eyes you put in. Fix this by breaking the misaligned frames and replacing them while standing in the center of the portal area.
Another common mistake is trying to activate an End Portal in the wrong dimension. End Portals only work in the Overworld dimension in vanilla Minecraft, any attempts to activate them in the Nether or End will fail unless you’re using mods that change this rule. If you’re playing in Survival and you found a stronghold portal that won’t activate, check to make sure none of the frames are broken—sometimes mobs or generation errors will damage frames, and you’ll need to replace them if you have Silk Touch.
Don’t forget to clear any blocks that are in the 3x3 center space of the portal too. If you placed a torch or a dirt block in the middle while exploring the stronghold, the portal won’t be able to spawn, so remove all blocks from that space before you place the final eye of ender. You can also break any iron bars around the portal room to make it easier to access the portal and carry loot in and out.
Pro Tips for Using Your End Portal Safely
Once your portal is active, you don’t want to head through without prepping first, or you’ll likely die within minutes of spawning in the End. First, make sure you have full diamond or netherite armor, a power-enchanted bow with at least 64 arrows, a sharpness sword, stacks of food, and a few stacks of blocks to build with. You should also bring ender pearls to get out of tight spots, and a water bucket to negate fall damage if you get knocked off the End island.
Always leave a chest with spare gear next to your End Portal so if you die in the End, you can grab supplies fast without having to run all the way back from your base. Mark the portal’s coordinates on your map or put a tall tower of unique blocks above the stronghold entrance so you can find it easily when you come back. If you’re playing on a multiplayer server, you can also put a lock on the chest or claim the area to stop other players from stealing your supplies or breaking the portal.
You don’t have to fight the Ender Dragon right away when you go through the portal either. You can explore the End islands first, find End Cities with elytra and enchanted gear, and gather resources to make the dragon fight easier. Just make sure you don’t wander too far from the main island until you’re ready, or you might get lost and have to kill yourself to get back to the Overworld.
Once you know how do you make an end portal minecraft the right way, it’s a quick, simple process that opens up all of the game’s best endgame content. I still remember the first time I messed up a portal frame direction and spent 20 minutes digging around the stronghold looking for a broken frame, so don’t stress if you make the same mistake. Double check your frame alignment, carry extra eyes of ender, and prep your gear before you head through, and you’ll be beating the Ender Dragon in no time.