Mending is an enchantment that repairs your gear using the XP orbs you collect. Every point of XP restores 2 durability on the item, so a tool with Mending basically never breaks. You cannot get it from the enchanting table. You have to find it through trading, fishing, or chest loot.
Everything here is current as of Minecraft 26.2 (Chaos Cubed).
What Does Mending Do in Minecraft?
Mending turns XP into repairs. Normally, when you pick up XP orbs, they fill your XP bar. With a Mending item equipped, that XP goes into fixing the item instead, at a rate of 2 durability for every 1 point of XP.
That trade (XP for durability) is worth it, because XP is easier to find than a new enchanted netherite pickaxe. Once your favorite gear has Mending, you stop thinking about durability at all, because normal play generates more than enough XP to keep everything repaired. That is why most players would argue Mending is one of the best enchantments in the game.
How Does Mending Work?
- The item must be equipped. That means worn as armor, held in your main hand, or held in your off hand. A Mending pickaxe sitting in your inventory gets nothing.
- Each XP point repairs 2 durability on the item.
- If the item is already at full durability, the XP goes to your XP bar like normal.
When you pick up an XP orb, the game repairs one of your equipped Mending items at random. If that item happens to be undamaged, the XP goes straight to your bar, even if a different Mending item you are wearing is badly damaged. If you really need to fix one specific item, take off your other Mending gear and hold only the item you want to repair.
Mending pairs well with Unbreaking III. Unbreaking makes durability drain slower, and Mending fills it back up. Put both on everything you care about.
How Do You Get Mending?
Mending is a treasure enchantment, so the enchanting table will never offer it (no matter how many bookshelves you build). You can only find it in these ways:
| Source | How it works |
|---|---|
| Librarian trading | Librarian villagers can sell Mending books for emeralds |
| Fishing | Enchanted books are treasure catches, better odds with Luck of the Sea |
| Chest loot | Found in structure chests like ancient cities, strongholds, and temples |
| Raids | Raid mobs can drop Mending gear (Bedrock only) |
The librarian method is generally the most reliable. Place a lectern next to an unemployed villager and it becomes a librarian with random book trades. If Mending is not one of them, break the lectern and place it again to regenerate the trades. It can take a while, but it is the only method fully in your control.
Once you have the Mending book, put your item and the book in an anvil to apply it. You will need to gather enough XP to pay the anvil cost.
What Items Can Have Mending?
Almost anything with a durability bar can have Mending applied. That includes every tool, weapon, and armor piece, plus a few items people forget about.
| Item type | Can it have Mending? | Worth it? |
|---|---|---|
| Pickaxe, axe, shovel, hoe | Yes | Yes, always |
| Sword, spear, mace, trident | Yes | Yes, always |
| All armor pieces | Yes | Yes, always |
| Elytra | Yes | Yes |
| Bow | Yes, but it blocks Infinity | Depends, see below |
| Crossbow | Yes | Yes |
| Fishing rod, shield, shears, flint and steel | Yes | Nice to have |
Elytra are a good choice for Mending because they are not crafted, only found in End ships, and costs rare phantom membranes to repair normally. A Mending elytra repairs itself while you fly around collecting XP, which makes a good place to spend a Mending book. The new spear allow you to apply Mending too.
Mending vs Infinity for bows: Which Should You Pick?
Mending and Infinity cannot go on the same bow, in Java or Bedrock, so you have to pick one:
- Infinity gives you unlimited shots from a single arrow, but the bow slowly wears out and eventually breaks.
- Mending means the bow lasts forever, but you have to keep crafting or collecting arrows.
Most players will pick Infinity. Bows are cheap to replace while keeping lots of arrows is more frustrating. Mending is the better pick if you use tipped or spectral arrows, since Infinity only works with regular arrows anyway. We compare these two enchants in more depth in our Infinity enchantment guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the max level of Mending?
Mending only has one level and there is no Mending II.
Why is my Mending item not repairing?
Check that the item is equipped, meaning worn or held in your main or off hand. Items in your inventory do not repair.
Does Mending use the XP already in your bar?
No. Mending only uses XP orbs as you pick them up. The levels you have already have are unaffected.