The Ender Portal requires 12 Eyes of Ender placed in specific frames
The Ender Portal is a structure you build to reach the End dimension and fight the Ender Dragon. It consists of 12 End Portal Frames arranged in a 3×3 square with the center four blocks empty. You place an Eye of Ender in each frame block, and when all 12 are filled, the portal activates and creates a purple gateway in the center.
You cannot craft End Portal Frames — they only exist in the world as loot in Strongholds, which are underground structures buried deep beneath your world. You find them by locating a Stronghold first, then assembling the portal inside it. The Eyes of Ender you craft yourself using materials you gather.
The entire process takes time because Strongholds are rare and difficult to locate without the right tools. Most players spend 30 minutes to several hours finding one, depending on luck and world size.
Key Takeaways
- End Portal Frames are found only in Strongholds, not crafted, so you must locate a Stronghold before you can build the portal.
- Eyes of Ender are crafted from Ender Pearls (dropped by Endermen) and Blaze Powder (dropped by Blazes in the Nether), so you need access to the Nether first.
- The portal frame is a 3×3 square with the center four blocks empty, and you place one Eye of Ender in each of the 12 outer frame blocks.
- Once all 12 Eyes are placed, the portal activates when ready and creates a purple gateway you can jump through to reach the End dimension.
How to craft Eyes of Ender
An Eye of Ender is made from two materials: an Ender Pearl and Blaze Powder. You place one Ender Pearl and one Blaze Powder in any two slots of a crafting table, and you get one Eye of Ender. You need 12 Eyes total, so you must gather at least 12 Ender Pearls and 12 Blaze Powder.
Ender Pearls drop from Endermen, which spawn in the Overworld at night or in dark caves. Kill Endermen and collect the pearls they leave behind. You need a sword or bow to kill them efficiently — they take several hits with a hand weapon.
Blaze Powder comes from Blazes, which live only in the Nether. You must enter the Nether through a Nether Portal (made of obsidian), find a Nether Fortress, and kill Blazes inside it. Each Blaze drops one or two Blaze Rods when killed. You craft Blaze Rods into Blaze Powder at a crafting table — one rod makes two powder. So if you need 12 Blaze Powder, you need at least 6 Blaze Rods, which means killing at least 6 Blazes.
How to locate a Stronghold
Strongholds are buried underground and do not appear on the surface. The fastest way to find one is to craft and throw Eyes of Ender. When you throw an Eye of Ender, it flies through the air toward the nearest Stronghold, then falls to the ground. You follow it, pick it up, and throw it again. After several throws, the Eye leads you to the Stronghold entrance.
Each Eye of Ender can be thrown only once before it disappears, so you lose one Eye each time you throw one. If you throw 12 Eyes to locate the Stronghold, you will have none left to set up the portal. Craft extra Eyes — most players make 15 to 20 to account for the ones used in the search.
The Stronghold entrance is usually a staircase descending into the ground. Once you enter, explore the corridors and rooms until you find the End Portal Frame structure. It sits in a specific room called the End Portal Room, which contains the 12 frames already placed but empty of Eyes.
How to place Eyes of Ender in the portal frames
When you reach the End Portal Room, you see 12 End Portal Frame blocks arranged in a square. Stand in front of each frame block and place an Eye of Ender in it by right-clicking (or using your place block button). The Eye sinks into the frame and stays there.
The frames must be filled in a specific pattern for the portal to work: the 12 outer blocks of a 3×3 square, leaving the center 4 blocks empty. The game does not let you place an Eye in the center blocks, so you only need to worry about the outer ring. As soon as you place the 12th Eye, the portal activates and a purple gateway appears in the center.
If you make a mistake and place an Eye in the wrong frame, you can break the frame block with a pickaxe to remove the Eye and collect it again. However, breaking a frame also destroys the frame itself, and you cannot replace it — you must find another Stronghold if you damage the frames.
What happens when the portal activates
When all 12 Eyes are placed, the center of the portal fills with purple swirling energy. You can jump into this gateway at any time. Jumping in teleports you to the End dimension, a dark world filled with floating islands, Endermen, and the Ender Dragon.
The Ender Dragon is the final boss of Minecraft. Defeating it ends the game and shows the credits. If you die in the End, you drop your items and respawn at your spawn point in the Overworld, losing everything you were carrying unless you return to collect it before it despawns.
You can return to the Overworld from the End by defeating the Ender Dragon, which causes an exit portal to appear. You can also place a bed in the End and sleep in it — the explosion from the bed acts as a weapon against the dragon and can help you defeat it faster.
Preparing before you search for a Stronghold
Before you throw Eyes of Ender to locate a Stronghold, gather armor, weapons, and food. You will be traveling far from home, often in caves and underground tunnels where mobs spawn. Bring a pickaxe (stone or better) so you can mine through stone if the Eyes lead you underground. Bring a sword for fighting mobs you encounter.
Bring a bed or a respawn anchor so you have a safe place to sleep and reset your spawn point. If you die far from home, you will respawn at your last sleep location instead of your original spawn point, making it easier to recover your items.
Bring food and healing items. The journey to a Stronghold can take 30 minutes to over an hour depending on how far away it is. You will take damage from mobs and falls, so bring enough food to heal yourself and enough blocks to build bridges or escape routes if you get trapped.
Why you might not find the portal frames
Strongholds are large structures, but the End Portal Room is only one small room inside them. You may enter a Stronghold and spend time exploring without finding the portal room. If this happens, keep exploring — the room is always somewhere in the structure, but it can be hidden behind multiple corridors and dead ends.
If you have explored a Stronghold thoroughly and cannot find the portal room, leave and search for another Stronghold. Each world contains multiple Strongholds, so you can always find another one by throwing more Eyes of Ender.
On multiplayer servers, another player may have already activated the Ender Portal in a Stronghold you find. If the portal is already active, you can jump through it when ready without placing Eyes. If the Eyes have been removed, you will need to place new ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I build an Ender Portal in the Overworld instead of finding one in a Stronghold?
No. End Portal Frames exist only in Strongholds and cannot be obtained or crafted any other way. You must find a Stronghold to access the portal structure. In Creative Mode, you can place End Portal Frames yourself, but in Survival Mode they are not available.
What if I throw an Eye of Ender and it goes into water or lava?
The Eye will sink and disappear. You lose that Eye and must craft another one. To avoid this, throw Eyes in open areas or during the day when you can see where they are going. If an Eye heads toward water, do not follow it — throw another one instead.
Do I need to place the Eyes in a specific order?
No. You can place the Eyes in any order around the frame. The portal activates as soon as the 12th Eye is placed, regardless of which frame you fill last. All 12 frames must be filled for the portal to work.
Can I reuse the Eyes of Ender after I place them?
No. Once an Eye is placed in a frame, it stays there permanently. You cannot remove it or use it again. If you need to set up another portal in a different Stronghold, you must craft 12 new Eyes.
What if I fall into the End Portal by accident?
You will be teleported to the End dimension. If you are not ready to fight the Ender Dragon, you can try to find the exit portal (which appears after you defeat the dragon) or you can die and respawn in the Overworld. Dying is the fastest way to leave if you are unprepared.