The Ender Portal spawns in a stronghold, and you reach it by following Eyes of Ender

The Ender Portal is a structure you cannot build yourself — it appears only in strongholds, which are underground fortresses buried deep beneath the world. To find one, you craft or obtain Eyes of Ender, throw them into the air, and follow where they fly. Each eye travels toward the nearest stronghold, then disappears. You throw another, follow it, and repeat until the eyes start going underground — that marks the stronghold entrance.

This process works the same way on single-player worlds and on servers running through your home network. The stronghold location is fixed for each world, so if you throw an eye and it goes northeast, the stronghold is always northeast from that spot. You can mark the direction with torches or a path and come back later if you need to gather supplies first.

Key Takeaways

  • Eyes of Ender are crafted from Ender Pearls (dropped by Endermen) and Blaze Powder (from Blazes in the Nether), or found in End Ships if you already have access to the End.
  • Throw an Eye of Ender and sprint-walk in the direction it flies; it will travel toward the stronghold and vanish after a short distance, then you throw another.
  • When Eyes of Ender start going downward into the ground, you have reached the stronghold — dig down carefully or find the entrance shaft.
  • Strongholds contain the Ender Portal frame, which already has Eyes of Ender placed in some of the blocks; you need to fill the remaining empty frames to set up it.

Crafting or finding Eyes of Ender

An Eye of Ender is made from one Ender Pearl and one Blaze Powder. Ender Pearls drop from Endermen, which spawn in the Overworld at night or in dark caves — they are tall black mobs that teleport when you look at them. Blaze Powder comes from Blazes, which live only in the Nether and drop Blaze Rods when killed; you smelt or craft a Blaze Rod into Blaze Powder.

If you do not want to fight Blazes, you can find Eyes of Ender in End Ships, but those are only accessible if you already have a way to reach the End — which defeats the purpose of searching for the stronghold. For a first playthrough, crafting is the intended route.

Following Eyes of Ender to the stronghold

Hold an Eye of Ender in your hand and right-click (or use your throw button) to send it flying. The eye travels in a straight line toward the nearest stronghold, moving fast enough that you need to sprint to keep up. Watch where it goes and follow it on foot or by boat if you are crossing water.

After traveling 20 to 40 blocks, the eye will slow down, hover for a moment, and then vanish. When it disappears, throw another eye. The new eye will travel in the same direction or slightly adjust course if you have moved. Repeat this process, and the eyes will lead you closer and closer to the stronghold.

Each eye you throw has a small chance to break instead of disappearing — you lose it and do not get it back. This is why you should craft several eyes before starting (at least 12 to 15 is safe). If you run out before reaching the stronghold, you will need to return to the Nether and gather more Blaze Powder.

Recognizing when you have reached the stronghold

The Eyes of Ender will eventually start flying downward into the ground instead of across the surface. When you see an eye going down, you are directly above the stronghold. At this point, stop following and prepare to dig or explore.

You can dig straight down, but this is risky — you might fall into a lava pool or a deep shaft. A safer approach is to dig down at an angle, or to search for the stronghold's natural entrance. Strongholds have corridors and rooms that sometimes connect to caves or ravines, so exploring nearby caves can lead you to an opening.

Navigating the stronghold to the portal room

Once inside, a stronghold is a maze of stone brick corridors, libraries, and storage rooms. The portal room is a specific chamber with a 3×3 frame of End Portal Frame blocks on the ground. This frame is the only way to reach the End dimension.

The portal room is usually deep inside the stronghold, but there is no may provide path. You will need to explore, follow corridors, and watch for the distinctive stone brick architecture. Bring a sword, food, and blocks to build your way out if you get stuck. Strongholds can contain Silverfish (small hostile mobs that spawn from certain blocks), so be cautious when breaking stone.

Activating the Ender Portal

The End Portal Frame has 12 blocks arranged in a 3×3 square (with the center empty). Some of these blocks already have Eyes of Ender placed in them — the number varies, but usually 0 to 3 are already filled. You need to place an Eye of Ender in each empty frame block until all 12 are filled.

Right-click on each empty frame block while holding an Eye of Ender. When the last eye is placed, the portal activates — a purple swirling gateway appears in the center. Jump into it to enter the End dimension and face the Ender Dragon.

If you place an eye and it does not fill the frame, you are clicking the wrong block type. Make sure you are clicking the frame blocks themselves, not the ground or walls around them.

Troubleshooting common problems

If Eyes of Ender are flying in circles or not moving toward a clear direction, you may be very close to the stronghold already — sometimes the pathfinding becomes erratic when you are nearly on top of it. Try digging down or exploring caves in the area.

If you run out of Eyes of Ender before reaching the stronghold, return to the Nether, gather more Blaze Powder, and craft additional eyes. You can also mark your current location with torches or a pillar so you can find your way back to where you were following the eyes.

On a multiplayer server running through your home network, strongholds are the same for all players — if one player finds it, others can use the same coordinates. However, each world has multiple strongholds (usually three in Java Edition), so you do not have to race to find the first one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I build an Ender Portal myself?

No. You can place the frame blocks in the correct pattern, but the Eyes of Ender will not set up a portal you built. Only the naturally generated frames inside strongholds can be activated. This is intentional — the game requires you to find the stronghold rather than skip that step.

What happens if I throw an Eye of Ender and it goes into lava or water?

The eye will sink and disappear. You lose it and cannot recover it. This is why it helps to follow eyes over land when possible, or to have extra eyes crafted before you start the journey.

Do I need to go to the Nether to find the stronghold?

No. You only need to go to the Nether to gather Blaze Powder for crafting Eyes of Ender. Once you have the eyes, you can search for the stronghold entirely in the Overworld.

How many strongholds are in a Minecraft world?

In Java Edition, there are exactly three strongholds per world, arranged in a ring around the world center. In Bedrock Edition, there are many more. You only need to find one to reach the End.

Can I see the stronghold on a map or with commands?

In creative mode or with cheats enabled, you can use the /locate stronghold command to get the coordinates. In survival mode without cheats, Eyes of Ender are the only way to find it.