5 Best Pickaxe Enchantments Minecraft Has to Offer

The unbreaking enchantment is a must-have. It doesn’t make your pickaxe indestructible, but it dramatically slows down its durability loss.

Unbreaking III is the highest level, and it can effectively quadruple how many blocks your pickaxe mines before breaking. It works on both diamond and netherite pickaxes, extending their life considerably.

If you want to mine many blocks quickly, Efficiency V is the way to go. It reduces the time it takes to break blocks and pairs perfectly with haste II from beacons for instant mining in stone-heavy areas or wither skeleton farms. For the early game, Efficiency IV also provides a noticeable boost.

Silk Touch lets you mine blocks in their original state (which means mining grass or glass blocks so they drop themselves). This is essential for collecting blocks like ores, grass, stone, and glass.

However, it cannot be used to obtain monster spawners for mob farms. Just remember, you can’t have Silk Touch and Fortune on the same tool.

Fortune III increases drop rates from ore blocks, like diamonds, emeralds, and lapis lazuli. It’s not effective on all blocks, but when mining resources, this enchantment boosts your yield significantly.

On a diamond pickaxe, Fortune III can mean dozens more diamonds over time. Note: It's mutually exclusive with Silk Touch.

Mending converts XP orbs into durability. With this enchantment, your pickaxe can last forever if you continue collecting experience. It’s ideal for long mining trips or for gear used at XP farms. Combine Mending with Unbreaking III and you’ll rarely need to craft another pickaxe.

When applying multiple enchantments to your pickaxe using an anvil, be aware that multiple enchantment orders can affect total costs. The same total costs may vary depending on whether you use enchanted books or other means.

Always enchant shears, swords, and tridents with a plan to avoid wasting XP.

If you're wondering how these enchantments compare to armor enchantments like Protection IV or Feather Falling on diamond boots, the principle is similar: The right combination enhances your survival and efficiency.

Some enchantments, like Soul Speed and Quick Charge III, apply to other weapons or armor, but pickaxes have a clear set of best options.

Whether you're walking through nether tunnels with a Silk Touch pickaxe or strip mining with Fortune III, knowing which enchantments to prioritize ensures you make the most of every block.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.