The best Minecraft pickaxe enchantments are Efficiency and Fortune, as they directly speed up mining and increase resource yield. This ranking covers all six available enchantments from best to worst based on their usefulness for typical gameplay.
Why you need Minecraft pickaxe enchantments
Enchantments transform a basic pickaxe into a specialized tool that saves time and effort. Efficiency cuts down the time spent breaking blocks, Fortune multiplies the ore you collect from each deposit, and durability-focused enchantments like Mending and Unbreaking keep your pickaxe working longer. Without enchantments, you will spend far more time mining and crafting replacement tools. This ranking helps you decide which enchantments to prioritize.
Best pickaxe enchantments ranked
Six enchantments can be applied to a pickaxe in Minecraft: Efficiency, Fortune, Silk Touch, Unbreaking, Mending, and Curse of Vanishing. Each offers different benefits, but some are far more valuable for everyday mining and resource gathering. This list ranks them from most to least useful.
1. Efficiency
Efficiency increases the mining speed of your pickaxe, making it the most universally useful enchantment for all players. With up to five levels available, Efficiency V allows you to break blocks significantly faster than a standard pickaxe. Efficiency V can only be obtained by combining two Efficiency IV enchanted books on an anvil, not directly from the enchanting table. A gold pickaxe with Efficiency V is the fastest possible pickaxe. This is especially valuable when mining deepslate or large areas of stone. The speed boost applies only to blocks your pickaxe can normally mine.
2. Fortune
Fortune increases the number of items dropped from certain blocks, including coal, diamonds, emeralds, and lapis lazuli. It does not affect iron ore or ancient debris. With three levels available, Fortune III can yield multiple diamonds from a single ore block, dramatically reducing the time needed to gather resources. Fortune requires at least 30 experience levels to appear in the level 3 slot of the enchanting table. The effect depends on random chance, but the average gain is substantial.
3. Mending
Mending repairs your pickaxe using experience orbs you collect, instead of adding that XP to your experience bar. This treasure enchantment has a single max level and cannot be obtained from an enchanting table. You must find it in chests, by fishing, or by trading with Librarian villagers. Mending can be obtained by finding an enchanted book in loot chests or trading with villagers. Mending pairs perfectly with other enchantments because it keeps your best pickaxe operational indefinitely as long as you earn experience.
4. Unbreaking
Unbreaking reduces the chance your pickaxe takes durability damage with each use. Unbreaking reduces the odds of durability damage by 25% per level. With three levels available, Unbreaking III makes tools last approximately four times longer on average. While it does not repair damage, it significantly extends your pickaxe's lifespan between repairs. This enchantment is a reliable alternative when you cannot obtain Mending.
5. Silk Touch
Silk Touch allows mined blocks to drop in their original form instead of breaking into other items. For example, stone drops as stone, diamond ore drops as diamond ore, and glass blocks remain intact. Silk Touch requires 30 levels of XP and only appears by chance on the level three slot of the enchanting table. This single-level enchantment is most useful for builders who want to collect blocks like grass, glass, or ore blocks for decorative purposes. It is a niche tool rather than a general mining upgrade.
6. Curse of Vanishing
Curse of Vanishing causes your pickaxe to be destroyed and disappear permanently upon your death. Curse of Vanishing can be obtained from fishing drops, chests, or as a traded item from villagers in Java Edition. This negative enchantment cannot be removed in survival mode. The only workaround is to place the pickaxe in a Shulker Box before dying or enable the /gamerule keepInventory true command. While it prevents other players from looting your tool in PvP, it offers no benefit to you and ranks worst among pickaxe enchantments. Many players compare it to the bottom entries in mobile game tier lists because it actively harms your progress.
How to add enchantments to your pickaxe
You can add enchantments to your pickaxe using three methods: an enchanting table, an anvil with enchanted books, or commands.
Enchanting table: Place your pickaxe in the left slot of the enchanting table menu and three Lapis Lazuli in the second slot. The three available enchantment options appear on the right, each showing the experience level cost. Select the enchantment you want to spend your Lapis Lazuli and experience points. This method gives random enchantments at the cost of levels and Lapis Lazuli.
Anvil: Open the anvil menu and place your pickaxe in the first slot and an enchanted book in the second slot. The resulting enchanted pickaxe appears in the output slot along with the experience level cost. Move the item to your inventory. This method lets you combine specific enchantments from books with your pickaxe.
Commands: The /enchant command is only applicable on specific editions: Java Edition version 1.4.4, Pocket Edition version 0.16.0, Xbox One version 1.2, PS4 version 1.14.0, Nintendo Switch version 1.5.0, Windows 10 Edition version 0.16.0, and Education Edition. You must enable cheats in your game before you can run the /enchant command. Then type /enchant [your player name] [enchantment name] [level]. For example, /enchant PlayerOne efficiency 5 adds Efficiency V to the pickaxe you are holding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you combine pickaxe enchantments?
Yes, you can stack different enchantments on a single pickaxe using an anvil. The more enchantments you combine on a pickaxe, the higher the experience level cost becomes. Common combinations include Efficiency and Fortune for mining, or Mending and Unbreaking for durability.
What are the best Netherite pickaxe enchantments?
The best enchantments depend on your goals. For general mining, Efficiency V and Fortune III maximize speed and yield. Adding Mending and Unbreaking III keeps your Netherite pickaxe repaired and durable for long sessions. Builders may prefer Silk Touch instead of Fortune.
What is the strongest pickaxe in Minecraft?
The Netherite pickaxe has the highest damage output and durability of any pickaxe. When enchanted with Efficiency V, Fortune III, Mending, and Unbreaking III, it becomes the most powerful mining tool in the game. A diamond pickaxe remains a strong alternative for most mining tasks.
Can you remove Curse of Vanishing from a pickaxe?
No, Curse of Vanishing cannot be removed in survival mode. A grindstone will not undo the curse. The only way to keep the pickaxe after death is to store it in a Shulker Box or enable the keepInventory gamerule. This is similar to how the Minecraft Riptide enchantment for tridents cannot be removed once applied.
Does Fortune work on iron ore or ancient debris?
No, Fortune does not affect iron ore or ancient debris. Iron ore drops only one raw iron regardless of Fortune level, and ancient debris always drops one netherite scrap. Fortune works on coal, diamonds, emeralds, lapis lazuli, and several other blocks.
For the wider topic, see mobile game tier lists.
