An End Portal requires 12 Eyes of Ender to activate, and you build it inside a Stronghold that already has the frame

You do not actually build the End Portal frame itself — it generates naturally in Strongholds, which are underground structures buried deep beneath the Overworld. What you do build is the Eyes of Ender, which are the 12 items that activate the frame once you place them in the 12 empty sockets. Each Eye of Ender requires Ender Pearl (dropped by Endermen) and Blaze Powder (dropped by Blazes in the Nether), crafted together at a crafting table.

The real work is finding the Stronghold. You use Eyes of Ender to locate it — throw one, watch where it flies, follow it, and repeat until it goes underground. Once you reach the Stronghold, you navigate the corridors until you find the End Portal room, place your 12 Eyes of Ender in the frame sockets, and the portal activates.

Key Takeaways

  • You need 12 Eyes of Ender (made from Ender Pearls and Blaze Powder) to activate a portal frame that already exists in a Stronghold.
  • Find a Stronghold by crafting and throwing Eyes of Ender, which fly toward the nearest Stronghold and show you the direction to travel.
  • Strongholds spawn at specific coordinates in the Overworld and contain the End Portal room somewhere in their corridors.
  • Once you place all 12 Eyes of Ender in the frame sockets, the portal activates and you can jump through to reach the End dimension.

How to Craft Eyes of Ender

Each Eye of Ender requires one Ender Pearl and one Blaze Powder. Ender Pearls drop from Endermen (tall black creatures that spawn in the Overworld at night or in the Nether and End). Blaze Powder comes from Blazes, which spawn in Nether Fortresses. You need to kill Blazes and collect Blaze Rods, then smelt or craft them into Blaze Powder.

To craft an Eye of Ender, place one Ender Pearl and one Blaze Powder anywhere on a crafting table — the pattern does not matter. You will get one Eye of Ender per craft. You need 12 total, so you need to collect at least 12 Ender Pearls and 12 Blaze Powder. Most players collect extra in case they lose Eyes of Ender while traveling or need to find multiple Strongholds.

If you are in Creative mode, you can simply grab Eyes of Ender from the creative inventory. If you are in Survival mode, the Nether is the bottleneck — Blazes only spawn in Nether Fortresses, which can take time to locate. Build a Nether portal in your base, travel to the Nether, and search for a fortress (a large structure made of dark brick and nether brick).

Using Eyes of Ender to Find a Stronghold

Once you have at least one Eye of Ender, throw it by holding it in your hand and right-clicking (or using your use item button). The Eye will fly upward and move in the direction of the nearest Stronghold. Follow it on foot or by flying. The Eye travels in a straight line but will pass through blocks, so you may need to dig or climb to keep up.

After the Eye travels some distance, it will slow down and hover, then disappear. This means you have reached the horizontal coordinates of the Stronghold, but the Stronghold is below you. Throw another Eye of Ender to confirm the direction, then start digging downward. You can dig straight down (risky — you may fall into lava) or dig a staircase downward at a safe angle.

Keep throwing Eyes of Ender as you descend. Eventually, you will break into the Stronghold's corridors. The Eyes of Ender will stop disappearing once you are inside the structure, because you are now at the right location. Switch to exploring the corridors to find the End Portal room.

Navigating the Stronghold to Find the Portal Room

Strongholds are maze-like structures with multiple corridors, rooms, and dead ends. The End Portal room is a specific chamber that contains the End Portal frame and usually has a silverfish spawner in the center. The room is not always in the same location within the Stronghold, so you may need to explore.

Strongholds contain Endermen, silverfish, and occasionally other mobs. Bring weapons, armor, and food. Endermen are dangerous because they teleport and deal heavy damage, so avoid looking directly at them (do not aim your crosshair at their head). Silverfish swarm in groups and can overwhelm you quickly.

Mark your path as you explore using torches or blocks so you do not get lost. If you find a dead end, backtrack and try another corridor. The End Portal room is usually deeper in the structure, so keep moving downward when possible.

Placing Eyes of Ender in the Portal Frame

When you find the End Portal room, you will see a frame made of End Portal Blocks arranged in a 3×3 grid pattern (with the center empty). The frame has 12 sockets — one on each side of the 12 outer blocks. Some sockets may already have Eyes of Ender in them (this varies by world seed), so you only need to fill the empty ones.

Stand in front of each empty socket and right-click while holding an Eye of Ender. The Eye will place into the socket. Repeat until all 12 sockets are filled. As you place the final Eye, the portal will activate — it will turn dark and swirling, and you will hear a sound effect.

Once the portal is active, you can jump into it to travel to the End dimension. You cannot go back through the same portal — you will need to defeat the Ender Dragon or find the exit portal to return to the Overworld.

What Happens After You Activate the Portal

Jumping into an active End Portal takes you to the End, a dark dimension filled with Endermen, the Ender Dragon, and End Cities. The Ender Dragon is the final boss of Minecraft. Defeating it is optional — you can explore the End, collect resources, and return whenever you want.

To return to the Overworld, you can either defeat the Ender Dragon (which causes the exit portal to open) or find the exit portal that already exists in the End. The exit portal is a small frame that appears above the main island. You can also use a bed or respawn anchor to create an explosion that pushes you back to the Overworld, though this is risky.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I build an End Portal in the Nether or the End dimension?

No. End Portal frames only generate naturally in Strongholds, which exist only in the Overworld. You cannot place End Portal Blocks yourself in Survival mode — they are not available in the creative inventory for placement in Survival. You must find a Stronghold to access the End.

What if I lose my Eyes of Ender while traveling to the Stronghold?

Eyes of Ender disappear after they land, so you cannot recover them. Craft more Eyes of Ender and continue. This is why most players collect extra Ender Pearls and Blaze Powder before starting the search — you may need 15 or 20 Eyes total if you lose some or need to find multiple Strongholds.

How many Strongholds exist in a world?

In Java Edition, there are 128 Strongholds per world, spread across the Overworld at specific coordinates. In Bedrock Edition, Strongholds are less common. Most players only ever find one because the first Stronghold they locate is usually the one they use.

Do I need to fight Blazes to get Blaze Powder?

Yes, in Survival mode. Blazes only spawn in Nether Fortresses and drop Blaze Rods when killed. You can also find Blaze Powder in Nether Fortress chests. If you want to avoid the Nether entirely, you can use Creative mode or commands to obtain Eyes of Ender directly.

What if the End Portal frame is already partially filled?

Some Strongholds spawn with Eyes of Ender already in some of the sockets — this depends on your world seed. You only need to fill the empty sockets. Count how many are empty and craft that many Eyes of Ender, then place them to complete the frame.