The Nether Portal is one of Minecraft's most important structures. It opens a doorway to a dangerous, alien dimension filled with valuable resources — and it lets you travel enormous distances in the Overworld in a fraction of the time. Here's how to build one and what to expect.
What You Need
To build a Nether Portal you need two things:
- Obsidian (minimum 10 blocks for the smallest portal, up to 14 for a full frame)
- A way to light it — either a Flint and Steel or a Fire Charge
That's it. No fancy tools required, though you'll need a diamond or netherite pickaxe to mine your own obsidian.
Getting Obsidian
Obsidian forms wherever water flows into lava source blocks. There are three main ways to get it:
Method 1: Create It Yourself (Most Reliable)
- Find a lava lake (common underground near Y=0 to Y=-50)
- Have a bucket of water in your inventory
- Pour water near the lava — water flowing over stationary lava creates obsidian
- Mine with a diamond or netherite pickaxe (takes about 10 seconds per block; other pickaxes can't mine it)
- Pick it up
Safety tip: Never stand where lava and water are actively mixing — the obsidian forms in unpredictable places and can trap you.
Method 2: Find a Ruined Portal
Ruined Portals generate naturally in both the Overworld and the Nether. They're partially-built Nether Portals with some obsidian already in place. Loot the chest nearby for crying obsidian, gold blocks, and sometimes a flint and steel. You can complete the portal with a few extra obsidian blocks.
Method 3: Village Chests and Other Loot
Obsidian occasionally appears in village blacksmith chests, bastion remnant chests, and other structures. For just 10 blocks it's sometimes faster to loot than mine.
Portal Dimensions
The minimum portal is 4 blocks wide × 5 blocks tall (counting the frame). The inner opening needs to be at least 2 blocks wide × 3 blocks tall to work.
Minimum frame (10 obsidian):
X _ _ X
X _ _ X
X _ _ X
X X X X
(X = obsidian, _ = air — corners are optional)
Standard frame with corners (14 obsidian):
X X X X
X _ _ X
X _ _ X
X _ _ X
X X X X
You can also build larger portals (up to 23×23 blocks) but the standard 4×5 is sufficient for all gameplay purposes.
Building the Portal Step by Step
-
Find a good location — flat ground, ideally near your base. You'll return through this portal often.
-
Place the bottom row of obsidian — 4 blocks in a line (or 2 if skipping corners).
-
Build the sides — 3 obsidian blocks on each end going upward.
-
Cap the top — 4 obsidian blocks connecting the two sides (or 2 with corners).
-
Light the portal — stand inside the frame and right-click the inner obsidian with a Flint and Steel (crafted from an iron ingot and a flint). The center fills with a shimmering purple vortex.
-
Step inside and wait about 4 seconds — you'll be transported to the Nether.
To craft Flint and Steel:
I _ _
_ F _
_ _ _
(I = iron ingot, F = flint — obtained by mining gravel)
Your First Trip to the Nether
The Nether is dangerous. Don't go unprepared.
Before entering, bring:
- Full iron armor minimum (diamond strongly recommended)
- Sword and bow with plenty of arrows
- Food (at least a stack of cooked meat)
- Blocks for building (cobblestone or dirt — don't use sand, it falls)
- Torches or glowstone for navigation
- Fireproof potions if you have them (not essential for first trip)
Threats in the Nether:
- Ghasts — large flying mobs that shoot fireballs; deflect them back with your sword
- Piglins — attack you unless you wear gold armor (one gold piece is enough)
- Blazes — found in Nether Fortresses, drop blaze rods for brewing
- Zombie Piglins — passive unless attacked; hitting one aggros all nearby
- Wither Skeletons — in Nether Fortresses, inflict Wither effect
- Magma Cubes — bounce aggressively, tough to kill
- Hoglins — aggressive pig-like creatures in Crimson Forests
Nether Navigation and the Distance Trick
Every block you travel in the Nether equals 8 blocks in the Overworld. This makes the Nether an incredibly powerful fast-travel system.
To use this:
- Note your Overworld coordinates (press F3)
- In the Nether, travel to X divided by 8, Z divided by 8 to correspond to a distant Overworld location
- Build a portal there — when you exit, you'll be near that Overworld destination
Example: Overworld coordinates X=800, Z=400 → Nether portal at X=100, Z=50
This lets you build a network of portals for near-instant travel across your world.
Portal Linking (How Portals Connect)
When you enter a portal, Minecraft looks for an existing portal in the Nether within a search radius (roughly 128 blocks in Nether coordinates). If none exists, it creates one.
Potential issues:
- Two Overworld portals close together may link to the same Nether portal
- Portals built in the Nether ceiling (Y=127+) can cause linking problems
- Always build Nether portals at Y below 120 to avoid the ceiling
Deactivating and Reactivating
A portal is deactivated if a ghast fireball hits it (or if you pour water through it in Java Edition). Simply relight it with Flint and Steel or a Fire Charge. Always carry a Flint and Steel in the Nether.
What to Do in the Nether
The Nether is dangerous, but its rewards are unmatched:
- Nether Fortress — find it for blaze rods (required for brewing and the End) and nether warts
- Bastion Remnants — loot chests for gold, netherite scraps, and piglin-related items
- Ancient Debris — rare ore at Y=8–22; smelt it for netherite scraps, then combine 4 scraps + 4 gold ingots for a netherite ingot
- Nether Quartz — abundant; smelts into smooth quartz for building
- Glowstone — found on the ceiling; a natural light source
- Soul Sand / Soul Soil — used in potions and for growing nether warts
- Magma Blocks — natural light that damages mobs standing on it
Final Tips
- Mark your portal with a distinctive structure or landmark — it's easy to get lost in the Nether
- Write down your portal coordinates (both Overworld and Nether sides)
- Never build over lava in the Nether — one fall and you lose everything
- Beds explode in the Nether — never try to sleep there
- Wear at least one gold armor piece to avoid Piglin aggression
The Nether is one of Minecraft's most rewarding dimensions once you understand the rules. Build your portal, gear up properly, and prepare for a completely different kind of adventure.