How to Make a Nether Portal in Minecraft (No Diamonds Needed)

The Nether is where you find blaze rods, Nether quartz, netherite and the way to the End. To get there you need a portal. This guide shows how to make a Nether portal in Minecraft Java, how to do it even without a diamond pickaxe, and how to link portals so travel is fast.

What you need

• 10 obsidian (14 if you fill the corners).
• Flint and steel (1 iron ingot + 1 flint) or a fire charge.

Step 1: build the frame

The frame is a rectangle of obsidian, 4 blocks wide and 5 blocks tall, with an empty space of 2 by 3 inside.

1. Bottom: place 2 obsidian side by side on the ground.
2. Sides: next to each end of the bottom, place a temporary block (dirt works) on the ground, then stack 3 obsidian on top of it. You now have two columns, 2 blocks apart.
3. Top: close it with 2 obsidian between the tops of the columns.
4. Break the two temporary blocks.

The four corners are optional: the portal works without them, which saves 4 obsidian. If you have 14, simply build a full rectangle: 4 at the bottom, 3 on each side and 4 at the top. You can make the frame bigger (up to an inside of 21 by 21), but not smaller than 2 by 3.

Step 2: light it

Use the flint and steel on the inside of the bottom of the frame. The purple portal fills the frame. Step inside and wait about four seconds (instantly in Creative) to travel.

Where to get obsidian

• Mine it with a diamond or netherite pickaxe: any other pickaxe breaks it and drops nothing. Need diamonds first? Read where to find diamonds.
• Ruined portals: broken portals scattered around the world. Their chest often has obsidian, flint and steel, and gold. Many need only a couple of blocks to complete.
• Lava lakes underground: pour water on them to make obsidian, then mine it.

Linking portals: the 1-to-8 rule

Every block you walk in the Nether is 8 blocks in the Overworld (on the X and Z axes). That makes the Nether a fast way to travel, but portals link to the nearest portal on the other side, which can be confusing.

To link two portals on purpose:

1. Take your Overworld portal's X and Z and divide them by 8.
2. Build the Nether portal at those coordinates.

Example: an Overworld portal at X 800, Z -1600 should have its Nether portal at X 100, Z -200. Hexa Client shows the matching coordinates of the other dimension right under your own, so you never have to do the maths.

Surviving your first trip

• Wear one piece of gold armor: piglins leave you alone if you wear at least one gold piece.
• Bring flint and steel: a ghast's fireball can switch off your portal, and you need to relight it to get home.
• Never sleep in a bed: beds explode in the Nether.
• Carry blocks and a fire resistance potion if you have one: lava is everywhere, and bridging across it is often the only way.
• Mark your portal: compasses spin in the Nether. Write down its coordinates.

If the Nether makes your game slow (it is full of lava light and particles), lower particles and render distance; see how to get more FPS in Minecraft.