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How to make a Nether Portal in Minecraft (fastest method)Here’s the fastest way to make a Nether Portal in Minecraft

Here’s the fastest way to make a Nether Portal in Minecraft

A Nether Portal next to a surface lava pool in Minecraft.

How do you make a Nether Portal in Minecraft?Whether you’re a new player just starting to learn the intricacies of interdimensional travel inMinecraft, or you’re a seasoned speedrunner looking for the fastest possible way to reach the Nether, you’ve come to the right place.

To reach the Nether in Minecraft, you first need to build a Nether Portal. These Portals can sometimes be found partially built in the world already, but it’s always a good idea to know exactly how to build a Portal when the time comes to venture into the dangerous hell-like dimension in search ofMinecraft Potioningredients, or the ultra-strongNetheritematerial used to forge the best tools and equipment in the game.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to make a Nether Portal from scratch either using Obsidian blocks or simply a lava source and some water. But then we’ll go a step further, and reveal one of the fastest possible ways to build a basic Nether Portal. Practice this method, and you’ll be able to build and activate a Portal from scratch in under 16 seconds!

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How to make a Nether Portal in Minecraft

If you want to conserve resources, remember that the corner blocks of the frame aren’t necessary. This means you’ll only need 10 Obsidian to make the most basic Nether Portal, rather than 14 (see the screenshot below).

There are two ways to make a Nether Portal frame in Minecraft. The first is to mine all the Obsidian blocks you need ahead of time, and then simply place them in a frame formation. The second is to use a lava pool and a water source to create the Obsidian in the exact position you need for the Portal.

Either way, you’ll need a Flint and Steel to light the Portal once it’s created, and you’ll also need EITHER:

You can also make do with just one bucket as long as you can switch it between lava and water quickly enough.

The most basic Nether Portal frame is made up of 10 Obsidian blocks.

A Minecraft Nether Portal, with each of the individual blocks of the Portal frame highlighted.

How to build a Portal out of Obsidian

To build the frame from existing Obsidian blocks, here’s what to do:

How to build a Portal out of lava

If you want to sculpt the Obsidian using lava and water, then it’s a little more fiddly. For the simplest possible Nether Portal you should still use the same 10-block formation laid out above, but to actually create each block of Obsidian, here’s what to do:

Fastest way to build a Minecraft Portal

There are lots of ways to improve the efficiency of building your Minecraft Nether Portal. Some methods can cut the time down to aludicrously short 3 seconds, but these methods tend to be very precise and hard to replicate.

Here’s one of the fastest ways to build a Minecraft portal:

Part of the process of speed-building a Nether Portal in Minecraft.

Part of the process of speed-building a Nether Portal in Minecraft.

Part of the process of speed-building a Nether Portal in Minecraft.

Part of the process of speed-building a Nether Portal in Minecraft.

Part of the process of speed-building a Nether Portal in Minecraft.

Part of the process of speed-building a Nether Portal in Minecraft.

Part of the process of speed-building a Nether Portal in Minecraft.

This method takes roughly 16 seconds to complete (from placing the first block to lighting the portal), whereas Dream’s method takes roughly 20 seconds. The reason this method tends to be quicker than Dream’s Nether Portal building method is that you don’t need to drain the water before lighting the portal, saving you precious seconds if you really need to get to the Nether as quickly as possible.

Full disclosure - the inventor of this fast Nether Portal building method, TeddyPlayer1, happens to be my brother! How about that.

That’s everything you need to know about how to put together a Nether Portal in Minecraft! If you’re looking for inspiration to help make your own Portals a little nicer-looking than the bogstandard 10 Obsidian block formation, then check out ourMinecraft build ideaspage! Alternatively you can improve your Portal’s look with one of thebest Minecraft shaders.