Best Shovel Enchantments in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Efficiency V, Unbreaking III, Mending - plus Silk Touch for grass and gravel blocks, or Fortune III to guarantee flint from gravel. A maxed diamond or netherite shovel insta-mines dirt and sand.

What you need

A diamond or netherite shovel
An enchanting table with 15 bookshelves, or an anvil plus books
Lapis and XP levels

Step by step

Efficiency V: insta-mines dirt, sand, gravel and snow - terraforming goes from chore to seconds.
Fortune III makes gravel drop flint every time when Silk Touch is not applied. It does not increase clay drops: a clay block still drops 4 clay balls.
Silk Touch (alternative): pick up grass blocks, mycelium, gravel itself and snow layers - incompatible with Fortune, so many players carry one of each.
Mending + Unbreaking III: shovels chew through durability on big digs; this pair makes it permanent.
Netherite upgrade: keeps every enchantment when you smith diamond into netherite - never enchant a fresh netherite shovel, upgrade an enchanted diamond one.

Java vs Bedrock

The classic setup is two shovels: Efficiency V + Fortune III for flint, Efficiency V + Silk Touch for block collecting.

Versions: Describes the current Java and Bedrock releases. See the edition note above for differences.

Frequently asked questions

Does Fortune give more flint?

Yes - gravel drops flint 10% of the time by default, and Fortune III raises it to 100%. It is the fastest way to stock up for arrows.

Is a maxed shovel worth it?

For any landscaping, path or mountain-removal project, absolutely: Efficiency V on netherite removes dirt the instant you touch it.