How to Beat the Wither in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Build the Wither with 4 soul sand or soul soil in a T shape and 3 wither skeleton skulls on top (place a skull last). After its charge-up it explodes, then fights. It has 300 HP in Java (Bedrock: 300 Easy, 450 Normal, 600 Hard), becomes immune to arrows at half health, and always drops one nether star.

What you need

4 soul sand or soul soil
3 wither skeleton skulls
Milk to cure the Wither effect
A melee weapon (arrows stop working at half health)

Step by step

Get 3 wither skeleton skulls and 4 blocks of soul sand or soul soil. Soul soil can be used interchangeably with soul sand.
Choose an arena with air on both sides of the base block. The structure can be built upright, lying down or upside-down, and the skull orientation does not matter.
Build the T of 4 soul sand/soil blocks, then place the 3 skulls on the three upper blocks. The last block placed must be a skull.
The Wither is invulnerable and does not move or attack during its charge-up (about 11 seconds), then makes a large explosion centered on itself. Stay far away until it ends.
The Wither fires explosive black and blue skulls. Hits can inflict the Wither effect on Normal and Hard; milk cures it. Keep your distance during the ranged phase and prepare a melee weapon with Smite, which works against this undead boss.
Below half health, the Wither gains armor that makes arrows ineffective, so switch to melee. In Bedrock only, the half-health transition also causes a crash and explosion, spawns 3 wither skeletons on Normal or Hard, and introduces destructive dash attacks. Do not expect this same phase transition in Java.
Kill it to get 1 nether star, needed to craft beacons. The Wither also drops 50 XP (Java: only when killed by a player or tamed wolf).

Java vs Bedrock

Health: Java 300 HP at all difficulties; Bedrock 300 / 450 / 600 HP on Easy / Normal / Hard. Bedrock only: dash attacks, and the blue skull can be deflected by hitting it. Java: nether star despawns after 10 minutes; Bedrock: it never despawns.

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

Frequently asked questions

When is the Wither immune to arrows?

Below half health, it gains wither armor and arrows no longer work. In Bedrock it retains the armor if it regenerates above half health, although restarting the game removes that retained armor.

What does the Wither drop?

One nether star every time (100%), plus 50 XP. In Java the XP only drops when a player or tamed wolf kills it; in Bedrock it always drops.

How do I cure the Wither effect?

Drink milk. On Easy difficulty the Wither does not inflict the effect at all.

Can I spawn it in an enclosed space?

The summoning structure needs air on both sides of the base soul sand or soul soil block. Choose a location far from builds you want to keep: the spawn explosion and the boss can destroy nearby terrain. Bedrock adds destructive dash attacks during its later phase.