How to Find a Stronghold in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Craft Eyes of Ender (blaze powder + ender pearls) and throw them: they fly toward the nearest stronghold. Follow the throws, re-throwing every few hundred blocks, until the eye dives into the ground - then dig down with a staircase. The End portal room contains a silverfish spawner and a frame that takes up to 12 eyes.

What you need

12-15 Eyes of Ender (pearls + blaze powder), plus spares for the portal
Pickaxe and torches for the dig
Weapon and shield for silverfish

Step by step

Craft at least 12-15 Eyes of Ender: Ender Pearls (Endermen, Piglin bartering, cleric trades) combined with Blaze Powder from Blaze Rods farmed at a Nether fortress.
Throw an eye (right-click) and note the direction it floats. Each throw has a 20% chance to shatter the eye, so stretch every throw.
Travel several hundred blocks in that direction and throw again. Keep going until the eye hovers downward and buries itself - the stronghold is right below.
For precision, triangulate: throw from two far-apart spots, note each F3 position and the eye's angle, and dig where the two lines cross.
Dig a staircase down (never straight down): strongholds generate anywhere between the surface and the deepslate layers, often around Y=0 or lower.
Explore the corridors to find the portal room - it has a silverfish spawner and a lava pool under the frame. Fill any empty frame slots with Eyes of Ender (up to 12; each slot has a 10% chance to be pre-filled).

Java vs Bedrock

Java generates exactly 128 strongholds per world in 8 rings around the origin (the first 3 within 1,408-2,688 blocks of spawn). Bedrock has no fixed count - strongholds keep generating as you travel and are noticeably more common under villages. Eyes of Ender point to the nearest one on both editions.

Versions: Stronghold rings and eye mechanics are unchanged in current versions. Current as of 26.3.

Frequently asked questions

Why did my Eye of Ender dive into the ground and then lead me to nothing?

The eye targets the stronghold's rough starting point, not the portal room. Dig down at the dive spot and explore: the structure spreads out in corridors, and the portal room can be a few dozen blocks from the entry point.

Can a stronghold have no End portal?

On Bedrock, some strongholds generate without a portal room, and on both editions caves or mineshafts can overwrite pieces of the frame. If yours is broken or missing, eyes will lead you to the next stronghold.

How many Eyes of Ender do I need in total?

Plan for about 12-15 for the trip plus up to 12 for the frame (average needed is around 8-9, since some slots come pre-filled). 24 pearls and 12 blaze powder is a comfortable supply.