How to Get a Bell in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Bells cannot be crafted: steal one from a village meeting point with any pickaxe, find one in a ruined portal chest, or buy one from an armorer villager. Ring a bell during a raid and every raider within 32 blocks glows (Java).

What you need

Any pickaxe to mine a bell quickly (bare hands work, just slower)
Or emeralds for trading with an armorer villager

Step by step

Fastest option: find a village and look for the bell at the meeting point - usually on a wooden frame near the well or center. Mine it with a pickaxe and it drops itself.
Loot option: bells appear in ruined portal chests - check them while exploring.
Renewable option: trade with an armorer villager, who sells bells for emeralds at higher levels. This is the only renewable source, since bells have no crafting recipe.
Place the bell on the side, top or bottom of a block and right-click to ring it.
Village defense: ringing a bell sends nearby villagers running to their beds - ring it at nightfall to get everyone indoors before zombies arrive.
Raid radar (Java): if a bell rings while raid mobs are within 32 blocks, every raider gets the Glowing effect - visible through walls. Ring repeatedly during raids to track the last hidden pillagers.
In Bedrock, village bells ring automatically when a raid starts; the Glowing trick is Java-only.

Java vs Bedrock

Obtaining works the same everywhere. The raid Glowing highlight is Java-only; Bedrock bells ring on their own when a raid begins.

Versions: Bells were added in 1.14 (Village & Pillage) on both editions. The Glowing effect on raiders is Java Edition only.

Frequently asked questions

Can you craft a bell?

No. There is no recipe: villages, ruined portal chests and armorer trades are the only sources.

Do villagers need a bell?

Villages generate with one at the meeting point, and villagers gather around it. Removing it does not break the village, but villagers can claim beds without it - it is mostly a rally and alarm tool for you.

Why does the bell ring by itself?

In Bedrock it rings automatically when a raid starts. In both editions, villagers can ring claimed bells, and redstone pulses trigger bells too.