How to Get the Dragon Egg in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Defeat the ender dragon and the egg appears on top of the exit portal - once per world in Java, twice in Bedrock. Don't mine it directly (it teleports): place a torch under it and break the block beneath, or push it with a piston.

What you need

Ender dragon defeated
One torch (torch trick) or one piston + lever/button
Empty inventory slot
Ender chest for safe storage (recommended)

Step by step

Kill the ender dragon: the dragon egg generates on top of the exit portal only when the FIRST dragon dies (Bedrock players get a second egg from the second dragon kill - a long-standing quirk).
Don't punch it bare-handed: attacking or using the egg makes it teleport up to 15 blocks horizontally and 7 vertically, trailing portal particles. You can chase it, but there's a better way.
Torch trick (easiest): dig one block under the egg's block, place a torch in the hole, then break the block the egg sits on. The egg falls onto the torch and pops into item form - because it's a gravity block and torches aren't full blocks.
Piston method: place a piston facing the egg and power it. The egg drops as an item instantly - clean and reliable.
Explosion method: if you must, any explosion makes the egg drop as an item too. Just don't blow it into the void.
If it teleports away: it can't go far (within a 31x15x31 area) and it needs an air block with ground beneath - sweep the portal area and you'll find it. In the worst case, fill every air block around it so it has nowhere to go, then mine it.
Keep it safe: there is exactly ONE per world in Java. Store it in an ender chest or a trophy room, not your pocket - death in lava loses it forever.
Show it off: the egg emits light level 1, doesn't suffocate mobs when falling, and does nothing functional - it's the ultimate trophy block. (The Creative inventory, pick-block and /give all have it too.)

Java vs Bedrock

Big difference: Java generates exactly one dragon egg per world (first dragon kill). Bedrock generates TWO - one from the first kill and another from the second (a known quirk, bug MCPE-51345). The teleporting, torch, piston and explosion mechanics are identical.

Versions: The dragon egg was added alongside the ender dragon in Beta 1.9 Prerelease 4. Its teleporting escape behavior and gravity-block physics have been there since the beginning; Bedrock's accidental second egg has persisted for years as an unofficial feature.

Frequently asked questions

How do you pick up the dragon egg?

You can't mine it directly - it teleports away when you try. Place a torch one block below the egg's block and break the block under the egg: it falls onto the torch and drops as an item. Alternatively, push it with a piston or break it with an explosion - all three make it drop.

Can you get more than one dragon egg?

In Java, no - only the first ender dragon kill generates an egg; respawned dragons never drop another. In Bedrock, the second dragon kill also generates one (a known quirk), so Bedrock players can have two. Beyond that, only Creative mode or commands produce more.

What does the dragon egg do?

Nothing functional - it's a trophy. It teleports when touched (unless it drops as an item), emits light level 1, falls like sand or gravel, and looks great on a pedestal by your base entrance. Bragging rights are its only stat.