How to Get Looting in Minecraft (Looting III)

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Looting applies to swords and spears through the enchanting table or enchanted books. III is the normal maximum. It raises many common-drop limits by up to 3 items. Wither skeleton skulls reach 5.5% in Java or 8.5% in Bedrock at III, from 2.5% without Looting.

What you need

Sword or spear
Enchanting table + bookshelves, or a librarian with a lectern
Lapis and XP
Anvil for book combining

Step by step

Enchant a sword or spear at an enchanting table. Level-30 offers can include Looting III, but the result is random.
Trade for it: reroll a librarian's lectern until it offers a Looting book, then lock the trade. Combine I+I and II+II in an anvil to reach III.
Fish and loot: enchanted books from fishing, monster room chests and non-village structure loot can all carry Looting. Bedrock raid-spawned mobs can drop books too.
Apply a Looting book to a sword or spear on an anvil. Looting can coexist with Sharpness, Fire Aspect and Knockback; Silk Touch is not a normal sword enchantment to target for this build.
Hold the Looting item in your main hand when the mob dies. For projectile kills, switch before the arrow or thrown trident hits. Java sweep attacks apply Looting, but charge attacks with a spear in the offhand do not.
Common-drop limits often rise by 1 item per level, but individual drops have exceptions. Wither skeleton skulls have a 2.5% base chance: Looting III raises it to 5.5% in Java and 8.5% in Bedrock. This changes the chance of a skull, not the number dropped.
Know what it can't do: no extra wool from sheep, no totems from evokers, no sponges or tide trims from elder guardians, no sculk catalysts from wardens, no extra fish from fish mobs, and no bamboo from pandas in Java. Kills made by Fire Aspect's burn don't apply Looting either.

Java vs Bedrock

Java allows offhand projectiles while a Looting item is held in the main hand and applies Looting to sweep attacks. Offhand spear charge attacks do not apply it. Bedrock raid-spawned mobs can drop enchanted books. Wither skeleton skulls gain 1 percentage point per level in Java, 2 in Bedrock.

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

Frequently asked questions

How do you get Looting 3?

Best odds: level-30 enchanting table rolls on a diamond sword, or a librarian trade locked in with a lectern. Combine two Looting II books in an anvil if you're stuck at II.

Does Looting work on wither skeleton skulls?

Yes. The base chance is 2.5%. Looting adds 1 percentage point per level in Java (5.5% at III) and 2 in Bedrock (8.5% at III). It increases the chance, not the number of skulls.

Does Looting work with bows or tridents?

Yes, by holding a Looting item in the main hand when the projectile kills the mob. Fire the arrow or throw the trident, then switch before it hits. This does not mean survival bows or tridents can normally be enchanted with Looting.