How to Get Mending in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Mending is a treasure enchantment, so it cannot come from an enchanting table. Librarian villagers can sell it as an enchanted book (treasure enchantments cost double a normal one, capped at 64 emeralds). Put a lectern next to an unemployed villager, check its book trade, and re-place the lectern until it offers Mending. Apply the book at an anvil.

What you need

A lectern
An unemployed villager
Emeralds and a book (Mending base trade: 10-38 emeralds before modifiers)
An anvil and the item to enchant

Step by step

Treasure enchantments cannot be obtained through an enchanting table. Most of them, including Mending, can appear on enchanted books sold by librarians.
Place an unclaimed lectern near an unemployed villager. It claims the lectern and becomes a librarian. Novice villagers who have not traded can lose their profession again.
Open its trades and look at the enchanted book. If it is not Mending, break the lectern; the villager loses the profession. Place the lectern again to get new trades. Do not trade before you have the book you want: trading locks in the villager's profession and trades.
In standard trades, Mending has only level I and a base price of 10-38 emeralds plus a book, before demand, reputation and discounts. Buy the offer you want to lock that villager's trades; curing does not guarantee a 1-emerald price.
Apply the book to a tool, weapon or armor piece at an anvil. Mending is incompatible with Infinity.
With Mending, any experience orb you collect repairs items in your main hand, offhand or armor slots that are damaged, at 2 durability per XP point. If several qualify, one is chosen at random per orb. Items in the rest of your inventory are not repaired.

Java vs Bedrock

Mending repairs only damaged items in the hands and armor slots in both editions. In the Villager Trade Rebalance experiment (Java 1.20.2 experiment, Bedrock 1.20.30 experiment), Mending books come only from master-level librarians in the swamp outfit, and ancient city chests have a higher chance of Mending books. That experiment is not part of the default trades.

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

Frequently asked questions

Why won't the enchanting table give me Mending?

Mending is a treasure enchantment. Treasure enchantments cannot be obtained through an enchanting table.

Does Mending repair items in my inventory?

No. Only damaged items in your main hand, offhand or armor slots are repaired, 2 durability per XP point. If several are damaged, one is chosen at random for each orb.

Can I put Mending on an item with Infinity?

No. Mending and Infinity are incompatible.

What if the trade rebalance experiment is on?

Then Mending books come only from master-level librarians in the swamp outfit.