How to Get Redstone in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Mine redstone ore deep underground: it generates between Y=-64 and Y=15, with the densest layer around Y=-59. Each ore drops 4-5 redstone dust with an iron pickaxe or better (about 6 on average with Fortune III). Witch farms make it infinite.

What you need

Iron pickaxe or better (Fortune III ideal)
Torches and food for deep mining
Water bucket for lava pools at low Y
A swamp hut (witch farm option)

Step by step

Dig deep: redstone ore generates in two batches, one evenly between Y=-64 and Y=15 and a second, richer one between Y=-63 and Y=-32. Branch mine around Y=-59 for the best rates.
Use an iron pickaxe or better: stone and wood pickaxes break the ore but drop nothing. Each block drops 4-5 dust, about 6 on average with Fortune III. Silk Touch drops the ore block itself.
Look for deepslate redstone: below Y=0 the ore turns into its deepslate variant, which is harder and takes longer to mine but drops the same dust.
Farm witches for infinite redstone: witches drop 4-8 redstone dust on death. A witch farm built on a swamp hut produces unlimited dust, plus glowstone, gunpowder and spider eyes.
Loot chests: redstone dust appears in mineshaft, dungeon, woodland mansion and village temple chests, and in Java clerics throw it at you with Hero of the Village.
What you need it for: pistons, dispensers, hoppers, observers, redstone lamps, compasses, clocks and every redstone circuit and farm in the game.

Java vs Bedrock

Ore generation and drops are identical in Java and Bedrock since 1.18. In Java, clerics also gift redstone dust while you have Hero of the Village. The old trick of mining at Y=11-12 no longer applies: since Caves & Cliffs, deep slate layers win.

Versions: Redstone was added in Java Alpha v1.0.1 (July 2010). Current ore distribution (Y=-64 to 15, dense near bedrock) dates from 1.18 (Caves & Cliffs Part 2). In Pocket Edition it arrived in v0.8.0.

Frequently asked questions

What Y level is best for redstone?

Around Y=-59. Redstone ore generates between Y=-64 and Y=15, but the second batch (Y=-63 to -32) gets denser the lower you go, making the bedrock-adjacent layers the richest.

Why is my redstone ore dropping nothing?

You're using too weak a pickaxe. Redstone ore needs an iron, diamond or netherite pickaxe; stone and wooden pickaxes destroy the block with no drops.

Can you farm redstone infinitely?

Yes: a witch farm on a swamp hut (or a raid farm) produces unlimited redstone dust, since witches drop 4-8 per kill. Mining with Fortune III also multiplies every vein.

What is redstone used for?

Redstone dust powers circuits and crafts pistons, dispensers, droppers, hoppers, observers, redstone torches, repeaters, comparators, lamps, compasses, clocks and powered rails.