How to Make a Clock in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Craft a clock with 4 gold ingots around 1 redstone dust: gold on the top, sides, and bottom, redstone in the center. It shows the position of the sun and moon so you always know when night is coming.

What you need

4 gold ingots
1 redstone dust

Step by step

Mine or smelt 4 gold ingots (badlands and the Nether are gold-rich).
Mine 1 redstone dust from redstone ore deep underground.
Open the crafting table.
Place 1 gold ingot in the top-center, middle-left, and middle-right slots.
Place the redstone dust in the center.
Place the last gold ingot in the bottom-center slot.
Take the clock. Hold it, keep it in your inventory, or mount it in an item frame to read the time.

Java vs Bedrock

The clock recipe is the same in Java and Bedrock. Clocks spin uselessly in the Nether and the End because those dimensions have no day-night cycle, so do not rely on one for caving trips there; they work fine underground in the Overworld, which is their real job. A clock in an item frame on a wall keeps working as a wall clock. Piglins are attracted to clocks as gold items and will inspect dropped ones.

Versions: javabedrock

Frequently asked questions

What does a clock do in Minecraft?

Its dial shows the sun and moon position matching the Overworld sky, so you know the time of day without going outside. It works from your inventory, your hand, or an item frame.

Why is my clock spinning randomly?

You are in the Nether or the End. Those dimensions have no day-night cycle, so clocks and compasses behave erratically there. It works again once you are back in the Overworld.

Clock vs bed: which tells time better?

They solve different problems: a clock tells you when night is close, a bed skips the night. Carry both on long mining trips.

Can you put a clock on a wall?

Yes, place it in an item frame. The dial keeps updating, giving you a working wall clock for your base entrance or mine.