How to Make a Crossbow in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Craft a crossbow with 3 sticks, 2 string, 1 iron ingot and 1 tripwire hook. It loads arrows or firework rockets, stays loaded until you fire, and hits harder than a bow at the cost of a 1.25-second reload - or 0.5 seconds with Quick Charge III. Multishot and Piercing are its signature enchants.

What you need

3 sticks, 2 string
1 iron ingot + 1 tripwire hook
Arrows or firework rockets as ammo
Optional: Quick Charge, Multishot or Piercing books

Step by step

Gather the parts: 3 sticks, 2 string, 1 iron ingot and 1 tripwire hook (1 iron ingot + 1 stick + 1 plank makes 2 hooks).
Craft it. Sticks in the top corners, iron between them, string on the middle sides, the tripwire hook in the center, and the last stick below it. Out comes the crossbow.
Load and fire. Hold right-click to draw (1.25 seconds), and the crossbow stays loaded in your hotbar until you right-click again to fire - unlike a bow, you can keep it cocked forever and swap between nine loaded crossbows.
Try firework ammo. Load a firework rocket instead of an arrow and it explodes on impact: damage scales with the number of firework stars in the rocket, up to 11-18 damage with a 7-star rocket.
Enchant it. Quick Charge cuts reload to 1s / 0.75s / 0.5s at levels I-III. Multishot fires 3 projectiles in a spread for one arrow. Piercing makes arrows pass through up to 4 targets and ignore shields - and Piercing arrows can be picked back up, like a crossbow Infinity.
Know the exclusivity. Multishot and Piercing are mutually exclusive - pick one per crossbow. Unbreaking and Mending work as usual.
Get one free. Pillagers and piglins drop crossbows 8.5% of the time (+1% per Looting level), sometimes already enchanted - an easy starter crossbow from your first patrol or bastion raid.

Java vs Bedrock

Identical recipe and enchants in Java and Bedrock. Damage differs slightly: Java arrows deal 7-11 damage while Bedrock deals a flat 9. The successful-hit "ding" sound when shooting another player is Java-only.

Versions: Crossbows were added in Java 1.14 (Village & Pillage, 18w43a) alongside pillagers, and in Bedrock 1.8.0 as experimental gameplay. Quick Charge, Multishot and Piercing launched with them and are unchanged.

Frequently asked questions

Crossbow or bow?

A bow with Power V shoots faster and can have Infinity; a crossbow hits harder per shot, stays loaded for instant first strikes, and is the only way to fire fireworks and Piercing arrows. Most players carry a bow for sustained fights and a crossbow for ambushes and Multishot bursts.

How do I load a firework into a crossbow?

Hold the firework rocket in your off-hand (or main hand with the crossbow in the other), then hold right-click as usual - the crossbow loads the rocket instead of an arrow. Rockets with more firework stars explode harder.

Is Multishot or Piercing better?

Multishot for crowds and close range: three arrows (or three exploding fireworks) for the price of one. Piercing for lined-up mobs, shielded players in PvP, and reusable arrows. You cannot have both on one crossbow, so enchant two.