How to Make a Shield in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Craft a shield with 6 planks and 1 iron ingot: fill the left and right columns with planks, put the iron in the top middle and planks in the center and bottom middle. Hold it in your off-hand, right-click (Java) or sneak (Bedrock) to block, and melee, arrows and explosions from the front stop hurting you.

What you need

6 wooden planks (any type, can be mixed)
1 iron ingot
Crafting table
Optional: a banner for decoration, Mending book for upkeep

Step by step

Gather 6 planks (any wood, mixed is fine) and 1 iron ingot. That is the whole recipe - a shield is a day-one item.
Arrange the recipe. Planks in the top-left, top-right, middle-left, middle-right and bottom-center slots, with the iron ingot in the top-center. Take the shield.
Put it in your off-hand. Open your inventory and place it in the off-hand slot (the one with the shield icon) so your main hand stays free for a sword or tool.
Block the right way. In Java, hold right-click (use) to raise it; in Bedrock, sneak instead. Blocking starts after a 0.25-second delay, so raise it before the hit lands.
Know what it stops. Melee hits, arrows and most projectiles, and explosions coming from the half-circle in front of you - status effects from blocked projectiles do not apply either. Creeper fights become trivial.
Respect the counters. Axe hits (from players, vindicators or piglin brutes) and warden attacks disable your shield for 5 seconds - keep distance while it recovers. Piercing crossbows and guardians ignore it.
Watch the durability. A shield has 336 points and loses durability equal to blocked damage, so it lasts a long time but not forever. Repair it by combining two shields in a crafting grid or an anvil, or slap Mending on it at an anvil.
Decorate it. Combine the shield with a banner in a crafting grid to stamp the banner pattern on it - pure style, same protection.

Java vs Bedrock

The recipe and protection are the same in both editions; only the controls differ - right-click to block in Java, sneak in Bedrock. Bedrock shields also knock back melee attackers and can briefly deflect arrows and tridents toward other targets, while Java shields take rapid durability drain from slimes and magma cubes.

Versions: Shields arrived in Java 1.9 (the Combat Update, snapshot 15w33c) and Bedrock 1.10.0. The axe-disable counter and banner decoration have been part of the deal since the start.

Frequently asked questions

Why did my shield stop working mid-fight?

An axe or a warden hit it: those attacks disable the shield for 5 seconds. Watch for vindicators, piglin brutes and other players with axes, and back off while the shield recovers.

Shield vs totem of undying in the off-hand?

Shield for everyday exploring - it prevents damage instead of forgiving it. Totem for boss fights, the End and hardcore runs where one mistake is fatal. Many players carry both and swap by situation.

Do shields block lava, fire or potions?

No. Shields block direct attacks and explosions, not standing in lava, burning, drowning, falling, or splash potion clouds. They also do nothing against attacks from behind - the coverage is a half-circle in front of you.