How to Make Arrows in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Craft flint + stick + feather in a vertical line for 4 arrows. Flint comes from gravel, feathers from chickens - so an arrow pipeline is really a chicken farm plus a gravel shovel, and an Infinity bow makes the whole question optional.

What you need

1 flint per 4 arrows (gravel, 10% drop - Fortune III shovel guarantees it)
1 stick per 4 arrows
1 feather per 4 arrows (chickens)

Step by step

Get flint: dig gravel with a shovel - each block has a 10% chance to drop flint instead of gravel. Fortune III on the shovel makes it guaranteed.
Get feathers: kill chickens (0-2 feathers each) or build a chicken farm for a passive supply.
Craft arrows in a column: flint on top, stick in the middle, feather at the bottom = 4 arrows.
Stockpile: a skeleton farm's drops include arrows for free, and fletcher villagers sell 16 arrows for 1 emerald at novice level.
Upgrade late-game: tipped arrows (arrow + lingering potion) and spectral arrows (4 glowstone dust + arrow) are the advanced variants.
Or skip ammo entirely: an Infinity-enchanted bow fires forever from a single arrow in your inventory.

Java vs Bedrock

Identical recipe in Java and Bedrock. Small differences: in Bedrock piglin bartering can hand you 6-12 arrows, and in Java villagers with the Hero of the Village effect gift you arrows from fletchers. Mob-shot arrows (skeletons, strays, pillagers) can never be picked up in either edition.

Versions: Arrows have been craftable since the early Alpha days with the same flint-stick-feather recipe. Tipped arrows arrived in 1.9 and spectral arrows in 1.9 as well (Java).

Frequently asked questions

What is the fastest way to farm arrows?

Early game: a fletcher villager sells 16 arrows per emerald, and a skeleton farm drops arrows plus the bones and bows for free. Late game one Infinity bow ends the problem.

Can you pick up arrows that skeletons shoot?

No. Only arrows fired by a player (without Infinity) can be retrieved. Anything a mob shoots vanishes when it lands.

Does Fortune give more flint?

Yes: Fortune raises the 10% flint chance per gravel block, and Fortune III makes every gravel block drop flint - dig and replace the same stack of gravel for unlimited flint.