You're standing there with a diamond pickaxe and a dream. Honestly, calling it "hell" is just what everyone did back in 2010 when Notch first teased the update, but if you want to be technical—and Minecraft players usually do—it’s the Nether. It is a hellscape, though. Think endless lava oceans, screaming ghosts, and pig-men who will ruin your day if you accidentally poke them. If you’ve been wondering how to make a portal to hell in minecraft, you’re essentially looking for a doorway to a dimension that exists deep beneath the "Overworld." It’s scary. It’s loud. But you need it for potions and endgame gear.
Most people think you just stack some purple rocks and call it a day. It’s a bit more precise than that.
Getting the Obsidian (The Hard Way or the Smart Way)
Obsidian is the only block that works. Period. You can't use crying obsidian for the main frame, even though it looks cooler; that’s only for respawn anchors. To get the ten to fourteen blocks you need, you have to find where water meets a lava source block. Not flowing lava—that just makes cobblestone. You need the still, bubbling stuff.
Mining it takes forever. Even with a diamond pickaxe, you’re standing there holding the mouse button for what feels like an eternity. If you use an iron pickaxe, the block just breaks and gives you nothing. It’s heartbreaking.
But here’s a pro tip: you don't actually need a diamond pickaxe. Speedrunners use the "mold" method. They build a dirt frame, pour lava into the shape of a door using buckets, and then douse it with water. It’s way faster. You basically "cast" the portal in place. It’s slightly nerve-wracking because one wrong water placement turns your lava pool into a floor of useless stone, but once you master the bucket dance, you’ll never mine obsidian again.
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Building the Frame: Size Actually Matters
The classic portal is a 4x5 rectangle. That’s two blocks on the bottom, two on the top, and three on each side. People usually skip the corners. Why waste four blocks of obsidian when you can use dirt or cobblestone as "corner holders"? It looks a bit budget, but it saves time.
Interestingly, portals don't have to be that small anymore. Modern Minecraft allows for massive portals. You can go up to 23x23. Why would you do that? Mostly for the vibes. Or if you’re building a gold farm and need massive amounts of Zombified Piglins to spawn. A tiny portal is a door; a giant portal is a statement. Just remember that if you make it a weird shape like a triangle or a circle, it won't light. It has to be a rectangle or a square.
How to Make a Portal to Hell in Minecraft: The Spark
Once the frame is standing, it’s just a cold, dark ring of rock. You need to "turn it on." The most common way is Flint and Steel. You probably have these sitting in a chest somewhere. Just click the inside of the bottom rim.
But what if you’re stuck in the woods with no iron? You can actually use fire spread. If you place wood or wool inside the portal frame and set a nearby lava source on fire, the flames can eventually "jump" into the portal and ignite it. It’s chaotic. It’s dangerous. But it works. I’ve seen players use Fire Charges too, which you can get from bartering with Piglins or killing Blazes—though if you’re already killing Blazes, you probably already have a portal.
Survival Tips for the First Ten Seconds
The moment you step through that purple swirl, the game starts loading. This is the "danger zone." Sometimes the game spawns your portal on a tiny ledge over a 100-block drop into lava. Sometimes a Ghast is already aiming a fireball at your face before your screen even clears.
- Always bring a shield. It blocks fireballs.
- Wear one piece of Gold armor. Just one. It keeps the Piglins from jumping you. Boots or a helmet will do fine.
- Bring extra Flint and Steel. Ghasts love to shoot your portal. If their fireball hits the purple part, the portal goes out. You’re trapped. Unless you can trick a Ghast into shooting it again (which is possible!) or you find the ingredients for a fire charge in a chest, you’re stuck in "hell" forever.
- Write down your coordinates. The Nether is a maze. Everything is red. Everything looks the same. If you lose your portal, you lose your items.
The Science of Coordinate Linking
This is where it gets nerdy. The Nether and the Overworld are linked by an 8:1 ratio. Every block you walk in the Nether is equal to eight blocks in the regular world. This makes it the ultimate fast-travel system.
If you build a portal at X: 800, Z: 800 in the Overworld, your Nether portal should theoretically show up at X: 100, Z: 100 in the Nether. If the game can't find a safe spot at exactly 100, 100, it’ll shove the portal somewhere nearby. This can lead to "crossed wires" where two of your Overworld portals lead to the same Nether exit. To fix it, you have to do the math. Divide your Overworld coordinates by eight, go to that exact spot in the Nether, break the "wrong" portal, and rebuild it at the correct math-spot.
Actionable Steps for Your First Trip
Don't just run in. Preparation prevents losing your hard-earned diamonds.
- Inventory Check: Leave your most precious valuables (like that Fortune III pickaxe) in a chest at home until you’ve secured the other side. Bring cobblestone; Ghasts can't blow it up.
- The "Safety Box": The second you arrive, build a small cobblestone room around your portal. This prevents Ghasts from extinguishing it while you're away exploring.
- Pathfinding: Use torches, but place them only on the right-hand wall as you walk away from the portal. When you want to go home, just keep the torches on your left.
The Nether is the gateway to the end of the game. You need it for Blaze Rods, Wither Skeleton Skulls, and Ancient Debris. It’s a hostile place, but once you understand the mechanics of the frame and the math of the coordinates, it becomes just another tool in your survival kit. Start with the 4x5 frame, grab your gold boots, and keep your shield up.