How to Break Bedrock in Minecraft (Guide)

Despite all the changes added to Minecraft, some blocks, mobs and items still stay the same. Some of those long-lasting aspects are pretty iconic at this point and it would be really weird to play the game without them. One block that you may have thought about is the bedrock block. This extremely tough block is one of the first features added to the game. Its purpose is also important for terrain generation, as it’s stopping you from falling into the void below. It’s impossible to get bedrock as an item in survival mode as it would be game-breaking and especially unfair on Minecraft servers. However, players do not care about getting bedrock but about breaking it in Minecraft. So, without wasting time, let’s learn how to break bedrock in this lovely blocky game.

Table of Contents

Preparations You Need to Make to Break Bedrock

We have personally tested this method in Minecraft Java edition, and it works perfectly if your timing is right. But before moving to the actual process, let’s look at the list of items we need for this method. There can be numerous ways to do it, but our method is inspired by the YouTuber Mysticat. To break bedrock, you need the following items:

• 2 TNT Blocks
• 1 Obsidian Block
• 2 Pistons
• 1 Lever
• 1 Wooden Trapdoor
• Any other block like Cobblestone

Note: Although these are the minimum resources you need, you should bring extras of every listed item. This is because breaking bedrock is a glitch, and it doesn’t work perfectly every single time. Bring more of each of the required items listed above, plus extra obsidian, flint & steel. These supplies will help you make an additional Nether portal if you get stuck on the roof.

1. TNT Blocks

To craft a single TNT block, you will need 5 pieces of gunpowder and 4 blocks of sand. Feel free to check out our guide on how to make TNT for more details.

2. Lever

To create a lever you will only need one cobblestone block and a wooden stick. Place the stick above the cobblestone block in your inventory’s grid or the crafting table block.

3. Trapdoors

For crafting trapdoors, you need six wooden planks of the same type. Using them, fill any two rows of the crafting area completely. Make sure the rows you choose are adjacent, and your trapdoor will be ready. You will get two trapdoors with this crafting recipe.

4. Piston

Finally, you need 4 cobblestone blocks, 3 wooden planks, 1 iron ingot, and Redstone dust to create a piston. You can use our Minecraft ore distribution guide to easily find iron and redstone.

For crafting, you need to place the iron ingot in the center of the crafting area, with the redstone dust just below it. Then, place the wooden planks in the top row of the table. To finish, fill the remaining cells on the sides of the middle column with cobblestone blocks. And that’s it!

5. Obsidian

You can make and mine obsidian with a diamond pickaxe. We created a full dedicated guide on how to make obsidian, so check it out if you need help.

How to Break Bedrock in Minecraft

With all the items available at your disposal, you now simply need to reach the bedrock layer before getting started. So let’s see how to do that.

Step 1: Reach the Bedrock Layer

Whether you are in the Nether dimension or the Overworld, the easiest way to reach the bedrock layer is by digging straight down. And thanks to the large and deep cave systems, it’s not difficult to do so. But that’s not the only location where bedrock exists. You can even cross the seemingly unreachable roof of the Nether dimension. Here’s how.

1. First, make a Nether portal in Minecraft and reach the Nether dimension. Our linked guide will help you do that quickly. Make sure to bring some wooden ladders and a few ender pearls with you while entering this dimension.

2. Then, when you enter the Nether, start making a pillar upwards until you reach the bedrock layer at the top. Once you’re there, make sure there is no other block between you and the topmost part of the bedrock layer, located at Y=127. You can do this by pressing the F3 key on your keyboard and opening the debug screen.
3. On the right, a section called ‘targeted block‘ will appear and will reveal the coordinates of the block you are looking at. So, if the Y coordinate for the bedrock block you are looking at is 127, that’s the block you are looking for. Moreover, make sure to remember the coordinates of that block since you’ll need it later.

4. Once you find such a spot, place your ladders leading up to the bedrock block. There should be just enough space for you to be able to stand there and climb the ladder.

5. Finally, climb the ladder and hold your forward movement key once you reach the top. Then, aim towards the bedrock block and throw your ender pearl. You should glitch through the blocks and end up on the roof of the Nether.

Step 2: Start Breaking Bedrock

Now that you have successfully made it to the Nether roof, follow the step-by-step guide below to break bedrock blocks in Minecraft.

1. Choose a bedrock block that you saved the coordinates for. That’s the block that you entered the Nether roof from and also the one that doesn’t have any other bedrock blocks beneath it. Choosing this block in particular will make it easier for you to connect the normal Nether and the Nether roof. Then, place a piston over it. Make sure the piston is facing upwards and not in any other direction.

2. Then, place a TNT block on top of that piston’s face and an obsidian block on one of its sides.

3. Next, you need to place any other block on top of the obsidian block. We are using cobblestone for our tutorial. Once it’s placed, put a TNT block on top of that block.

4. Finally, place the trap door on the top half of the obsidian block. Then, put the lever on the block placed on top of the obsidian block. With that, our setup is ready for action, as shown in the screenshot below.

Step 3: Exploit Piston’s Obsidian Glitch

With our setup ready, it’s time to break Bedrock. Our aim is to use the lever to activate the TNT and the piston at the same time. Once the TNT destroys the piston, we need to replace it with another piston that can glitch out the obsidian block. Also, make sure to wear armor, as the TNT explosions will kill you otherwise.

1. You need to go through these steps as quickly as possible. So, first, get ready by holding a piston in your hand. Then, pull the lever while standing next to the obsidian block.

2. Pulling the lever will activate the TNT blocks. Now, you will have only 3 seconds to act. Activate the trapdoor while standing next to it. This step will make your character go into the swimming position (see screenshot below).

3. While you are under the trapdoor, aim at the top corner of the obsidian block. Then, start spamming the secondary action key with the piston still equipped in your hand.

4. If everything goes according to plan, the piston will get placed facing upwards. And the bedrock block below it will be destroyed. You can repeat the process multiple times until you get it right.

This method solely relies on the piston glitching away the bedrock. Usually, when a piston is activated, it can displace any block from its location. But it doesn’t get activated when the block we are trying to move is a bedrock block. So, our only aim with this method is to activate a piston placed on top of a Bedrock block. The way it works is by a pure chance of timing.

Once our lever is activated, the piston placed earlier gets activated alongside two TNT blocks. As soon as TNT destroys the piston, we place another piston facing downwards. Being in swimming mode and facing upwards helps us in placing the pistons.

If replacement is fast enough, the game treats both pistons the same way and activates the new piston that displaces our bedrock block. As you might expect, this machine can have multiple variations involving redstone, but the core principle would remain the same.

Whether it is to access the void or to build on top of the Nether roof, you now know how to break bedrock in Minecraft. Now, keep in mind that you won’t be able to collect the broken bedrock block, but you can replace it with any other block. With that said, don’t forget to share any other method to break bedrock in the comment section.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Place the Second Piston Quickly?

If you are unable to press the default secondary key (usually, right-click key) quickly, you can bind that particular action to another key on your keyboard. So, when it’s time, you can press and hold that key to automatically place the second piston.

Piston was Placed, But Bedrock Didn’t Break. How to Fix?

For most players, this method won’t work on their first try. You need to repeat it multiple times until the timing is just right. In most cases, an upwards-facing second piston is a sign that it worked.

How to Avoid TNT Damage in Minecraft?

If you are trying this method in survival mode, wearing enchanted armor can help avoid damage caused by TNT. But you can also create a Potion of Healing to avoid dying.