How to make an elevator in Minecraft

Aakrit Sharma
A sunset in Minecraft

There are many ways to make an elevator in Minecraft but the easiest of them all is by using water. Here’s a guide on how to make an elevator in Minecraft with water, Soul Sand, and magma blocks.

Although Minecraft players begin their journey by crafting basic items like pickaxes and beds, the game allows them to create a lot more with resources and creativity. For instance, they can create pyramid beacons, automatic farms, and flying machines, among other things.

One such machine that can make things more leisurely for you is an elevator. There isn’t a fixed way to make it, but for this guide, we’ve chosen a technique that involves magma blocks and Soul Sand.

A Minecraft villager smiling

How to make a water elevator in Minecraft

You’ll need the following items to make a water elevator in Minecraft:

  • Soul Sand – Found below Y=34 in the Nether and Nether Fortresses. Can be mined with anything but use shovels for the quickest results.
  • Magma Block – Spawn in the Nether and the Overworld. Search in underwater ruins and mine with a pickaxe.
  • Blocks of your choice to make the structure of the elevator
  • Kelp – Generates in ocean biomes around seagrass.
  • A door/sign – Craft a door by placing six wooden planks vertically on two columns of the crafting table. Craft a sign by placing six wooden planks horizontally on the first two rows of the crafting table and a stick in the middle of the bottom row.
Crafting recipe for a door in Minecraft

After obtaining the desired items, follow these steps to make a fully-functioning elevator in Minecraft:

Step 1: Lay the foundation and make the structure of your Minecraft elevator

You can start by choosing a block that will either contain Soul Sand or a magma block based on your needs. Now, place blocks such as glass on all sides of this spot and start building up. Make sure that the structure is fully enclosed from every side till the top.

After making the elevator’s structure, go back to the entrance and remove two blocks. Replace them with signs/doors. Do the same with the elevator’s top. Remove two blocks and replace them with signs/doors.

A water elevator with a single column

The signs or the doors basically help in holding the water together while you’re placing items like magma blocks, Soul Sand, and kelp. The crafting recipe for a sign has been showcased in the image below:

Crafting recipe for a sign in Minecraft

To ensure that the water doesn’t freeze, you can also cover the elevator’s top.

Step 2: Add Kelp and water to your Minecraft elevator

When you’re sure about your Minecraft elevator’s height and structure, you can add water to it with water buckets. Go to the top and pour the water from the bucket and it should reach the bottom if there are no leaks in between.

With water flowing from top to bottom, the next step is to convert every water block into a source block. You can do this by placing kelp on every water block. Thereafter, break the kelp in the bottom-most block to remove it entirely from the elevator.

A water elevator with two columns

Step 3: Place Soul Sand or magma block to activate your Minecraft elevator

When every water block in your Minecraft elevator turns into a source block, go to the bottom of the structure and replace the block underneath the first water block with Soul Sand or magma. Both items have different uses in the game:

  • Soul Sand pushes the water upwards.
  • Magma blocks push the water downwards.

Hence, you place Soul Sand in the column that should take you up and magma blocks in the columns that should bring you back to the base.

To confirm that the elevator is working, look for bubbles in the water. They will indicate the direction of the water’s flow and accordingly, the aforementioned mechanism is also called the bubble elevator.

Water elevator with signs about Magma block and Soul Sand

How to use the water elevator in Minecraft

To use the water elevator in Minecraft, you simply need to enter the desired water column and it will take you up or down. You won’t struggle with breathing in this elevator unless it’s too high. In such a scenario, you can use enchantments that enhance breathing abilities.

Moreover, to avoid damage when you land on the magma block, hold your crouch button before landing.


This is arguably the easiest way to make an elevator in Minecraft and is suitable for players who aren’t willing to spend hours on making it. For more content on the sandbox game, check out these guides on breeding and taming llamas, how to make an armor stand, and how to find copper.

Image Credits: Reddit / Mojang

Sign up to Charlie INTEL for free and receive:
Fewer Ads|Dark Mode|Deals in Gaming, TV and Movies, and Tech