Updated 25 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
The Minecraft Recipe Book: How It Works
The recipe book is the green book button in crafting and furnace screens. It lists recipes you have unlocked, sorted into tabs, with a search bar. Click a recipe and the game places the ingredients for you if you have them; if not, the recipe shows red. You unlock recipes mostly by picking up one of their ingredients.
How do you use it?
- Open your inventory, a crafting table, a furnace, smoker or blast furnace and click the book.
- Click a recipe to fill the grid; Shift-click to fill as many as your items allow.
- On Java a toggle switches between showing everything you have unlocked and only what you can craft right now.
- Furnaces have their own smelting book with similar tabs; see smelting.
How do you unlock recipes?
Most recipes unlock when you hold an item used in them, and a small pop-up says so. A few have their own triggers: boats unlock when you touch water, for example. Locked recipes still work if you place the items yourself. Recipes can also be given with the /recipe command or a knowledge book.
What is limited crafting?
On Java the limited_crafting game rule makes unlocked recipes the only ones you can craft at all, which map makers use to control progress. It is off by default.
Does Bedrock have a recipe book?
Yes: Bedrock's crafting screen shows recipes in tabs with a search, and lets you fill the grid in one tap, which is easier on touch screens. Every recipe in the game: crafting.
Any recipe book tips?
Search by item name to skip the scrolling. If a recipe is missing, pick up one of its ingredients to unlock it. Some recipes have several versions, such as dyes made from different flowers, and the book can cycle between them.
Frequently asked questions
How do you unlock recipes in Minecraft?
Mostly by picking up an ingredient; commands and knowledge books also work.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.