A bed is one of the first things you should craft in Minecraft. It lets you skip the dangerous night in a few seconds and, just as importantly, sets your respawn point so death is not a long walk back. It takes just wool and wood. This guide covers the recipe, where to get the materials, how to color it, and the rules for sleeping.
Everything here is confirmed in the current 2026 version of Minecraft (26.2).
Quick answer: place 3 wool of the same color in the top row and 3 wooden planks in the row below, on a crafting table, to make 1 bed. Sleep at night to skip to morning and set your spawn point.
Bed at a Glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Recipe | 3 wool (same color) + 3 planks |
| Planks | Any type, and they can be mixed |
| Wool | Must all be the same color |
| Uses | Skip night, set spawn point |
Step 1: Get the Materials
You need two things:
- Wooden planks: chop any tree for logs, then craft each log into 4 planks. Any wood works (oak, spruce, birch, and so on), and you can even mix plank types.
- Wool: the easiest source is sheep. Craft shears (2 iron ingots) and right-click a sheep to get 1 to 3 wool without killing it, so it regrows its coat and you can shear it again. Killing a sheep only drops 1 wool, so shearing is far better. Pen a few sheep and breed them with wheat for a renewable wool supply.
Step 2: Craft the Bed
At a crafting table, fill the top row with 3 wool and the row directly below with 3 planks. That makes 1 bed.
The one rule that trips people up: the 3 wool must all be the same color. Mixed colors will not craft. The planks, on the other hand, can be any type or a mix, they do not affect the bed’s look. The wool color becomes the bed’s color.
Coloring Your Bed
Want a different color? Two options:
- Use colored wool. Dye the wool first (or dye the sheep and shear it), then craft the bed.
- Dye the finished bed. Put a white bed plus any dye in the crafting grid to recolor it. There is a bed for all 16 colors.
Using the Bed: Sleep and Spawn
Place the bed on the ground and use (right-click) it to sleep. Two things happen:
- Skip the night. If it is night (or a thunderstorm), you sleep and it becomes morning in a few seconds, skipping the dangerous dark when mobs roam.
- Set your spawn point. Sleeping sets your respawn point at that bed. If you die, you respawn there instead of the world spawn. If the bed is later broken or blocked, you go back to the world spawn.
A few rules to know: you can only sleep at night or during a thunderstorm, not during the day. Hostile mobs nearby will block sleep, so light the area with torches. And never use a bed in the Nether or the End, it explodes violently instead of letting you sleep.
Frequently Asked Questions
Place 3 wool of the same color in the top row of a crafting table and 3 wooden planks in the row below. That makes one bed.
Three wool (all the same color) and three wooden planks. Wool comes from shearing sheep, and planks come from any wood logs.
Your wool is probably different colors. All three wool blocks must match. The planks can be any type or mixed, but the wool has to be one color.
Either craft it from colored wool, or put a finished bed plus any dye in the crafting grid to recolor it. There is a bed for all 16 dye colors.
Sleep in a bed at night or during a thunderstorm. That sets your respawn point at the bed. If you die, you respawn there instead of the world spawn.
You can only sleep at night or in a thunderstorm, not during the day. Nearby hostile mobs also block sleep, so light the area. And beds explode in the Nether and the End, so only use them in the Overworld.
A bed is cheap, quick, and one of the most important items in the game: shear a few sheep, grab some planks, and craft it. Then sleep to skip the night and lock in your spawn point so a death never sets you back far.
