A jukebox is how you play music discs in Minecraft. Drop in a disc, and it plays one of the game’s tracks for everyone nearby. It costs a diamond to make, but it is worth it if you have collected any discs, and it has a couple of hidden uses beyond music that most players never notice.
This guide covers the recipe, how to play and eject discs, where to find music discs, and the redstone and allay tricks a jukebox can pull off. Everything here is confirmed in the current 2026 version of Minecraft (26.2).
Quick answer: craft a jukebox from 8 wooden planks and 1 diamond. Fill the outer ring of the crafting grid with planks and put the diamond in the center, then right-click it with a music disc to play.
Jukebox at a Glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Recipe | 8 wooden planks + 1 diamond |
| To play | Right-click with a music disc |
| To eject | Right-click again (or break it) |
| Discs from | Loot chests and creepers killed by skeletons |
The Recipe
At a crafting table, place:
- Outer ring: 8 wooden planks (any wood type) around all the edges
- Center: 1 diamond
That box-around-a-diamond pattern (the same shape as a chest, but with a diamond in the middle) makes 1 jukebox. The diamond is the only real cost, so a jukebox is affordable once you have done a little mining.
How to Use a Jukebox
Using it is simple:
- Place the jukebox on the ground.
- Hold a music disc and right-click the jukebox. The disc plays, and floating music notes rise from it.
- Right-click again (or break the jukebox) to eject the disc so you can swap in another.
If you break a jukebox that still has a disc inside, both the jukebox and the disc drop, so you will not lose your music.
Where to Get Music Discs
The jukebox is easy; the discs are the real hunt. The main sources:
- Loot chests in dungeons, and other generated structures.
- Creepers killed by a skeleton (or stray). If a skeleton’s arrow finishes off a creeper, that creeper drops a random music disc. Standing a skeleton and a creeper near each other and letting the skeleton do the work is the classic farming trick.
A few special discs come from other sources, but chests and skeleton-killed creepers are how most players build their collection.
Two Hidden Uses
A jukebox does more than entertain:
- Redstone signal. A jukebox with a disc inside gives out a redstone signal through a comparator, and different discs give different signal strengths. Builders use this to detect which disc is loaded or to trigger contraptions.
- Allays love it. A playing jukebox attracts allays, which will gather and dance nearby. Placing a jukebox near an allay setup is a handy way to keep them close.
For decoration, a jukebox looks great in a music room or next to a bookshelf wall to finish off a cozy base.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fill the outer ring of the crafting grid with 8 wooden planks and place 1 diamond in the center. That makes one jukebox.
Hold a music disc and right-click the jukebox. It plays the track and shows floating music notes. Right-click again to eject the disc.
From loot chests in dungeons and other structures, or by having a skeleton kill a creeper, which makes the creeper drop a random disc.
Yes. A jukebox requires 1 diamond plus 8 wooden planks. The diamond is the only expensive part of the recipe.
Yes. A jukebox with a disc inside emits a signal you can read with a comparator, and different discs produce different signal strengths.
Both the jukebox and the disc drop as items, so you can pick them back up. It does not destroy the disc.
A jukebox is a small luxury that pays off the moment you find your first music disc. Craft one with a diamond and some planks, hunt down a few discs from chests or skeleton-killed creepers, and you have a soundtrack for your base, plus a sneaky redstone and allay tool on the side.
