A greyed-out trade is not broken; the villager just needs to restock. Villagers refill their trades by working at their job site block, but a few common setup mistakes stop that from happening. This guide covers exactly how restocking works and how to fix a villager that refuses to do it.
Everything here is confirmed in the current 2026 version of Minecraft (26.2) and covers both Java and Bedrock.
Quick answer: villagers restock by working at their claimed job site block, up to twice per day during daytime working hours. To make it happen, give the villager clear access to the front of its own job block, and on Bedrock, make sure it also has a nearby bed.
Restocking at a Glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| How restocking happens | The villager works at its claimed job site block |
| How often | Up to 2 times per Minecraft day |
| When | Daytime working hours only (not at night) |
| Java needs | Access to the front of its job block |
| Bedrock needs | Job block access plus a nearby linked bed |
How Villager Restocking Works
Every trade offer has a limited stock. Once you buy it enough times, the offer greys out and is locked until the villager restocks. To restock, the villager walks to its job site block during working hours and works at it, which refills every trade. This can happen up to twice a day, so a villager you trade with heavily will top up in the morning and again around midday.
The catch is that the villager must actually be able to do the work, and that is where most setups fail.
Why Your Villager Won’t Restock
If trades stay greyed out, run through this list; it fixes almost every case:
- It cannot reach its job block. The villager needs a clear path to the front of the block. Walls, water, fences, or other mobs in the way stop it from working. Clear a walkable route.
- It is linked to a different block than you think. In a row of workstations, a villager can be tied to a block several spaces away rather than the one in front of it. Break the block it is actually linked to (the villager shows angry particles) and give it the one you want it to use.
- No bed on Bedrock. In Bedrock Edition, a villager must be linked to a nearby bed to restock, even though it does not need to sleep. Java does not require a bed for restocking.
- It is night or a break. Restocking only happens during working hours in the day. Wait for morning.
- It has not slept recently. A villager kept awake or moved constantly may skip its work routine. Give it a stable home with a bed and job block close together.
A reliable trick from trading halls: to force a stubborn villager to claim the block right in front of it, box yourself in with it using dirt so its pathfinding has nowhere else to go, then place the job block. It links to that block instantly. See our villager trading hall guide for a full layout that keeps every villager restocking.
Rerolling Trades While You Are At It
Because breaking and replacing an unlocked villager’s job block resets its offers, you can reroll for a better deal, useful when hunting a cheap Mending book from a librarian. Break the lectern, place it again, and check the new trade. Once you actually trade, that offer is locked in for good, so reroll before you buy. Our how to make a librarian villager guide covers this for enchanted books, and Minecraft villager jobs explains job blocks for every profession.
Frequently Asked Questions
They restock by working at their claimed job site block during daytime working hours, up to twice per Minecraft day. This refills every greyed-out trade the villager offers.
Almost always the villager cannot reach the front of its job block, or it is linked to a different block than the one you expect. On Bedrock it also needs a nearby bed. Clear its path and confirm the link.
Up to two times per Minecraft day, and only during working hours. It will not restock at night or while it cannot reach its workstation.
On Bedrock Edition, yes, a villager must be linked to a nearby bed to restock. On Java Edition it only needs access to its job site block.
Make sure it can path to and work at its own job block during the day. To force a link, box the villager in next to the block with dirt so it has no other option, then let it claim the block.
No. Restocking just refills the stock of the offers it already has. To change the actual offers, break and replace the job block before the villager has traded, which rerolls its unlocked trades.
Restocking is simple once the setup is right: one villager, one reachable job block, a bed nearby on Bedrock, and daylight. Get that combination and your trades refill on their own, twice a day, for as long as the village stands.
