how to make a water elevator in minecraft
You can make a fast, compact water elevator in Minecraft using kelp, soul sand, and magma blocks to go up and down in style.
Quick Scoop
Here’s the basic idea: you build a vertical glass tube, fill it with water source blocks using kelp, then swap the bottom block to soul sand (for going up) or magma (for going down).
What You Need
- Building blocks (glass is popular so you can see inside)
- 1 water bucket (infinite water source recommended)
- Kelp (a stack is usually enough for tall shafts)
- 1 soul sand block (up elevator, creates upward bubbles)
- 1 magma block (down elevator, pulls you down)
- 1 door or trapdoor / signs for the entrance to keep water in
You can do this in both Java and Bedrock as of recent versions (1.20+ and 1.21 guides show the same trick).
Step‑by‑Step: Build the Shaft
- Pick where your elevator will be and mark a 1×1 hole for the shaft.
- Build a 3‑ or 4‑block high ring of glass around that hole, then keep stacking it up to the height you want (every block of height is one block of travel).
- Leave a 2‑block‑high opening at the bottom front as the doorway.
- Place a door or trapdoor at the entrance so water won’t flow into your base when you fill the shaft.
You now have a hollow glass tube with a doorway at the bottom and an open top for water.
Turn It Into a Water Column
- Go to the top of the shaft.
- Place your water bucket on the top block inside the tube so water flows all the way down to the bottom.
- Go inside the water at the bottom and start placing kelp on the floor, growing it upward until you reach the top.
Growing kelp through the entire column converts all flowing water into full water source blocks, which is required for bubble columns to work.
- Once kelp reaches the top and every block is filled, break the bottom kelp piece so the whole kelp stalk disappears, leaving pure source water from bottom to top.
Make the Elevator Go Up or Down
Upward elevator (go up fast)
- Break the bottom floor block inside the water shaft.
- Replace it with soul sand.
This creates a column of upward bubble streams that shoots you quickly to the top when you stand in it.
Downward elevator (come down safely)
- Either build a second shaft right next to the first, or reuse the same steps in another 1×1 tube.
- Repeat the water + kelp steps so it’s all source blocks again.
- Replace the bottom block with magma instead of soul sand.
Magma makes a downward bubble column that gently pulls you down; you’ll take damage if you stand on the magma, so usually the floor around it is lowered or covered with slabs.
A popular layout in 2024–2025 tutorials is “up on the soul sand side, down on the magma side” in a 2‑wide or 3‑wide elevator front.
Small Tips and Variations
- Use glass on the front and solid blocks on the back to match your base’s style.
- Put signs or trapdoors just above the doorway to stop water leaks if it’s escaping.
- You can run the shaft from your base all the way down to mines or farms; many farm designs use water elevators to carry items or mobs up.
- As long as every block in the column is a water source, the bubble elevator will work in current versions like 1.20 and 1.21.
Simple HTML Table for Quick Reference
| Part | What to Use | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Shaft walls | Glass or any solid block | [5][1]Creates the 1×1 tube so water stays inside |
| Entrance | Door / trapdoor / signs | [3][1][5][9]Keeps water in while you walk in and out |
| Water | Water bucket at top | [1][5][9]Fills the shaft from top to bottom |
| Make sources | Kelp grown from bottom to top | [5][1][9]Turns all flowing water into source blocks |
| Up elevator | Soul sand at bottom | [9]Creates upward bubbles to lift you |
| Down elevator | Magma block at bottom | [9]Creates downward bubbles to pull you down |