How to make a Bubble Elevator in Minecraft (1.18 Bedrock & Java)

Playing Minecraft for a while may find you making a lot of elevated structures without a good way to get up and down from them. This can lead to time wasted trying to move around rather than time spent creating something new. Instead of tediously hopping around to make stairs in your building, skip the hassle and make a bubble elevator so transitioning between floors is seamless and stylish! Knowing how to make a bubble elevator in Minecraft is not only worthwhile to make moving around your creations easier, but it’s also relatively simple once you have all the correct components. Before long, you should be able to make your own bubble elevators that can rush you all the way to the top of your highest structure in the sky or zoom you all the way down the to the game’s furthest depths!

Creating a Bubble Elevator Guide

Time needed: 20 minutes.

To make a bubble elevator in Minecraft, you’re going to need several items. You’ll first need the blocks that are going to form the structure of your bubble elevator. You can use any type of construction block in the game to make the frame of your elevator, so just choose what’s most available or looks best to you. You’ll also need buckets of water and some kelp to make a bubble elevator in Minecraft. The Overworld won’t be your only destination, as one item on your list, soul sand, will require you to travel to the Nether. Be prepared! The final item you’ll need will be 1 block of magma, which you should be able to find in a few places. Gathering items is only one crucial part of this project – you also need to make sure your bubble elevator is constructed correctly in order for it to work. With some fast gathering and easy building, you should soon know how to make your own bubble elevator in Minecraft!

1. Get Blocks for Bubble Elevator Frame

   The first and possibly most important item you’ll need is whatever block you’ll be using to make your structure. Any type of construction block should work for this, so just grab whatever is available and works best with your plans. Using glass blocks will allow you to see occupants as they travel through the elevator. If you prefer your bubble elevators to provide privacy for occupants while also looking good, maybe mossy stone bricks would be a better choice. The number of blocks you’ll need depends on how high you want your elevator, but be sure to grab enough for 4 sides. Once you have enough blocks, you’re one step closer to making your own bubble elevator in Minecraft!

2. Get Buckets of Water

   Each elevator you make is going to require a bucket of water for it to work. Go ahead and get this part out of the way by doing it now. To make a bucket of water, you’ll of course need a bucket. These can be made by taking 3 iron ingots to a crafting table and arranging them like a “V” in the crafting table. Doing this properly should give you a bucket, which can then be filled with water. You’ll need 1 bucket to make each elevator you’ll want. Once you have enough buckets of water, you’re ready for the next step!

3. Get Doors

   Having a door on your elevator shaft is as important as any other piece. Without a door, you’re just going to end up with a puddle around a large empty structure. You can save time by doing this step after you make your buckets but you before you fill them, which will lead you perfectly into Step 4. To make a door, simply take 6 wood planks or iron ingots to a crafting table. Once you’ve brought up the crafting grid, fill the 2 left columns of the crafting grid with your blocks. This should produce 3 doors you can add to your inventory. You’ve now got all the ingredients you’ll need to make the frame of your bubble elevator. The remaining items you’ll need will make your bubble elevator actually work. It won’t be much longer before you can make a bubble elevator in Minecraft!

4. Get Kelp

   One of the keys to making a bubble elevator is by having your water blocks in a specific flow state. One of the best ways to get it the right way is by using kelp, so you’ll want to grab some after you’ve filled up your buckets with water. To get kelp, simply head to the Ocean biome and swim down to the seafloor. You shouldn’t struggle to find kelp in large quantities pretty quickly. Grab an amount sufficient enough to make a stack of kelp in your elevator about the intended height of your elevator. This will be necessary to change the states of your blocks. Move on to the next step once you have all your kelp!

5. Get Soul Sand

   You’re going to need to find some soul sand to make an up elevator, so it’s time to go to the Nether. It only takes 1 block of soul sand to make a bubble elevator that goes up in Minecraft, but there’s no avoiding a trip to the Nether since this is the only place you can find it at this time. Fortunately, your next item can be found here, too, so it can be a worthwhile trip if you plan wisely! It won’t take you too long to find soul sand in the Nether. It may even slow you down as you run over it while searching for it. It can be mined by any method once you find it, so just use whatever tool is available and get ready to grab your final ingredient!

6. Get Magma

   Your final required item can either be found while you’re in the Nether or in the Overworld. You’ll be gathering 1 block of magma to make a bubble elevator that goes down, but make sure to bring a pickaxe – mining magma without one will leave you with empty (and possibly burned) hands. The magma needed to make a bubble elevator that goes down in Minecraft can be easily found in the Nether, so it shouldn’t be far from where you find soul sand. You can also find magma in several Overworld locations. Your best bet to find magma in the Overworld is by finding ruined portals, where magma helps form the structure, but it can also be found in aquifers, underwater ruins, and even far underground. When you come across blocks of magma, use a pickaxe to mine it or you won’t get anything. With magma checked off, you now have all the ingredients needed to make a bubble elevator in Minecraft in either direction!

7. Make Bubble Elevator Frame

   Now it’s time to actually make your bubble elevator. The steps are the same whether you want your bubble elevator to go up or down with the exception of the type of block used at the base of your elevator shaft. Regardless of your intended bubble elevator direction, start out by arranging the blocks you chose to use in a star shape with 1 block on each of the 4 sides with the blocks’ corners touching and an open space in the middle. Make these 4 sides as high as you want your elevator. Once you have an enclosed structure of your desired height, head to the side you’re going to use as the front and add a stack 2 blocks high on each side of the front block. Once you do this, remove the bottom 2 blocks of the elevator’s front. You should have a perfectly door-shaped space after doing this, which you should fill by plugging in a door on the outer edge. Now you have the right structure, but it’s not quite a bubble elevator yet!

8. Add Water to Your Bubble Elevator

   You should have a nice frame so far, but it’s really just an empty elevator shaft at this point. You’ll need to use one of the buckets of water you gathered to make it a bubble elevator, so head to the top of your elevator shaft. Once you’re up there, pour a bucket of water down the opening at the top. This will fill up the entire shaft with water, but the 1-block wide space between your door and the water column should remain dry. Now your elevator is properly watered, but you’ll still need to complete one last step before it’s a true bubble elevator!

9. Make a Bubble Elevator

   You should have an impressive elevator shaft full of water at this point, but it’s still not a bubble elevator. You’ll need to make your water into water source blocks rather than flowing water, and one of the best ways to do this is by using the kelp you’ve found. Head to the bottom of your elevator shaft by using the door or swimming down from the top. Destroy the block at floor level and place a stack of kelp several blocks high starting at the new bottom. After you make a stack of kelp, head back to the bottom of the elevator shaft and hit the kelp you just created. Hitting it at the bottom should destroy the entire kelp plant and change the water blocks in the process. Now that you have the right water blocks, it’s time to add the block type that will make your bubble elevator work! Using soul sand for an up elevator or magma for a down elevator, place your desired block at the ground floor (in place of the block you destroyed a few moments ago). If done correctly, your elevator should momentarily start swirling with bubbles. Once that happens, walking into your bubble elevator will propel you in the corresponding direction (up for soul sand base and down for magma base). Now you know how to make a bubble elevator in Minecraft!

That’s everything you need to know about how to make a bubble elevator in Minecraft! If you want to learn more about the game, be sure to check out the Minecraft section of our website.