Minecraft lead guide: How to get, crafting recipe, and uses

Modified Apr 16, 2025 14:44 GMT

Lead can be crafted or found in many ways and it has several uses. (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

Lead is an item in Minecraft that allows players to tie a rope around certain mobs or non-living entities. It is useful for controling a mob's movement, especially those whose movement cannot be controlled by a player. Many players crave this item, especially in the early stages of the game. Here is a complete guide on leads in Minecraft, including their crafting recipe, how to get them, and their uses.

Everything to know about lead in Minecraft

Natural generation and crafting recipe

Lead can be obtained by crafting, from wandering traders, or as chest loot (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

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There are several ways to get lead in Minecraft. You can craft lead using four strings and one slime ball. While strings can be obtained by killing spiders or breaking cobwebs, slime ball can be obtained by killing slimes or from a wandering trader for four emeralds.

Apart from crafting a lead, you can easily obtain it from wandering traders. These creatures spawn near players and will appear in the world with two wandering llamas. The trader will have two leashes connected to both the llamas. You can kill all three of them to get two leashes.

Lastly, lead can also be found as chest loot in many structures. It can be found most commonly in Woodland Mansions and Ancient Cities. In Bedrock Edition, it can also be found in the buried treasure chest.

Use of lead in Minecraft

Lead is primarily used to transport mobs (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Mojang Studios)

A lead's primary use is to pull an entity around. The item can be tied to most entities like pigs, sheep, cows, allays, goats, cats, wolves, and foxes. It can even be tied to any kind of boat. With a lead, players can pull a mob and transport them from point A to B.

It can also be used to prevent a mob from wandering around. If a player has a mob on a leash, they can right-click on any fence to tie the other end of the leash. This will keep the mob around the fence, preventing it from wandering too far.

Lead can also be used to connect an entity with a happy ghast, as shown in the picture above. Once a lead connects an entity to a happy ghast, it will appear as a four-lead configuration. This can allow players to carry lots of entities and resources and fly around on a happy ghast.

Lastly, lead can be used to craft balloons in Minecraft Education Edition only. It can be combined with latex, helium, and any dye for color to create a balloon.

Note: The happy ghast lead feature is currently in development and will officially release with Minecraft's second game drop of 2025.

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About the author

Akshat has been a Minecraft writer at Sportskeeda for almost three years. He has loved gaming since childhood, and the fact that Need For Speed Most Wanted is still installed on his PC is proof that the flame burns strong even today. This love for the racing franchise spilled over to F1 fandom, leading him to cover the sport as well for the company.

Akshat's articles have accrued over 19 million views so far at Sportskeeda. He prefers both solo and multiplayer titles and is a huge admirer of popular gamers Shroud and Philza. Akshat places huge emphasis on accurate, relevant, and ethical content, and does thorough research using social media, videos, and a multitude of websites before writing an article.

Akshat's other hobbies include cars, mechanical keyboards, psychology, and philosophy. He would recommend indie and Slice of Life games to a gaming skeptic because of their ease of play, compelling storyline, and message.

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Edited by Akshat Kabra