How to repair a bow in Minecraft 1.19

Bows are one of the most important weapons in the Minecraft 1.19 update. They are the best ranged weapon, and nearly every Minecraft player uses them. As most veteran players may know, bows can be obtained by killing skeletons or stray mobs, trading with fletchers, fishing, and crafting. Their popularity is only enhanced by the fact that they are easy to craft, enchant, and repair.

Like most Minecraft weapons, it is essential to repair the bow from time to time. There are three ways to repair a bow, all having their respective advantages and disadvantages.

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Ways to repair a bow in Minecraft 1.19

Note that a player must have an additional bow to repair a damaged bow. The durability of the repaired bow depends on the strength of the second bow used for the repair.

From crafting slots

Repairing using crafting slots enhances durability, but the enchantment is lost (Image via Minecraft 1.19)

The easiest way to repair a bow is by combining two bows directly from the crafting slots in the player's inventory or on a crafting table. Players will not need any special blocks to repair since crafting slots are always available to them.

Players can simply place damaged bows in each slot and collect a new, more durable bow. However, they must remember that the game simply adds the durability of the two bows. Consequently, if one of them is enchanted, after repair, the new bow will not retain any enchantments and will become a simple bow.

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From Grindstone

Repairing with a grindstone gives more durability but does not retains enchantment (Image via Minecraft 1.19)

Grindstone is a block that is used to repair gears that have limited durability. This is a great way to repair the weapon, as it not only adds the durability of both the bows but also increases the durability of the new, repaired bow by 5%. Hence, if players want to repair the weapon more efficiently, the grindstone method is the way to go.

However, because it is also used to remove enchantments from gears, this method will also remove all the enchantments from the weapon after the repair.

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From Anvil

Repairing with an anvil retains enchantment (Image via Minecraft 1.19)

Anvil is a hefty block that is used to enchant gears with enchanted books, name items, and for repairing items. Though crafting an anvil can be costly as it requires three blocks of iron, it may just be the best block to repair bows, especially if one of them is enchanted.

Since this block is meant to apply enchantments to items, it doesn't remove any enchantment during the repairs; however, repairing with this method only adds the durability of both the items and does not give any additional durability boost like the grindstone.