How to Craft Name Tag in Minecraft
Name Tags cannot be crafted but are found as loot. Use an anvil to write a name, then right-click a mob to apply it. Named mobs never despawn.
Overview
Name Tags cannot be crafted but are found as loot. Use an anvil to write a name, then right-click a mob to apply it. Named mobs never despawn. Rather than being crafted at a workbench, name tag is obtained through gameplay: found in dungeon, mineshaft and woodland mansion chests, or from fishing. From there you use it directly in the world or as an ingredient in other recipes.
Once you have it, name tag is used for naming mobs to prevent despawning and custom mob names. Because there is no recipe to fall back on, it is worth collecting more than you think you need whenever you come across a source, so a shortage never stalls a project mid-way.
Items like this that are gathered rather than crafted tend to gate progress: you cannot simply assemble more from raw blocks, so each one represents time spent exploring, fighting, or searching the right structure. Plan a dedicated trip to its source, bring the gear that trip demands, and bank a comfortable surplus while you are there. That way name tag is never the thing standing between you and the recipe or task that needs it.
Crafting Recipe
Name TagMaterials Needed
The only thing you need is Name Tag (found in dungeon, mineshaft and woodland mansion chests, or from fishing). Keep a few spare in your inventory, since this item is consumed wherever it is used.
Tips & Notes
- Because Name Tag cannot be crafted, plan ahead and stockpile it when you have the chance, rather than relying on finding more at the moment you need it.
Uses for Name Tag
- Naming mobs to prevent despawning
- Custom mob names
How Name Tag Fits Your World
Tools determine how fast you gather and what blocks you can mine at all: a pickaxe of the right tier is required to mine higher ores, since mining diamond ore needs at least an iron pickaxe and ancient debris needs a diamond one. Every tool also carries a durability bar that ticks down with use, so enchantments like Unbreaking and Mending dramatically extend how long it lasts before it breaks. For Name Tag specifically, that means it is most valuable for naming mobs to prevent despawning and custom mob names.
View detailed item stats, durability and properties for Name Tag on the Astroworld Items Database.