# Infinity Enchantment in Minecraft: What It Does and How to Use It

_Published October 16, 2026_

Infinity stops a bow from consuming arrows as long as you carry one — but it directly conflicts with Mending, never both.

Infinity lets a bow fire without ever running out of arrows — as long as you're carrying at least one.

## What Infinity actually does

With Infinity, firing a bow doesn't consume the arrow from your inventory — but it only works if your inventory contains at least one regular arrow to begin with; that one arrow is cloned, never used up. It does NOT work on tipped or spectral arrows — those are still consumed normally even with Infinity equipped, so a status-effect arrow build still needs a real stock of them.

## How to use it

Infinity is one half of a hard fork with Mending (they're flagged as directly conflicting — no anvil or enchanting table roll ever puts both on the same bow). Infinity means you never manage arrow stacks again for regular shots, but the bow's durability only has Unbreaking to lean on, with no Mending safety net. It's the standard endgame pick for most players specifically because carrying/replenishing arrows is the bigger long-term chore than durability.

## Well-known builds that use it

Infinity is one half of the central decision in [The Ideal Bow Enchantments](/guides/god-bow) — the "Infinity Bow," paired with Power V and Unbreaking III, versus the alternative "Mending Bow" build.

**Bow:** Power V, Infinity I, Unbreaking III

[Build the Infinity Bow →](https://anvilcalc.com/#eyJpIjoiYm93IiwiZSI6W10sInAiOjAsIm4iOiIiLCJ0IjpbWyJwb3dlciIsNV0sWyJpbmZpbml0eSIsMV0sWyJ1bmJyZWFraW5nIiwzXV19)

## Frequently asked questions

**Why can't a bow have both Infinity and Mending?**

They're flagged as directly conflicting in the game's own enchantment data — no anvil combination or enchanting table roll can put both on the same bow. The design logic: Infinity already solves ammo, and Mending already solves durability for free from XP, so having both would remove nearly every cost from using a bow.

**Do I still need to carry any arrows with Infinity?**

Yes — exactly one. Infinity only activates if your inventory contains at least one regular arrow; it's cloned rather than consumed, so you never need more than that single arrow, but you do need to keep one on hand.

**Does Infinity work with tipped or spectral arrows?**

No. Infinity has no effect on tipped arrows (potion-effect arrows) or spectral arrows — both are still consumed normally, so a build relying on those still needs a real supply of them regardless of Infinity.

**Should I pick Infinity or Mending?**

Most players standardize on Infinity for the endgame, since never managing arrow stacks again outweighs losing free repairs — but Mending is a completely legitimate build too, especially if you already keep a full quiver on hand. See The Ideal Bow Enchantments for the full comparison.