In vanilla Minecraft, use a grindstone to remove ordinary enchantments from an item. It does not save or transfer them to a book: the grindstone removes all non-curse enchantments and returns some XP. To keep an enchantment for later use, you need an enchanted book; an anvil can apply that book to a compatible item.
Remove ordinary enchantments with a grindstone
- Obtain or craft a grindstone.
- Open it and place the enchanted item in an input slot.
- Take the item from the output slot. Its non-curse enchantments are removed.
- Collect the XP returned by the grindstone.
Mojang’s Java Edition Snapshot 18W48B notes, published 29 November 2018, describe the grindstone as removing “all non-curse enchantments” and reimbursing “some XP” for each enchantment removed. The notes do not specify a fixed XP amount, so the amount should not be assumed to be the same for every item or version.
Can you save or transfer an enchantment?
No—not with the vanilla grindstone. It removes enchantments rather than extracting them into a reusable book. If you already have an enchanted book, you can use an anvil to apply its enchantment to a compatible item; that is a way to use a saved enchantment, not to extract one from enchanted gear. Microsoft Learn’s Bedrock stable enchantment documentation describes combining an item with an enchanted book at an anvil.
Can you remove just one enchantment?
The documented grindstone behavior removes all non-curse enchantments from the item together. It is not a selective-removal method for keeping some ordinary enchantments while erasing another.
What happens to curses?
Curses are excluded from the grindstone’s stated removal behavior, so do not expect it to clear Curse of Binding or Curse of Vanishing. Minecraft Help lists both in its enchantment guide. Curse of Binding also prevents removal of worn armor except under the conditions described in that help entry.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Edition and version notes
The cited grindstone description is from Java Edition Snapshot 18W48B, dated 29 November 2018. The anvil-and-book reference is Microsoft Learn documentation labeled for Bedrock stable. Together, these sources support the general distinction between removing enchantments and applying an existing enchanted book, but they do not establish every current platform interface prompt or a complete Java/Bedrock version matrix. Menu labels and controls may vary by edition and platform.
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