A Nether portal frame made entirely from crying obsidian will not activate in vanilla Minecraft. Use ordinary obsidian for the frame instead; crying obsidian has a different documented use in crafting a respawn anchor.
Why a crying obsidian frame will not work
Although it looks similar to ordinary obsidian, crying obsidian does not serve as Nether portal-frame material in vanilla Minecraft. If you build a frame from crying obsidian and try to light it, it will not create an active portal. The portal-frame guidance cited here comes from a secondary gameplay guide, not a first-party mechanics reference, and does not establish behavior for every game version.
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The guidance also does not establish what happens with a frame that mixes ordinary and crying obsidian, so avoid relying on that combination. For a standard portal, use ordinary obsidian throughout the frame.
How to make a standard Nether portal
- Build a vertical rectangular frame from ordinary obsidian. A secondary gameplay guide gives 4 blocks wide by 5 blocks high as the common minimum; it does not present this as a version-by-version guarantee. Portal-frame guide
- Ignite the opening with flint and steel, as described in the same guide. Portal-frame guide
If you need ordinary obsidian, Mojang’s player guide illustrates making it by pouring water over lava. Mojang’s guide to crying obsidian and respawn anchors
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What crying obsidian is for
Crying obsidian is used to craft a respawn anchor, rather than to make a vanilla Nether portal. Mojang’s guide gives the recipe as six crying obsidian and three glowstone. It says crying obsidian can be mined with a diamond or netherite pickaxe, and can also be obtained through piglin bartering. Mojang’s guide to crying obsidian and respawn anchors
To use the anchor, charge it with glowstone before setting a Nether respawn point. Mojang says it can hold up to four charges, with one charge consumed each time you respawn there. Mojang’s guide to crying obsidian and respawn anchors
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Vanilla behavior versus modified gameplay
This answer concerns vanilla Minecraft. Mods, data packs, or server plugins can change game behavior; a 2020 community post describes a configurable data pack that allowed crying obsidian, but that old example does not establish what any current add-on supports. 2020 community post about a configurable data pack
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