Dis-Enchanting Table Mod Guide: Recover Enchantments from Any Item
The Dis-Enchanting Table lets you strip enchantments from any enchanted item and transfer them onto Books. Whether you want to salvage a valuable enchantment from a nearly broken tool or split enchantments off an Enchanted Book, this single-block mod makes enchantment management simple and cost-effective.
Overview
The Dis-Enchanting Table adds a single new block to Minecraft that does exactly what its name suggests: it removes enchantments from items and places them onto Books. This is the reverse of a standard Enchanting Table, and it fills a gap that vanilla Minecraft has never addressed. Instead of losing valuable enchantments when an item breaks or becomes obsolete, you can now recover them and apply them to new gear through an Anvil.
The mod works with any enchanted item, including tools, weapons, armor, and even Enchanted Books with multiple enchantments. By default, each use costs 25 experience points, making it far cheaper than re-enchanting from scratch. The Dis-Enchanting Table also resets an item's Anvil repair cost, which solves the "too expensive" problem that plagues late-game gear. You can browse the crafting recipe and item details using the tabs on this page.
Getting Started
- 1
Gather the Crafting Materials
You'll need 4 Obsidian, 2 Diamonds, and 1 Lapis Lazuli. The recipe mirrors the vanilla Enchanting Table but uses different materials. If you already have an Enchanting Table setup, you likely have all of these on hand.
- 2
Craft the Dis-Enchanting Table
Place the materials in a Crafting Table: Lapis Lazuli in the top center, Diamonds on the left and right of the middle row, and Obsidian filling the remaining four slots (middle center and the entire bottom row). The resulting block looks similar to an Enchanting Table but has a distinct appearance with ender particle effects.
- 3
Place It and Gather Books
Place the Dis-Enchanting Table anywhere in the world. You'll notice purple ender particles floating around it. Stock up on regular Books, as you'll need one Book per disenchanting operation. Each use also costs 25 experience points by default.
- 4
Disenchant Your First Item
Right-click the table to open its interface. Place your enchanted item in the left slot and a Book in the middle slot. The output slot on the right will show an Enchanted Book containing all the enchantments from your item. Click the result to complete the operation. Your original item remains in the left slot, now stripped of its enchantments, and the Book in the middle slot is consumed.
- 5
Apply Your Recovered Enchantments
Take the Enchanted Book to an Anvil and apply it to your new gear. Since the Dis-Enchanting Table resets the repair cost of the original item, you can also continue using that item with a fresh Anvil cost if you wish.
Crafting the Dis-Enchanting Table
The recipe uses 4 Obsidian, 2 Diamonds, and 1 Lapis Lazuli arranged in a shaped pattern. The Lapis Lazuli goes in the top-center slot, Diamonds go on either side of the middle row with Obsidian in the center, and the bottom row is filled with Obsidian. The block itself copies the properties of a vanilla Enchanting Table, so it has the same hardness and blast resistance. It can be placed in any direction and will face toward the player when placed.
Top row: empty, Lapis Lazuli, empty. Middle row: Diamond, Obsidian, Diamond. Bottom row: Obsidian, Obsidian, Obsidian.
How Disenchanting Works
Disenchanting Tools, Weapons, and Armor
When you place an enchanted tool, weapon, or piece of armor into the left slot along with a regular Book in the middle slot, the table strips all enchantments from the item and creates an Enchanted Book in the output slot. The original item remains in the input slot but is now completely unenchanted. All enchantments transfer together onto a single Book, so a Sword with Sharpness V, Looting III, and Unbreaking III produces one Enchanted Book containing all three enchantments.
The table also resets the item's repair cost to zero by default. This is extremely valuable for late-game gear that has been through multiple Anvil operations and has become "too expensive" to modify further. After disenchanting, you can re-enchant or repair the item at the Anvil without the inflated costs.
Splitting Enchanted Books
The Dis-Enchanting Table has a special behavior when processing Enchanted Books that contain multiple enchantments. Instead of stripping all enchantments at once, it splits the book: one enchantment stays on the original book in the input slot, and the remaining enchantments go onto the new Enchanted Book in the output slot. This means that to fully separate a book with three enchantments, you would need to run it through the table twice, using two Books and paying the experience cost twice.
An Enchanted Book with only a single enchantment cannot be placed in the Dis-Enchanting Table, since there would be nothing to split. The table only accepts Enchanted Books that have two or more enchantments.
Even if you plan to put the same enchantments right back on an item, running it through the Dis-Enchanting Table first resets the Anvil repair cost to zero. This is a great way to refresh expensive gear that has hit the "too expensive" cap at the Anvil.
Experience Cost
By default, each disenchanting operation costs 25 experience points (not levels). This is an important distinction: 25 experience points is roughly equivalent to being halfway through level 1, which makes it very affordable. If you don't have enough experience, the interface will display an "Insufficient Experience" warning and prevent you from taking the output. Players in Creative mode bypass the experience requirement entirely.
The experience system is fully configurable. Server operators can switch from points to levels, change the cost amount, or disable the experience requirement altogether. See the Configuration section below for details.
Automatic Mode
The Dis-Enchanting Table supports a fully automatic mode that can be enabled in the config file. When automatic disenchanting is turned on, the table operates as a machine: it accepts items through Hoppers, processes them without requiring a player to use the GUI, and outputs the results through the bottom face. This transforms it from a manual crafting station into an automation-friendly block.
In automatic mode, enchanted items are inserted from the top face (slot 0) and Books are inserted from any side face (north, south, east, or west into slot 1). The resulting Enchanted Books can only be extracted from the bottom face (slot 2). The processing takes 10 ticks (half a second) per operation, and the table requires a player to be nearby to supply the experience cost. It finds the nearest player and deducts from their experience.
When automatic mode is active, the table's GUI changes from the manual combiner interface to an automated container view that shows a progress indicator. The three inventory slots remain visible but items are managed by the Hopper system rather than direct player interaction.
Even in automatic mode, the table needs a player nearby to deduct experience from. If no player is close enough, or if the nearest player doesn't have sufficient experience, the table will not process items. Keep this in mind when designing automation setups. You may want to place it near an AFK spot or XP farm.
Hopper Automation Setup
For players interested in automating enchantment recycling, the Dis-Enchanting Table's Hopper integration follows a specific slot mapping. Items fed into the top of the table go to slot 0 (the enchanted item input). Items fed from any horizontal direction (north, south, east, or west) go to slot 1 (the Book input). Only the bottom face allows extraction, pulling from slot 2 (the output Enchanted Book).
A practical setup would be: a Hopper on top feeding enchanted items from a Chest, a Hopper on one side feeding Books, and a Hopper underneath collecting the output Enchanted Books into another Chest. The table processes one item every half second, so a steady supply of Books and experience is all you need for continuous operation.
Configuration Options
The Dis-Enchanting Table has two config files that let you customize its behavior. Both are TOML files found in the game's config folder.
Common Config (disenchanting_table-common.toml)
This config controls gameplay mechanics and is synced between server and client on multiplayer servers.
Common Config Options
| automatic_disenchanting | false (enable Hopper automation & auto-processing) |
| resets_repair_cost | true (resets Anvil cost to 0 on disenchanted items) |
| requires_experience | true (set to false for free disenchanting) |
| uses_points | true (true = XP points, false = XP levels) |
| experience_cost | 25 (points or levels depending on uses_points) |
Client Config (disenchanting_table-client.toml)
This config controls visual settings and only affects the local client.
Client Config Options
| render_ender_particles | true (purple particles around the table) |
| experience_indicator | true (show "Insufficient Experience" warning) |
| render_table_item | true (display input/output items on the block) |
The common config is synced from server to client when players join, so server settings override the client's local common config values. If you're running a server and want to change the experience cost or enable automatic mode, only the server's config file matters. The client config (particles, indicator, item rendering) remains local to each player.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Dis-Enchanting Table work on Enchanted Books?
Yes, but only on Enchanted Books that have two or more enchantments. The table splits one enchantment off and keeps it on the original book, while moving the remaining enchantments to a new Enchanted Book. Single-enchantment books cannot be processed since there is nothing to split.
Does disenchanting destroy the original item?
No. The original item remains in the input slot after disenchanting. It simply loses its enchantments. The item keeps its remaining durability and any other properties, and its Anvil repair cost is reset to zero.
How much experience does disenchanting cost?
By default, 25 experience points per operation (not levels). This is very cheap; you earn more than 25 XP from killing a few mobs. The cost is the same regardless of the enchantments being removed, whether it's Protection I or Sharpness V. The cost can be changed in the config file.
Can I use the Dis-Enchanting Table with Hoppers for automation?
Yes, but only when automatic_disenchanting is set to true in the common config file. In the default manual mode, Hoppers cannot interact with the table. Once enabled, items go in from the top, Books from the sides, and output comes from the bottom.
Does the Dis-Enchanting Table work on a multiplayer server?
Yes. The mod works perfectly on both singleplayer and multiplayer servers. The common config settings are synced from the server to all connected clients, so the server operator controls the experience cost, automatic mode, and repair cost reset behavior.
Why does the table show 'Insufficient Experience'?
This message appears when you don't have enough experience to complete the disenchanting. By default you need 25 experience points. Gain some XP by killing mobs, smelting items, or mining ores and try again. The indicator can be toggled off in the client config if it bothers you, though the cost requirement still applies.