A Lead is the item you reach for when an animal needs to move with you instead of away from you. In current Minecraft Java and Bedrock releases, making one no longer takes a Slimeball. Use the 5 String recipe below, then try the faster no-crafting options if your world allows them.
Craft a Lead with String
Open a Crafting Table. Place String in the top-left slot, then put another String in the top-middle slot. Add String to the middle-left slot, then place String in the center slot.
Put the final String in the bottom-right slot. Take the 2 Lead items from the output slot. Keep 5 String ready for each extra pair of Leads.
Fix the Slimeball Recipe Problem
The most common cause is using the old 4 String plus 1 Slimeball layout in a current Minecraft version. In Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.6 and later, and Minecraft Bedrock Edition 1.21.90 and later, make a Lead with 5 String.
Put String in the center slot instead of a Slimeball. Use the current 5 String pattern every time the older Slimeball layout gives you no output.
Use the Recipe Book
This fixes the crafting layout when you have the materials but do not want to place each String by hand. Open a Crafting Table, then open the Recipe Book. Search for Lead, or select the Lead recipe when it appears.
Select the recipe so the String fills the crafting grid. Select Craft, then take the Lead output.
Get a Lead in Creative Mode
Creative mode skips the Survival recipe entirely. Switch to Creative, open the Creative inventory, and search for Lead from the search field or Search Items tab.
Move the Lead to your hotbar or inventory. If Creative mode is not available in your world, craft the Lead with 5 String or use commands if cheats are enabled.
Give Yourself a Lead with a Command
Enable commands or cheats for the world first. In Bedrock single-player, open Settings, select Game, then turn on Allow Cheats.
In Java single-player world creation, turn on Allow Commands. In an existing Java single-player world, open World Options and turn on Allow Commands. Or open the world to LAN and enable Allow Commands under Settings for Other Players.
Open chat and run /give @s minecraft:lead 1 in Java Edition. In Bedrock Edition, run /give @s lead 1. Use the crafting recipe in ordinary no-cheat Survival worlds.
Take Leads from Wandering Trader Llamas
Wandering Traders can arrive with 2 Trader Llamas attached by Leads. When a llama is detached, the Lead drops at the llama's position.
Detach a Trader Llama by using Shears, putting the llama in a Boat or Minecart, dragging the trader and llama far apart, or killing the Trader Llama or Wandering Trader. If this method fails because no Wandering Trader is nearby, use the 5 String recipe or search generated loot instead.
Find Leads in Chests and Archaeology
This fixes the problem when you have no String but still want a Survival-friendly way to obtain Leads. Locate an Ancient City, then open chests there and look for Lead loot, which can appear as a stack of 1.
Find a Woodland Mansion, then open its chests and look for Lead loot, which can appear as a stack of 1. Locate Trail Ruins, then use a Brush on Suspicious Gravel for a possible Lead archaeology drop.
Automate Lead Crafting with a Crafter
Place a Crafter, then open the Crafter. Put String in the top-left input slot.
Put String in the top-middle input slot. Put String in the middle-left input slot. Put String in the center input slot. Put String in the bottom-right input slot.
Disable the four unused input slots by clicking them: top-right, middle-right, bottom-left, and bottom-middle. Feed more String manually, or with Hoppers once those four slots are disabled.
Power the Crafter with a redstone pulse from a Button, Lever, Pressure Plate, or another redstone circuit. Use a Crafter when you want repeat Lead output without opening a Crafting Table each time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Minecraft versions use the 5 String Lead recipe?
Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.6 and later, and Minecraft Bedrock Edition 1.21.90 and later, use the 5 String Lead recipe.
How many Leads does one recipe make?
One current Lead recipe uses 5 String and produces 2 Leads.
Can command blocks give players Leads?
Yes. In Bedrock, enable cheats, give yourself a command block with /give @p command_block, enter /give @p lead 1 in Command Input, then activate it with redstone or command block settings.
Are Abandoned Camp chests a stable way to get Leads?
No. Abandoned Camp Lead loot is testing content in Java 26.3 snapshots and Bedrock Preview 26.50-era builds, not a stable Survival method.