Minecraft:Dispenser

Template:Infobox block A dispenser is a low-capacity storage Minecraft:block that can fire Minecraft:projectiles, use certain items or tools or place certain blocks, fluids or entities when given a Minecraft:redstone signal. Items that do not have unique dispenser functions are instead ejected into the world.

Obtaining

Breaking

Dispensers can be mined using a Minecraft:pickaxe, in which case it drops itself and its contents. If mined without a pickaxe, the dispenser drops only its contents. Template:Breaking row

Natural generation

Minecraft:Jungle temples

• Two dispensers are naturally generated in every Minecraft:jungle temple.

Minecraft:Trial chambers

• Several dispensers can generate inside the Minecraft:trial chambers with random surprises.

Usage

A dispenser can be used as a container and as a Minecraft:redstone component that dispenses items when activated, with results varying based on the item dispensed. For example, the trap in a Minecraft:jungle pyramid incorporates Minecraft:arrows inside a dispenser, which shoots the arrows when activated.

To place a dispenser, Template:Control it while pointing at a surface adjacent to the space it should occupy. A dispenser can be placed so that its output faces in any direction, including up or down. When placed, a dispenser faces the location of the player placing it.

In Template:JE, a dispenser cannot be moved by Minecraft:pistons.

Container

File:Dispenser GUI.png

The GUI of the dispenser.

A dispenser has 9 slots of inventory space.

To open the dispenser GUI, use the Template:Control Minecraft:control. To move items between the dispenser inventory and the player inventory or hotbar while the dispenser GUI is open, drag or shift-click the items. To exit the dispenser GUI, use the Template:Key control.

By default, the GUI of a dispenser is labeled "Dispenser". A dispenser's GUI label can be changed by naming the dispenser in an Minecraft:anvil before placing it, or by using the data command.Template:Only For example, to label a dispenser at (0,64,0) "My Dispenser", use data merge block 0 64 0 {CustomName:'"My Dispenser"'}.

A dispenser can be "locked" by setting the dispenser's lock tag. If a dispenser's lock tag is not blank, the dispenser cannot be accessed except by players holding an item that matches the item predicate in the lock tag. A dispenser's lock tag can be set or unset with the data command. For example, to lock a dispenser at (0,64,0) so that only players holding an item named "My Key" can access the dispenser, use data merge block 0 64 0 {lock:{components:{"custom_name":"My Key"}}}.

Redstone component

A dispenser can be used to dispense a randomly selected Minecraft:item out of the ones it contains.

Activation

A dispenser is a redstone mechanism and can be activated by:

• an adjacent active power component: for example, a Minecraft:redstone torch (except that a redstone torch does not activate a dispenser it is attached to), a Minecraft:block of redstone, a Minecraft:daylight sensor, etc.
• an adjacent Minecraft:powered Minecraft:conductive block (for example, a block with an active redstone torch under it)
• a powered Minecraft:redstone repeater or Minecraft:redstone comparator facing the dispenser
• powered Minecraft:redstone dust configured to point at the dispenser, or on top of it, or a directionless "cross" next to it; a dispenser is not activated by adjacent powered redstone dust that is configured to point in another direction.

Some of these methods can activate a dispenser (in the sense of triggering an action) without powering the dispenser (in the sense of whether the dispenser can power adjacent redstone dust, etc.).

In addition to the methods above, a dispenser can also be activated by Minecraft:quasi-connectivity.Template:Only A dispenser becomes activated if one of the methods above would activate a mechanism component in the block above the dispenser, even if there is no mechanism component there (even if the block above the dispenser is Minecraft:air or a Minecraft:non-conductive block), but only when the dispenser receives a block update (including a redstone update within two blocks of the dispenser).

A dispenser has a 4 game Minecraft:tick (0.2 seconds, barring lag) delay between activation and a response. During this time, additional inputs are ignored.

Template:IN, the dispenser can only activate on the input/consumer redstone tick (Minecraft:C-tick).

Behavior

When activated, a dispenser waits for 4 game Minecraft:ticks (0.2 seconds, barring lag) and then ejects one item. The dispenser does not continue to eject items while activated; ejection occurs only on the initial activation (the rising edge of an input signal). To eject multiple items, repeatedly activate the dispenser with a Minecraft:clock circuit.

If multiple slots are occupied by items, a random occupied slot is chosen for ejection. The slot is chosen when an item is ejected, not when the dispenser is initially activated; thus it is possible to move items into or out of a dispenser between its activation and item dispensing.

The effects of being activated vary with the type of ejected item. Most items are thrown in the direction the dispenser is facing as if a player had used the Template:Control Minecraft:control. Other items behave differently when dispensed, as described in the table below. In general, a dispenser cannot place blocks into the world, aside for a few exceptions, such as shulker boxes, powder snow, and certain cases where the placed block would do something unusual. When a dispenser uses an item that has Minecraft:durability, such as Minecraft:flint and steel and Minecraft:shears, the item's durability decreases.

Unlike a Minecraft:dropper, a dispenser can't push items inside another container.

Dispenser behavior
Item	Effect
Template:ItemLink Template:ItemLink	Equips on a Minecraft:player, Minecraft:armor stand, Minecraft:skeleton, Minecraft:wither skeleton, Minecraft:stray, Minecraft:bogged, Minecraft:zombie, Minecraft:husk, Minecraft:pillager, Minecraft:drowned, Minecraft:vindicator, Minecraft:villagerTemplate:Only<ref>Template:Bug</ref>, Minecraft:piglin or Minecraft:zombified piglin within the block the dispenser is facing with empty appropriate armor slot (any armor, made from any material). Template:IN, zombies can only be equipped if they are capable of picking up items.<ref>Template:Bug</ref>
Template:ItemLink	Placed as an entity in the block the dispenser is facing.Template:Only<ref>Template:Bug</ref>
Template:ItemLink Template:ItemLinkTemplate:Only Template:ItemLink	Fired in the direction the dispenser is facing.
Template:ItemLink Template:ItemLink	Placed as an entity (i.e., a right-clickable vehicle) in the block the dispenser is facing, if the dispenser is facing the water or an empty block above water — otherwise dropped.<ref name="LousyDispensers">Template:Bug</ref>
Template:ItemLink Template:ItemLinkTemplate:Only	Uses bone meal (as fertilizer) or super fertilizer on the block the dispenser is facing, if possible. If the block faced does not react to fertilizers, no bone meal or super fertilizer is used.
Template:ItemLink Template:ItemLink Template:ItemLinkTemplate:Only Template:ItemLink Template:ItemLink Template:ItemLink Template:ItemLink	Thrown in the direction the dispenser is facing as if the player had right-clicked the item in their inventory. Splash potions and lingering potions are fired farther.
Template:ItemLink	Collects lava or water source block the dispenser is facing, adding the newly filled bucket to an empty slot in the dispenser's inventory. If there isn't room in the dispenser for the newly-filled bucket (i.e. the empty bucket was part of a stack and all other slots in the dispenser are also full), drops the filled bucket. If no source block is in front of the dispenser, drops an empty bucket.<ref name="LousyDispensers"/>
Template:ItemLink	Launches fireball (as if produced by a Minecraft:blaze) in the direction the dispenser is facing. When a dispensed fireball hits a mob (including a player) or a block, the mob or block is set on fire. When a dispensed fireball hits a Minecraft:boat or Minecraft:minecart, the vehicle is destroyed and drops itself as an item.
Template:ItemLink	Launches in the direction the dispenser is facing. It can be used to inflict damage if it was crafted with stars.
Template:ItemLink	If the dispenser is facing an air block and having an available block below this air block, places fire in the air block. If the dispenser is facing Minecraft:TNT, it ignites the TNT. If the dispenser is facing an extinguished Minecraft:campfire, the campfire is ignited. Otherwise, does nothing.
Template:ItemLink Template:ItemLink Template:ItemLink Template:ItemLink Template:ItemLink Template:ItemLink Template:ItemLink Template:ItemLink Template:ItemLink	Places lava or water in the block the dispenser is facing (replacing the lava or water bucket in the dispenser with an empty bucket) if the block the dispenser is facing is one that the player could use lava or water buckets on (e.g., Minecraft:air, Minecraft:flowers, Minecraft:grass, etc. — doesn't work with a Minecraft:cauldron<ref>Template:Bug</ref>) — otherwise the bucket is dropped.<ref name="LousyDispensers"/> Water dispensed in Minecraft:the Nether disappears instantly, leaving only the empty bucket in the dispenser. If the bucket contains an axolotl or fish, the mob is spawned along with the block of water. A dispenser can place or remove Minecraft:powder snow in the block in front of where the dispenser is facing.
Template:EntityLink Template:EntityLink Template:EntityLink Template:EntityLink Template:EntityLink Template:EntityLink	Placed as an entity (i.e., a right-clickable vehicle) in the block the dispenser is facing, if the dispenser is facing a type of rails — otherwise dropped.<ref name="LousyDispensers"/>
Template:BlockLink Template:BlockLink	If placement completes the construction of an Minecraft:iron golem, Minecraft:snow golem, or Minecraft:wither, the entity is created as if constructed by a player. If the Minecraft:difficulty is set to peaceful, dispensers never place wither skeleton skulls. Equips on a Minecraft:player, Minecraft:mob (with exceptions), or Minecraft:armor stand with an empty helmet slot, within the block the dispenser is facing. Otherwise, does nothing. Placement of wither skulls fails under water, even though withers can be manually built under water.
Template:BlockLink	Placed as a block.
Minecraft:Spawn egg	Summons a mob in front of the dispenser.
Template:BlockLink Template:BlockLinkTemplate:Only	Summons a TNT entity in the block the dispenser is facing, with upward motion and a small velocity in a random horizontal direction.
Template:ItemLink	Thrown in the direction the dispenser is facing.Template:OnlyTemplate:Upcoming
Template:ItemLink	Unleash leashed mobs that is in the block in front of it. Shear any Minecraft:bogged, Minecraft:sheep, Minecraft:snow golem, Minecraft:mooshroom, or Minecraft:sulfur cubeTemplate:Upcoming that is in the block in front of it. Harvests Minecraft:honeycombs from a full Minecraft:beehive or Minecraft:bee nest.
Template:ItemLink	Fills bottle with water if the dispenser is facing a water source block or with honey if the dispenser is facing a full beehive or bee nest. If there is no room for the newly-filled bottle (i.e. there are no empty slots in the dispenser), drops the filled bottle. If the dispenser is facing anything else, the empty glass bottle is dropped.<ref name="LousyDispensers"/><ref>Template:Snap</ref>
Template:ItemLink	Place horse armor on any tamed horse or zombie horse that is in the block in front of it.
Template:ItemLink	Place nautilus armor on any tamed nautilus or zombie nautilus that is in the block in front of it.
Template:ItemLink	Place a saddle on any pig, strider, camel, camel husk, tamed horse, donkey, mule, zombie horse, skeleton horse,Template:Only nautilus, or zombie nautilus that is in the block in front of it.
Template:ItemLink	Place a harness on any happy ghast that is in the block in front of it.
Template:BlockLink	Place a carpet on any tamed llama that is in the block in front of it.
Template:BlockLink	Place a chest on any tamed llama, donkey, or mule that is in the block in front of it.
Template:BlockLink	Charges any empty or partially filled Minecraft:respawn anchor. If facing a full respawn anchor, it does nothing.
Template:ItemLink	Wax any Minecraft:copper block that is in the block in front of it.
Template:ItemLink	Turns Minecraft:dirt, Minecraft:coarse dirt, and Minecraft:rooted dirt into Minecraft:mud.
Template:ItemLink	Brushes an Minecraft:armadillo in front of the dispenser.
Others	Dropped: Ejected toward the block the dispenser is facing as if a player had used the Template:Control Minecraft:control.

When a dispenser dispenses an item, it emits a clicking Minecraft:sound (unless the item is a projectile or a Minecraft:spawn egg) and a smoke Minecraft:particle. If it is empty when activated, it emits a slightly higher-pitched click. The noise of a dispenser can be heard up to 16 blocks away.

A dispenser is a Minecraft:conductive block, so powering it directly can cause adjacent Minecraft:mechanism components (including other dispensers) to activate as well.

Sounds

Unique

Template:El: Template:SoundTable

Template:El: Template:SoundTable

Data values

ID

Template:Edition: Template:ID table Template:ID table

Template:Edition: Template:ID table Template:ID table

Block states

Template:See also <section begin="block states"/>Template:El: Template:Bst Template:Bst

Template:El: Template:Bst Template:Bst<section end="block states"/>

Block data

A dispenser has a block entity associated with it that holds additional data about the block.

Template:El: Template:See also

<section begin="block data"/>

• Template:Nbt Block entity data
  • Template:Nbt inherit/blockentity
  • Template:Nbt inherit/nameable
  • Template:Nbt inherit/lockable
  • Template:Nbt inherit/lootable
  • Template:Nbt: List of items in this container. Represents the Template:DCL component. The component is still present on the block entity, even if the tag does not exist (due to a loot table existing instead).
    • Template:Nbt: An item, including the slot tag. Dispenser slots are numbered 0-8 with 0 in the top left corner.
      • Template:Nbt inherit/item

<section end="block data"/>

Template:El:

See Minecraft:Bedrock Edition level format/Block entity format.

Videos

Template:YtTemplate:Yt

History

Historical images

• Frame from first video of dispensers.
  Frame from first video of dispensers.
• The first image released by Mojang showing the new vertical placement of dispensers and Minecraft:droppers. The dispenser can be seen on the top.
  The first image released by Mojang showing the new vertical placement of dispensers and Minecraft:droppers. The dispenser can be seen on the top.

Trivia

• A dispenser was shown inside a minecart in one of the Minecraft:Java Edition 1.5 teaser images, although this was never added to the game.
• Dispensers resemble a face when not facing up or down, a fact which is briefly brought up by Template:MCSM in Template:Story Mode episode.

Gallery

Renders

Java Edition

• Facing south
  Facing south
• Facing west
  Facing west
• Facing north
  Facing north
• Facing east
  Facing east
• Facing up
  Facing up
• Facing down
  Facing down

Bedrock Edition

• Facing south
  Facing south
• Facing west
  Facing west
• Facing north
  Facing north
• Facing east
  Facing east
• Facing up
  Facing up
• Facing down
  Facing down

Screenshots

• Dispensers can be placed facing up and down, as well as the side orientation.
  Dispensers can be placed facing up and down, as well as the side orientation.
• A distribution of arrows shot straight up by a dispenser.
  A distribution of arrows shot straight up by a dispenser.

In other media

• Artwork of dispensers used in Minecraft:Block of the Week
  Artwork of dispensers used in Minecraft:Block of the Week
• Dispenser as it appeared in Minecraft:MCC x Minecraft 15th Anniversary Party
  Dispenser as it appeared in Minecraft:MCC x Minecraft 15th Anniversary Party
• Dispenser as it appeared in ''Minecraft Earth''
  Template:MCE as it appeared in Template:MCE

See also

Some other blocks can also be used to move items:

• Minecraft:Droppers can throw items or push them into adjacent containers.
• Minecraft:Hoppers can push items into adjacent containers.
• Minecraft:Ice, Minecraft:packed ice, and Minecraft:blue ice have reduced friction to the item entity movement.
• Minecraft:Slime blocks can impart velocity to item entities when pushed by a piston.
• Minecraft:Water can push item entities.
• Minecraft:Quasi-connectivity applies to dispensers.

External links

• Template:Mcnet