Lever

A lever is a non-solid block that can provide switchable redstone power.

Obtaining[]

Breaking[]

A lever can be mined using any tool, or without a tool, and always drops itself as an item.

Block	Lever
Hardness	0.5
Breaking time (secs)
Default	0.75

A lever is also removed and drops as an item if:

its attachment block is moved, removed, or destroyed
water or lava flows into its space, in Java Edition
a piston tries to push it or moves a block into its space

Crafting[]

Ingredients	Crafting recipe
Stick + Cobblestone

Natural generation[]

Three levers are generated naturally in each jungle temple. They also generate in woodland mansions and ancient cities.

Usage[]

Lever positions — Five of the eight possible orientations, levers off.

A lever can be used as a player-switchable redstone power source.

Placement[]

A lever can be attached to the top, side, or bottom of any full solid opaque block (stone, dirt, blocks of gold, etc.), or to the top of an upside-down slab or upside-down stairs (but not to the bottom of a right-side-up slab or stairs). When placed on the top or bottom of a block, the lever orients itself in-line with the placing player.

In Bedrock Edition, it can additionally be placed on the top of a fence, stone wall or hopper, and can be placed underwater.

When placed on the side of blocks, down is on and up is off. On the top or bottom of blocks, off is north or west, on is south or east.

Activation[]

To activate or deactivate a lever, use the "Use Item/Place Block" control (right-click, by default). A lever can be turned on and off as fast as it can be clicked.

Mobs cannot turn a lever on or off.

Behavior[]

While active, a lever:

powers any adjacent redstone dust (including beneath the lever) to power level 15
powers any adjacent redstone comparator or redstone repeater facing away from the lever to power level 15
strongly powers its attachment block to power level 15 (only if the attachment block is a full solid opaque block)
activates any adjacent mechanism components, including above or below, such as pistons, redstone lamps, etc.
emits redstone particles to indicate that it is active.

Sounds[]

Generic[]

Java Edition:

Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	`block.stone.break`	`subtitles.block.generic.break`	1.0	0.8	16
Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	`block.stone.place`	`subtitles.block.generic.place`	1.0	0.8	16
Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	`block.stone.hit`	`subtitles.block.generic.hit`	0.25	0.5	16
None^{[sound 1]}	Entity-Dependent	Falling on the block with fall damage	`block.stone.fall`	None^{[sound 1]}	0.5	0.75	16
Footsteps	Entity-Dependent	Walking on the block	`block.stone.step`	`subtitles.block.generic.footsteps`	0.15	1.0	16

↑ ^a ^b MC-177082

Bedrock Edition:

Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
Blocks	Once the block has broken	`dig.wood`	1.0	0.8-1.0
Blocks	When the block is placed	`dig.wood`	1.0	0.8
Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	`hit.wood`	0.23	0.5
Players	Falling on the block with fall damage	`fall.wood`	0.4	1.0
Players	Walking on the block	`step.wood`	0.3	1.0
Players	Jumping from the block	`jump.wood`	0.12	1.0
Players	Falling on the block without fall damage	`land.wood`	0.18	1.0

Unique[]

Java Edition:

Sound	Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	Lever clicks	Blocks	When a lever deactivates ^{[sound 1]}	`block.lever.click`	`subtitles.block.lever.click`	0.3	0.5	16
	Lever clicks	Blocks	When a lever activates ^{[sound 1]}	`block.lever.click`	`subtitles.block.lever.click`	0.3	0.6	16

↑ ^a ^b The lever uses the same sound event for both turning on and off. This has been reported on mojira: MC-177454.

Bedrock Edition

Sound	Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
	Blocks	When a lever deactivates	`random.lever_click`	0.3	0.5
	Blocks	When a lever activates	`random.lever_click`	0.3	0.6

Data values[]

ID[]

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Form	Translation key
Lever	`lever`	Block & Item	`block.minecraft.lever`

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Form	Item ID^{[i 1]}	Translation key
Lever	`lever`	`69`	Block & Giveable Item^{[i 2]}	Identical^{[i 3]}	`tile.lever.name`

↑ ID of block's direct item form, which is used in savegame files and addons.
↑ Available with /give command.
↑ The block's direct item form has the same id as the block.

Block states[]

Java Edition:

Name	Default value	Allowed values	Description
face	`wall`	`ceiling` `floor` `wall`	The face of the block the lever placed on. Floor is on top of a block, ceiling is on the bottom, and wall is on one of its sides.
facing	`north`	`east` `north` `south` `west`	The direction the lever is facing. Opposite to the direction the player is facing if placed on the side of a block.
powered	`false`	`false` `true`	If true, the lever is currently activated.

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Metadata Bits	Default value	Allowed values	Values for Metadata Bits	Description
open_bit	`0x8`	`false`	`false` `true`	`0` `1`	If the lever is currently activated.
lever_direction	`0x1` `0x2` `0x4`	`down_east_west`	`down_east_west`	`0`	Lever on block bottom points east when off
			`east`	`1`	Lever on block side facing east
			`west`	`2`	Lever on block side facing west
			`south`	`3`	Lever on block side facing south
			`north`	`4`	Lever on block side facing north
			`up_north_south`	`5`	Lever on block top points south when off.
			`up_east_west`	`6`	Lever on block top points east when off.
			`down_north_south`	`7`	Lever on block bottom points south when off.

Video[]

History[]

For a more in-depth breakdown of changes to textures and models, including a set of renders for each state combination, see /Asset history

Java Edition Classic
May 21, 2009					Notch shows interest in adding levers.
Java Edition Alpha
v1.0.1					Added levers.
v1.0.1					The data values which would in future be used for ceiling levers had a large cobblestone cuboid in the middle, and floor and "ceiling" levers only existed in north- and west-facing forms.
Java Edition Beta
1.7					Due to the change of the cobblestone texture, the texture of levers has been updated.
Java Edition
1.3.1		12w22a			Levers now generate in jungle temples.
1.3.1		12w24a			Levers can now be placed upside down (on the underside of a block), changing those data values of levers accordingly.
1.5		13w03a			Lever orientation is no longer random.
1.8		14w10a			Lever models have changed - the UV is now different.
1.11		16w39a			Levers now generate in woodland mansions.
1.13		17w47a			Floor and ceiling levers can now be placed facing east or south. This changes the texture rotation.
					Flicking a lever on now displays redstone particles.
					Levers can no longer be placed on top of pistons.
					Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 69.
1.14		18w43a			The textures used by levers have changed.
		18w50a			The cobblestone texture has changed, changing levers as well.
		19w03c			Levers now use correct cullface arguments, and a redundant face (internal end of the handle; visible only from within) was deleted.
1.19		22w13a			Levers now generate in ancient cities.
1.20.2		23w33a			Levers now use stone sounds instead of wood sounds.^[1]
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.13.0		build 1			^[verify] Added levers.
v0.15.0		build 1			Levers now generate in jungle temples.
Pocket Edition
1.1.0		alpha 1.1.0.0			Levers now generate in woodland mansions.
Bedrock Edition
1.10.0		beta 1.10.0.3			^[verify] The texture of levers has been changed.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1	CU1	1.0	Patch 1	1.0.1	^[verify] Added levers.
TU14	CU1	1.04	Patch 1	1.0.1	Levers can now be placed upside down (on the underside of a block).
		1.90			^[verify] The texture of levers has been changed.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0					^[verify] Added levers.