How to Call Down Lightning in Minecraft (Updated 2025)

Minecraft’s survival mode is full of exciting surprises, like summoning lightning to zap mobs or mess with players. It’s thrilling to see bolts crash down, sparking fires (safely, of course). This guide covers the ways to summon lightning in Minecraft as of 2025 and what you can do with it.

You can summon lightning in two ways: using a cheat command or a Trident with the Channeling enchantment.

1. Cheat Command to Summon Lightning

Cheat Minecraft — You need to enable Cheats in the World Settings to use the command.

To use commands, enable Cheats in World Settings or in Creative Mode. Type /summon lightning_bolt to strike lightning where you stand. For a specific spot, add coordinates, like /summon lightning_bolt 320 75 -33. This works across all platforms in 2025, including Minecraft 1.21+ updates.

Summoning Multiple Lightning Bolts

To strike all entities, use /execute @e ~ ~ ~ /summon lightning_bolt. To spare yourself, try /execute @e[type=!player] ~ ~ ~ /summon lightning_bolt. For multiple bolts at once, set up command blocks with /summon lightning_bolt [coordinates] and activate them simultaneously with a Redstone block. Command blocks and Redstone mechanics remain unchanged in 2025.

Summoning Lightning on a Specific Player

During a thunderstorm, throw a Channeling Trident at a player to summon lightning on them. Or, use the command /execute @p[name=playername] ~ ~ ~ /summon lightning_bolt, replacing “playername” with their actual name. Both methods work in 2025’s Minecraft versions.

2. Trident with Channeling Enchantment

Alternatively, use a Trident with the Channeling enchantment. During a thunderstorm, throw it at a mob under an open sky to summon lightning on them. You can also target a lightning rod to call down a bolt without hitting a mob. In Java Edition (still true in 2025), Channeling won’t work if the mob is in water, lava, cobwebs, soul sand, honey blocks, snow, minecarts, or boats, but nearby lightning can still affect them.

Trident Lighting Minecraft — How to summon lightning in Minecraft with a Trident.

Lightning deals 5 damage to players and sets mobs or players on fire, though rain usually extinguishes it quickly. It also transforms mobs: creepers become charged creepers, villagers turn into witches, pigs become zombified piglins, and mooshrooms switch colors.

Getting a Trident and Channeling Enchantment

Tridents are rare weapons you can’t craft. Kill drowned holding Tridents in river or ocean biomes, especially dark ocean areas. The drop rate is 0.53%, improved slightly with Looting III. Only 6.25% of drowned in Java Edition (15% in Bedrock) spawn with Tridents, so it’s a grind.

Channling Trident Minecraft — Add Channeling enchantment to your Trident using Avil.

For faster results, use a Trident farm—check YouTuber Shulkercraft’s 1.21+ compatible drowned/Trident farm video. To enchant your Trident with Channeling, use enchantment tables, raid drops, fishing, minecart chests, dungeon chests, librarian villagers, or Overworld non-village structure chests. It’s random, so keep trying. Or, use the cheat /enchant @p channeling 1 to enchant your held Trident. Adding Loyalty enchantment makes the Trident return after throwing, which is handy but optional.