Use a dropper to move an item into a container or drop it into the world. Use a dispenser when you want the block to perform an item’s supported action, such as shooting an arrow or placing water.
What happens when you trigger one?
| Situation | Dropper | Dispenser |
|---|---|---|
| An arrow is selected | Drops the arrow as an item | Shoots the arrow |
| A water bucket is selected, with space for water in front | Drops the bucket as an item | Places the water and leaves an empty bucket |
| An ordinary building block is selected | Drops the block as an item | Drops the block as an item; it does not build with it |
| A chest is directly in front | Tries to insert one item into the chest | Uses the selected item’s dispenser behavior; it does not insert items into the chest |
A dispenser’s result depends on both the item and the space in front of it. An item without a special dispenser behavior is dropped. A dropper pointing into a full chest keeps its item rather than throwing it past the chest.
Recipes
Both recipes use cobblestone and redstone dust. The dispenser also needs a bow.
Craft Dropper
7 × Cobblestone + 1 × Redstone Dust → 1 × Dropper
Ingredients
Craft Dispenser
7 × Cobblestone + 1 × Bow + 1 × Redstone Dust → 1 × Dispenser
Ingredients
Triggering and refilling
Both blocks have nine inventory slots and activate when their redstone input turns on. Leaving a lever on does not make them fire repeatedly: turn it off and on again, or use a circuit that sends repeated pulses. When several slots contain items, the block selects a random occupied slot, not the first slot.
A hopper can refill either block. Face the hopper into the block and keep that hopper unpowered while it feeds items. If a shared redstone signal locks the hopper, the dropper or dispenser may fire correctly but stop being refilled. See how hoppers work.
Which should you build?
For a chest-to-chest item line, use hoppers or droppers. A dropper pointing upward can pass an item into another dropper above it. A column of droppers needs a suitable pulse circuit to move items up through it.
For an arrow launcher or a water-release mechanism, use dispensers. Test the action with the intended item and an unobstructed space in front before wiring the whole build. A dispenser full of stone will drop stone items; it will not place a stone wall.