Cure a zombie villager with commands

Updated: 30 October 2026

How curing works

1. Give the zombie villager the Weakness effect.
2. While it is weak, use a normal golden apple on it.
3. It starts shaking with red particles. A few minutes later it is a villager again.

Use a normal golden apple, not an enchanted one.

1. Summon a zombie villager

On Java you can choose the profession:

/summon minecraft:zombie_villager ~ ~ ~ {VillagerData:{profession:"minecraft:librarian",level:1,type:"minecraft:plains"},PersistenceRequired:1b}

Other profession IDs are in the villager profession guide. PersistenceRequired:1b stops it despawning when you walk away.

2. Give it Weakness

This gives nearby zombie villagers 30 seconds of Weakness. A splash potion of Weakness does the same job:

/give @s minecraft:splash_potion[potion_contents={potion:"minecraft:weakness"}]

That is Java 1.20.5+ syntax; see the potion guide for other versions.

3. Use a golden apple

/give @s minecraft:golden_apple

Hold the apple and use it on the weakened zombie villager. This works in creative too.

Timing and tips

• Time: a few minutes (about 3 to 5 on Java). Iron bars and beds nearby speed it up a little.
• Sunlight: it is still a zombie while curing and burns in daylight. Keep it under a roof.
• Keep it in place: a pit or a small pen stops it wandering off.
• Discounts: the player who cured it gets much cheaper trades; other players get a smaller discount.

Turning villagers into zombie villagers

Whether a villager killed by a zombie becomes a zombie villager depends on difficulty: never on Easy, half the time on Normal, always on Hard. See the difficulty guide.

When it does not work

• The apple will not feed: Weakness is missing or has run out. Apply it again.
• It shook but never changed: wait longer, and check it did not burn in daylight.
• Bedrock summon fails: the ID is zombie_villager_v2.
• Java profession ignored: check the spelling of VillagerData and the minecraft: prefixes.

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