Updated:
1. Show floating text
/summon text_display ~ ~1.5 ~ {text:{text:"Welcome!",color:"gold",bold:true},billboard:"center",Tags:["holo"]}Bold gold text appears just above you. With billboard:"center" the text always faces the viewer. The tag lets you edit or remove it later.
In Java 1.21.4 and earlier, the text is a JSON string:
/summon text_display ~ ~1.5 ~ {text:'{"text":"Welcome!","color":"gold"}',billboard:"center",Tags:["holo"]}2. Change the look
| Field | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| billboard | "center" | Always faces you. "fixed" keeps its rotation, "vertical" turns left and right only |
| background | 0 | Background color. 0 means transparent |
| shadow | true | Adds a text shadow |
| see_through | true | Visible through walls |
| line_width | 100 | Line width before text wraps |
| alignment | "left" | "center", "left" or "right" |
/summon text_display ~ ~2 ~ {text:{text:"PvP Arena\nRight-click to join",color:"aqua"},billboard:"center",background:0,shadow:true,Tags:["holo"]}Use \n inside the text for a second line.
3. Make it bigger
/summon text_display ~ ~2 ~ {text:{text:"Finish"},billboard:"center",Tags:["holo"],transformation:{left_rotation:[0f,0f,0f,1f],right_rotation:[0f,0f,0f,1f],translation:[0f,0f,0f],scale:[3f,3f,3f]}}The three scale numbers set the size. 3f means three times larger.
4. Edit or remove the text
/data modify entity @e[type=text_display,tag=holo,limit=1,sort=nearest] text set value {text:"Closed",color:"red"}
/kill @e[type=text_display,tag=holo,distance=..3]The first command rewrites the nearest display. The second removes nearby displays. Without distance=..3 every tagged display is removed. Text displays cannot be punched away because they have no hitbox.
5. Floating items and blocks
/summon item_display ~ ~1.5 ~ {item:{id:"minecraft:diamond_sword",count:1},billboard:"center",Tags:["holo"]}
/summon block_display ~ ~1 ~ {block_state:{Name:"minecraft:gold_block"},Tags:["holo"]}Use these for prize previews or shop signs. A block display looks like a real block, but you cannot stand on it or break it.
Troubleshooting
- Nothing appears: text displays need Java 1.19.4 or later.
- Syntax error on the text: 1.21.5+ and 1.21.4 or earlier use different text formats. Use the matching example above.
- Text looks mirrored: add
billboard:"center". - Bedrock Edition: there is no text_display. Use a named, invisible armor stand instead.
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