Better Join Messages
by Hurky
Better Join Messages lets server owners replace the default join and leave messages with custom text, including a separate greeting for players who connect for the first time.
What it does
Server owners set the join, leave and first-time join messages through in-game commands or through the betterjoinmessages.json file on the server. Messages can use Minecraft colour codes, so a line can be bold or coloured, for example yellow. Broadcasts can be global, reaching every player on the server, or local, limited to players within a configurable distance of the one who joined.
The first-time message greets a new player and tells everyone else about them, and it switches to the regular join message after that. It can also be turned off entirely for servers that want only the standard messages. The configuration file is the place to expand the setup or create other message variants. A video in the mod's listing shows what the in-game configuration and custom messages look like.
The mod has a single loader, Fabric, and needs Fabric API installed beside it. It is a server-side only mod, so players join without installing anything. Files cover 1.21.11 and 26.1 – 26.3, and the latest build, 1.2.0 for 26.3, was published on 2026-10-04 under the MIT License. The code is not open source, though the license still applies.
Key features
Custom join and leave messages
Join and leave lines are written by the server owner and can be changed at any time, in game or in the config file.
Colour codes and formatting
Standard Minecraft colour and style codes work inside messages, so text can be bold, coloured or both.
Global and local broadcasts
Messages can go to the whole server or only to players within a set distance of the player who joined.
First-time join greeting
A special message welcomes a new player and announces them, then regular join messages take over for later logins.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Requirements
Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.
Required 1
Use cases
Who it’s for: Server owners running Fabric who want to customize join and leave announcements. Players only need to join the server; the mod adds nothing on the client.
How it compares
Customize Join Leave is a Fabric mod for 1.21 – 1.21.11, client-side only, released under the MIT License and open source. Custom Join&Leave Messages is a Fabric server mod for 1.21.11 only, not open source, under All rights reserved. No Join Leave Messages is a server-side Fabric mod for 1.21 – 1.21.11, open source under the GNU General Public License v3.0 only. Better Join Messages covers later versions than all three.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Better Join Messages | Fabric | 1.21.11 – 26.3 | Server-side only | 2026-10-04 |
| Customize Join Leave | Fabric | 1.21 – 1.21.11 | Client-side only | 2025-11-06 |
| Custom Join&Leave Messages | Fabric | 1.21.11 | Server-side only | 2026-04-17 |
| No Join Leave Messages | Fabric | 1.21 – 1.21.11 | Server-side only | 2026-01-20 |
Questions
Does Better Join Messages need Fabric API?
Do players need to install the mod?
Can the first-time greeting be turned off?
In the catalog
Better Join Messages is one of 5,392 Social mods on ModsFinder, and one of 4,084 Social mods for Fabric. 8,071 mods support Minecraft 26.3.
More from Hurky
Similar mods
What the author says
It supports - Minecraft colour codes (e.g. &l for bold, &e for yellow) - in-game customization using commands or server-side configuration using the betterjoinmessages.json file - global and local broadcasting in a configurable distance - on and off turnable and customizable first-time join messages, greet new…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/better-join-messages
- Owner
- Hurky
- Published
- 2026-08-04
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-10-04
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15