Halfbright
by L3_N0X
Halfbright raises the minimum light level of the world so dark areas read brighter, while lamps and torches still stand out, and it is client-side only.
What it does
Halfbright brightens the world only part of the way instead of setting every block to full brightness, so shadows and light sources keep their shape. Dark spots gain light while the smooth falloff from light level 15 to 0 stays intact. The minimum light level can be tuned 0.0 – 15.0 in increments of 0.5, and Sodium's options menu gains a toggle and a slider for that purpose.
Players who want more visible caves but still find full brightness too flat can use it as a middle option. The /halfbright command has subcommands to toggle, enable, disable, or set the level, and the arrow up and arrow down keys raise or lower the minimum light. Only the client needs the mod, so servers and other players run without it. Halfbright is released under the MIT License and is open source, with its source code and issue tracker public. Files target 26.1.2 – 26.3 on Fabric and NeoForge, and the latest build for both loaders is 1.1.5 for 26.3, published on 2026-10-02.
Key features
Adjustable minimum light
A minimum light value between 0.0 and 15.0 sets how bright unlit areas become, in steps of 0.5.
Sodium options integration
Toggle and slider controls appear in Sodium's options interface for changing the minimum light.
Halfbright command
Subcommands toggle, enable, disable and level switch the effect or set its value from chat.
Keyboard shortcuts
Arrow up and arrow down keys raise or lower the minimum light level while playing.
Lightmap scaling
The mod scales the 16x16 lightmap texture on the CPU to lift dark values without flattening transitions.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
How it compares
Old Lighter is client-side only, open source under the GNU General Public License v3.0 only, and covers 26.1 – 26.2 on Fabric and NeoForge, so it overlaps with Halfbright in loaders and environment but not in its license or last version. FXBright is client-side only, under the MIT License without open source, and covers 1.21 – 26.2 on Fabric only. Sodium Fullbright is client-side only, under the Apache License 2.0 without open source, and covers 1.21.1 – 26.3 on Fabric only.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halfbright | Fabric and NeoForge | 26.1.2 – 26.3 | Client-side only | 2026-10-02 |
| Old Lighter | Fabric and NeoForge | 26.1 – 26.2 | Client-side only | 2026-09-11 |
| FXBright | Fabric | 1.21 – 26.2 | Client-side only | 2026-07-20 |
| Sodium Fullbright | Fabric | 1.21.1 – 26.3 | Client-side only | 2026-03-26 |
Questions
Does Halfbright need Sodium to work?
Does Halfbright have to be installed on the server?
Which loaders does Halfbright support?
Can Halfbright be turned off without removing the mod?
In the catalog
Halfbright is one of 29,952 Game mechanics mods on ModsFinder, and one of 19,630 Game mechanics mods for Fabric. 8,071 mods support Minecraft 26.3.
More from L3_N0X
Similar mods
What the author says
A fundamentally different approach to fullbright in modern Minecraft that looks great at any brightness level! Brighten up your world without loosing shadows and light sources!
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/halfbright
- Owner
- L3_N0X
- Published
- 2026-06-15
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-10-02
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15