Highlighted Friends
by NebulaJinxed
Highlighted Friends lets a player mark chosen names in the Tab player list so friends stand out at a glance.
What it does
Players add friends' names to a list in the highlighted-friends configuration, and those names are then drawn in the Tab list with a chosen text color, bold, italic or underline style, and a background color behind them. Entries are tied to each player's UUID rather than the display name, so a friend who changes their name still matches. Adjustments made to a name are applied to the highlight as well.
The mod supports several groups, so friends can be sorted into separate teams in the Tab list, each with its own look. It runs on the Fabric loader for the 1.20.5 – 26.2 range and is client-side only, so servers do not need it and players join without installing anything. The license is All rights reserved, and the code is not open source.
Key features
Colored friend names
Names on the friend list are shown in a chosen text color inside the Tab player list.
Text styles
Friend names can be shown in bold, italic or underlined text, set separately for each entry.
Background highlight
A custom background color can be placed behind a friend's name to make it easier to spot.
Groups as teams
Several groups can be defined, so friends are split into teams that each appear with their own styling.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
26.x4 of 4 versions with builds
1.21.x12 of 12 versions with builds
1.20.x2 of 2 versions with builds
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Spotting friends on a busy server
Players on large multiplayer servers can find the names of friends quickly in a long Tab list.
Who it’s for: Players who play on multiplayer servers and want their friends to stand out in the Tab player list, and players who organize friends into groups.
How it compares
BetterChat is a Fabric client mod for 1.21.10 – 26.2 under the MIT License, and it changes chat rather than the Tab list. Tab And Locator Color is a server-side only Fabric mod for 1.21.11 – 26.3 under All rights reserved, so it runs on the server instead of the client. Tab Ping is client-side, open source under the MIT License and covers 1.20.4 – 26.1, which gives it a wider version span than Highlighted Friends.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highlighted Friends | Fabric | 1.20.5 – 26.2 | Client-side only | 2026-08-25 |
| BetterChat | Fabric | 1.21.10 – 26.2 | Client-side only | 2026-08-12 |
| Tab And Locator Color | Fabric | 1.21.11 – 26.3 | Server-side only | 2026-09-26 |
| Tab Ping | Fabric | 1.20.4 – 26.1 | Client-side only | 2026-03-25 |
Questions
Does Highlighted Friends need to be on the server?
Which game versions does Highlighted Friends support?
Are friend entries kept if a player renames?
In the catalog
Highlighted Friends is one of 8,016 Management mods on ModsFinder, and one of 5,930 Management mods for Fabric. 13,894 mods support Minecraft 26.2.
More from NebulaJinxed
Similar mods
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/highlighted-friends
- Owner
- NebulaJinxed
- Published
- 2025-07-09
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-08-25
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15