Hotbar Cycle
by Vicenthresh
Hotbar Cycle lets a Fabric client rotate the four inventory rows that sit above the hotbar into the hotbar, while holding a modifier key and scrolling.
What it does
Holding Left Alt and scrolling the mouse wheel shifts the 36 inventory slots through the hotbar in steps of one row. The mod uses four inventory rows in front of the hotbar plus three rows, so the hotbar can show any of them. Items keep their columns, and each column stays tied to the same horizontal position as the rows rotate. The key binding can be changed in the controls menu, and the mod only acts while the playing screen is open.
The mod works as a client-side change: it intercepts mouse scroll input and sends 27 slot swap packets per scroll tick across the nine columns, using the same effect as pressing number keys. Servers receive normal inventory interactions, so the server does not need the mod. It runs on vanilla and modded servers alike. Hotbar Cycle is open source under the MIT License, and the source code is public.
Files target Minecraft 1.21.1 – 1.21.4 for the 1.21 series, and the latest Fabric build, 1.0.0 for 1.21.8, was published on 2026-07-19. Snapshot builds are not part of the listing.
Key features
Row rotation on scroll
Scrolling the mouse wheel while holding the modifier moves the inventory rows through the hotbar one step at a time.
Column-stable items
Items stay in their columns, so the same column always maps to the same position on the hotbar.
Rebindable modifier key
The default modifier is Left Alt, and the key can be changed in the controls menu.
Simulated number-key swaps
Each scroll tick sends swap actions equal to the number-key hotbar swaps the game already supports.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Who it’s for: Players on Fabric who want a quick way to reach items stored in the inventory rows, on a client running Minecraft 1.21.1 – 1.21.8 builds.
How it compares
Hotbar Switch is a Fabric, client-side only mod under the MIT License, but it targets 1.21.11 and is not open source. Hotbar Tap is also Fabric and client-side only, released under All rights reserved for 1.21 – 1.21.5. Hotbar Swap Mod covers 1.21.4 – 1.21.11 under All rights reserved. Hotbar Cycle is open source under the MIT License.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotbar Cycle | Fabric | 1.21.1 – 1.21.8 | Client-side only | 2026-07-19 |
| Hotbar Switch | Fabric | 1.21.11 | Client-side only | 2026-06-23 |
| Hotbar Tap | Fabric | 1.21 – 1.21.5 | Client-side only | 2025-05-09 |
| Hotbar Swap Mod | Fabric | 1.21.4 – 1.21.11 | Client-side only | 2026-05-08 |
Questions
Does Hotbar Cycle need to be installed on the server?
Which Minecraft versions does Hotbar Cycle support?
Can the modifier key be changed?
In the catalog
Hotbar Cycle is one of 8,016 Management mods on ModsFinder, and one of 5,930 Management mods for Fabric. 17,695 mods support Minecraft 1.21.8.
Similar mods
What the author says
A Fabric client-side mod that lets you cycle inventory rows into your hotbar using a modifier key + scroll. Inspired by Shifty Hotbar by Kir-Antipov (abandoned since 2023, last available for 1.20.4) — this is a focused hotbar swap mod for modern versions, not a fork. There are no current plans to implement additional…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/hotbar-cycle
- Owner
- Vicenthresh
- Published
- 2026-07-18
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-07-19
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15