Hovering Hotbar
by Fuzs
Hovering Hotbar moves the Minecraft hotbar a few pixels off the bottom edge of the screen, giving it a floating look that resembles the elevated HUD of the console editions.
What it does
Hovering Hotbar lifts the hotbar away from the bottom edge so it appears to float. The raised position leaves room for the full selection highlight to render, instead of having its border cut off by the screen edge.
The offset of the hotbar is set in a configuration file, so a player can place it exactly where a preferred HUD layout needs it. Config files are created at .minecraft/config with the mod ID as the name, one client file for the player side. The mod is client-side only, so nothing needs to be installed on a server. Hovering Hotbar requires Fabric API on Fabric, Forge Config API Port and Puzzles Lib, and it runs on Fabric and NeoForge for 26.3 at the newest.
The mod is open source under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, and its source code and issue tracker are public. Files cover 12 release versions across the range, and the newest builds target 26.3. Configuration can be edited in-game with Mod Menu, which is needed for that option. Hovering Hotbar also shifts other modded hotbar overlays together with the hotbar, so compatible HUD additions keep their position.
Key features
Floating hotbar
The hotbar sits a few pixels above the bottom edge, so it appears to hover over the screen.
Full selection highlight
The selected slot sprite renders completely instead of being partly cut off by the screen border.
Adjustable offset
The hotbar offset can be set freely to build a preferred HUD layout.
Experience level above the bar
The experience level indicator can be moved above the experience bar, as in the console editions.
Overlay shifting
Additional modded hotbar overlays move together with the hotbar.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
26.x5 of 5 versions with builds
1.21.x7 of 7 versions with builds
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Requirements
Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.
Required 3
Use cases
Who it’s for: Players who want a raised hotbar or an experience display above the bar. Mod Menu is needed only for in-game configuration.
How it compares
AutoBlockShuffle is client-side only and under the GNU General Public License v3.0 only, published on Fabric and NeoForge, and it is not open source. BarSwap is also client-side only and open source under the BSD 3-Clause License, with files for Fabric and NeoForge. Hotbar Layout Editor works on Fabric alone, for 1.21.4 – 26.1.2, under the MIT License.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hovering Hotbar | Fabric and NeoForge | 1.21.1 – 26.3 | Client-side only | 2026-09-20 |
| AutoBlockShuffle | Fabric and NeoForge | 1.21.1 – 26.3 | Client-side only | 2026-09-17 |
| BarSwap | Fabric and NeoForge | 1.21.1 – 26.2 | Client-side only | 2026-06-16 |
| Hotbar Layout Editor | Fabric | 1.21.4 – 26.1.2 | Client-side only | 2026-05-22 |
Questions
Does Hovering Hotbar need Fabric API?
Does the server need Hovering Hotbar?
Which versions does Hovering Hotbar support?
In the catalog
Hovering Hotbar is one of 36,990 Utility mods on ModsFinder, and one of 25,772 Utility mods for Fabric. 8,071 mods support Minecraft 26.3.
More from Fuzs
Similar mods
What the author says
Hovering Hotbar brings the elevated hotbar style from Bedrock Edition and Legacy Console Edition to Java Edition. 🎮 By moving the hotbar away from the bottom edge of the screen, it appears to float in place, creating a cleaner and more modern HUD layout. This also allows the full selection highlight to be rendered…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/hovering-hotbar
- Owner
- Fuzs
- Published
- 2026-06-05
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-09-20
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15