Mellow
by dr_herbalist
Mellow, a client-side Fabric mod for Minecraft 1.20.1, lowers render distance during world loading and raises it again after joining.
What it does
Early in the load, Mellow starts the render distance at 2 chunks and steps it up toward 6 chunks over a short period, so the initial memory and processing demand stays lower while the world loads. Smoothing the change this way is meant to reduce stutter during early exploration. The mod runs on the client alone, so a server does not need it and players do not need anything else in place for it to work.
Mellow is published for Fabric only, with a single 1.20.1 build, 1.0.0, dated 2026-01-31. The code is not open source, and the source code and issue tracker are linked publicly.
Key features
Gradual render distance ramp
Render distance rises in small steps over time instead of jumping straight to the full value.
Lower load-time demand
Starting at a small render distance reduces the memory and processing load during the first moments after joining.
Smoother exploration
Stepping the distance up after loading is intended to reduce lag and stuttering while moving into new terrain.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
How it compares
Mellow is a client-side Fabric mod for 1.20.1 under All rights reserved. Dynamic Views is also Fabric and client-side only, but it targets 26.1.2 and is not open source. Render Distance Toggle is client-side only and open source under the MIT License, but it covers only 1.21.8 – 1.21.11.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mellow | Fabric | 1.20.1 | Client-side only | 2026-01-31 |
| Dynamic Views | Fabric | 26.1.2 | Client-side only | 2026-06-04 |
| Render Distance Toggle | Fabric | 1.21.8 – 1.21.11 | Client-side only | 2025-12-20 |
Questions
Does Mellow need to be installed on a server?
In the catalog
Mellow is one of 3,545 Optimization mods on ModsFinder, and one of 2,575 Optimization mods for Fabric. 34,764 mods support Minecraft 1.20.1.
Similar mods
What the author says
Mellow is a lightweight client-side Fabric mod that smoothly lowers render distance during loading and gradually increases it after joining a world. By starting at 2 chunks and ramping up to 6 chunks over time, Mellow reduces initial lag and stuttering while keeping exploration smooth and responsive. It's designed to…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/mellowmod
- Owner
- dr_herbalist
- Published
- 2026-01-31
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-01-31
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15