Simple Chat Bubbles
by buildaran
Simple Chat Bubbles shows short chat messages as clean text bubbles above players' heads, so chat can be read without watching the chat window.
What it does
Messages a player types appear in a small bubble above their head, and a typing indicator shows a bubble when someone is typing, which tells nearby players that a person is active rather than away. Bubbles follow the look of the native interface and are not stretched by field of view changes, including fast zoom or distortion effects. The client reads the local chat HUD automatically, so the server does not need the mod installed.
In first-person view the bubbles stay hidden so they do not block the screen, and they appear normally after switching to third-person view. The mod is built to be lightweight and is described by its author as not affecting frame rate. It suits survival worlds, multiplayer servers and small groups of friends who talk while playing. It requires Fabric API and is client-side only, so only the player's own game needs it.
Files are published for Fabric only, across 16 release versions 1.21 – 26.2, with 1.5 for 26.2 as the latest file released on 2026-07-02. The mod is first published on 2026-02-07 and is not open source; it is released under All rights reserved.
Key features
Chat bubbles above heads
Chat messages appear as short text bubbles over the sender's head, so nearby chat can be read in the game view.
Typing indicator
A bubble shows while a player types, letting others see that the person is active.
Vanilla-style bubbles
Bubbles use simple text styling that matches the native interface.
First-person hiding
Bubbles are hidden in first-person view and shown in third-person view, so they do not block the screen.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
26.x4 of 4 versions with builds
1.21.x12 of 12 versions with builds
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Who it’s for: Players on Fabric who want chat messages shown over heads in the game view. The mod is installed only on the client, so it suits players joining any server.
How it compares
Speech Heads runs on Fabric for 1.21.1 only, with the server and clients both needing it, and is not open source. Chat Tabs is a client-side Fabric mod for 1.21.11 – 26.2 under the GNU General Public License v3.0 only, and it is open source. Better Bubbles is client-side for 1.21 – 1.21.1 under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 4.0 license and is not open source.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Chat Bubbles | Fabric | 1.21 – 26.2 | Client-side only | 2026-07-02 |
| Speech Heads | Fabric | 1.21.1 | Client and server | 2026-07-11 |
| Chat Tabs | Fabric | 1.21.11 – 26.2 | Client-side only | 2026-06-26 |
| Better Bubbles | Fabric | 1.21 – 1.21.1 | Client-side only | 2024-07-10 |
Questions
Does Simple Chat Bubbles need Fabric API?
Does the server need Simple Chat Bubbles?
Which game versions have files?
In the catalog
Simple Chat Bubbles is one of 5,392 Social mods on ModsFinder, and one of 4,084 Social mods for Fabric. 13,894 mods support Minecraft 26.2.
More from buildaran
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What the author says
Tired of missing messages because you're focused on the game instead of the tiny chat box? This mod adds clean chat bubbles right over players' heads. Perfect for SMPs or just hanging out with friends. Unlike other bloated chat bubble mods that tank your performance, this mod is highly optimized, lightweight, and…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/simple-chat-bubbles
- Owner
- buildaran
- Published
- 2026-02-07
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-07-02
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15