Smooth UI
by RareHyperIon
Smooth UI animates the hotbar selector, in-game menus and list scrolling on the Fabric loader, leaving the vanilla layout unchanged.
What it does
Smooth UI replaces the instant jumps of the vanilla interface with short animated transitions. When a player changes the selected slot in the hotbar, the highlight slides to the new position instead of snapping there. Screens that open from the keyboard or mouse fade and move into view rather than appearing at once, so the change in the interface is easier to follow during play.
Scrolling inside menus and lists also gets a fluid motion, so long inventories, world lists and option pages move with a continuous glide instead of stepping. The mod is a client-side only addition: only the player's own game needs it, and servers run without it, so it can be added to a single-player world or a multiplayer client alone. It is released under the MIT License and is open source, with its source code and issue tracker public.
Smooth UI is published for Fabric only, in 1.0.1-BETA for 1.21.8 (released 2025-08-03 on the beta channel). Its files target game versions 1.21 – 1.21.8, and 2 release versions are covered. No required dependency is listed for Fabric.
Key features
Animated hotbar selector
The highlight slides between hotbar slots when the selected item changes, so each switch is visible.
Animated menu opening
In-game menus fade and move into place when they open, instead of appearing all at once.
Smooth list scrolling
Menus and lists scroll with a fluid, continuous motion rather than fixed jumps between entries.
Vanilla layout kept
The positions and content of the interface stay as they are, with only the timing and motion of the animations changed.
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 who want animated transitions in the hotbar, menus and scrolling on a client. Servers need no installation, since the environment is client-side only.
How it compares
Smooth Double Doors is a Fabric mod for the client and server, released under the Apache License 2.0 and open source, with files for 1.21.8 – 1.21.11, so it changes doors rather than the interface. VanillaUi+ is a client-side only Fabric mod for 1.21.4 under the MIT License and open source, and it covers a different version from this one.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smooth UI | Fabric | 1.21 – 1.21.8 | Client-side only | 2025-08-03 |
| Smooth Double Doors | Fabric | 1.21.8 – 1.21.11 | Client and server | 2026-01-03 |
| VanillaUi+ | Fabric | 1.21.4 | Client-side only | 2026-09-15 |
Questions
Does Smooth UI need to be installed on the server?
Which game versions does Smooth UI cover?
Is Smooth UI open source?
In the catalog
Smooth UI is one of 12,078 Decoration mods on ModsFinder, and one of 6,982 Decoration mods for Fabric. 17,695 mods support Minecraft 1.21.8.
More from RareHyperIon
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What the author says
Smooth UI is a clean Fabric mod for that elevates your game interface with beautifully smooth animations. Enjoy a dynamic experience every time you interact with your hotbar, open a GUI, or scroll through your menus.
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/smooth-ui
- Owner
- RareHyperIon
- Published
- 2025-04-16
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2025-08-03
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15