VanillaUi+
by okilmilo
VanillaUi+ is a client-side Fabric mod that gives Minecraft's interface smooth, lightweight animations for the TAB player list, chat, the hotbar and item stacks.
What it does
Its animations apply to the TAB player list overlay, where the list appears with a short transition, and to new chat messages, which fade in rather than popping into view. Container slots animate item movement and stack changes, and the hotbar frame slides between slots when the selection changes. The original visual style is kept, so the screens still look like vanilla Minecraft.
Only the client needs the mod, so a player can add it to a single-player world or a multiplayer session without any change on the server. The code is open source under the MIT License. Files are published for Fabric only, and the single build covers 1.21.4, released 2026-09-15 as version 1.1, after a first public release on 2026-06-17.
The current feature set is intentionally narrow: the first version focuses on a clean, stable set of animations. The author plans more interface animation polish in future updates.
Key features
Animated TAB player list
The player list overlay opens and closes with a short animation instead of appearing at once.
Smooth chat messages
New chat lines appear with a soft fade-in animation as they are added to the chat window.
Hotbar selection frame
The selection frame moves between hotbar slots with an animated transition when the selected slot changes.
Container item transfers
Moving items between slots and changes to stack sizes play short animations inside container screens.
Gallery
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 the vanilla look with motion added to the TAB list, chat, hotbar and inventory screens. Server owners do not need to act, since the mod does not run on the server.
How it compares
FlowUI is also an open source Fabric client mod under the MIT License, but it is published for 1.21.11 only. Tablist Plus is a client-side Fabric mod for 1.21.11 under All rights reserved, and it is not open source. Animated Typing is a client-side Fabric mod for 1.21.4 – 1.21.11 under All rights reserved and not open source, so it covers the same version as VanillaUi+ but has a different license.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VanillaUi+ | Fabric | 1.21.4 | Client-side only | 2026-09-15 |
| FlowUI | Fabric | 1.21.11 | Client-side only | 2026-07-28 |
| Tablist Plus | Fabric | 1.21.11 | Client-side only | 2026-06-07 |
| Animated Typing | Fabric | 1.21.4 – 1.21.11 | Client-side only | 2026-02-25 |
Questions
Does VanillaUi+ need Fabric API?
Does the server need VanillaUi+ installed?
Does VanillaUi+ change the look of the interface?
Which game version does VanillaUi+ support?
In the catalog
VanillaUi+ is one of 12,078 Decoration mods on ModsFinder, and one of 6,982 Decoration mods for Fabric. 17,979 mods support Minecraft 1.21.4.
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What the author says
VanillaUi+ is a lightweight client-side Fabric mod that adds smooth Vanilla+ animations to Minecraft's interface without changing the original UI style. VanillaUi+ does not replace vanilla textures, fonts, buttons, or screen layouts. It keeps Minecraft looking familiar, but makes small UI interactions feel smoother…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/vanillaui-plus
- Owner
- okilmilo
- Published
- 2026-06-17
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-09-15
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15