What DecentHolograms works with.
| Platform | Java Edition |
|---|---|
| Loaders | Paper, Spigot |
| Minecraft versions | 1.8.9, 1.12.2, 1.16.5, 1.18.2, 1.19.4, 1.20.1, 1.20.6, 1.21, 1.21.5, 1.21.8, 1.21.11, 26.1, 26.2 |
DecentHolograms (also written Decent Holograms) is a Paper and Spigot plugin that lets server admins place floating text, item, head, and entity holograms anywhere in the world, all built through in-game commands instead of hand-edited configuration files. It runs entirely server-side, so players see the holograms without installing anything, and its GPL-3.0 codebase covers releases from Minecraft 1.8 through the current 26.2 line.
Installing DecentHolograms on a Paper or Spigot server
- 1.Download the DecentHolograms jar from its Modrinth project page for the server's Minecraft version.
- 2.Drop the downloaded file into the server's plugins folder.
- 3.Restart the server, since most Paper and Spigot builds do not hot-reload new plugin jars.
- 4.Run /dh in-game or from the console to confirm the plugin loaded and to see the available subcommands.
Creating and positioning holograms
Every hologram is built from commands under /dh, with separate subcommands for the hologram itself, its lines, and its pages. Each line has its own configurable height and offset, which is what lets admins stack multiple lines directly on top of each other or arrange item-icon lines into a grid instead of a single vertical stack.
Hologram types and text features
- Text lines with RGB color support and built-in rainbow text.
- Custom text animations for individual lines.
- Item, or icon, lines that float a floating item model instead of text.
- Block and player head lines, plus entity lines such as mobs.
- PlaceholderAPI support using the standard %identifier_values% format, including per-viewer values resolved individually for whichever player is looking at the hologram.
Interactive holograms and click actions
Individual lines can bind separate actions to left-click, right-click, shift-left-click, and shift-right-click, each triggering a chat message, a console or player command, or a page change. That is how admins build interactive signs, such as an information board hologram players click to open a mailbox for sending and receiving in-game letters.
Standalone Display entities for items, blocks, and text
Beyond the classic hologram and line system, a separate /dh displays command manages standalone Display entities, Minecraft's own text, item, and block display objects introduced in version 1.19.4. A Display is a single floating object placed and scaled on its own, not one line inside a taller hologram: create, clone, move, or delete one directly, then use set-item or set-block to choose what it shows and attribute to adjust its scale, rotation, and billboard behavior. Servers still on Minecraft versions before 1.19.4 keep full use of the classic hologram lines described above, just not this newer Display layer.
Developers extending either system can hook in through the plugin's own DHAPI module and event set, including HologramClickEvent and HologramRegisterEvent, without touching the command layer directly. A Paper or Folia server built entirely around modern Display entities, with no need for Spigot support or coverage back to Minecraft 1.8, might also weigh FancyHolograms, which skips the classic line system and renders every hologram type through display entities alone.
Compatibility and supported versions
DecentHolograms targets Paper and Spigot server software and lists Minecraft releases from 1.8 through the current 26.2 line as supported, one of the broader version ranges available for a hologram plugin, though the newer Display entity commands above still need Minecraft 1.19.4 or later since that is when Mojang added the entity type they rely on. Every classic hologram line renders through fake packets rather than a real entity, so it adds no entity count or tick load to the server. The plugin is server-side only, with no client-side component required, and the current 2.10.1 release was published in June 2026 under the GPL-3.0-or-later license.
Watch DecentHolograms in action
DecentHolograms plugin showcase
Questions about DecentHolograms.
6 questions
How do I install DecentHolograms?
Download the plugin jar from its Modrinth page, place it in the server's plugins folder, and restart a Paper or Spigot server. Run /dh in-game or from the console to confirm it loaded, then use its subcommands for holograms, lines, and pages to start building.
Does DecentHolograms support PlaceholderAPI placeholders?
Yes. Hologram lines accept every PlaceholderAPI expansion in the standard %identifier_values% format, alongside static RGB text. The plugin can also resolve those values individually for whichever player is looking at the hologram, so a line can show one player's own stats or balance instead of one shared value for everyone.
Can players click on a DecentHolograms hologram?
Yes. Each line can bind separate actions to left-click, right-click, shift-left-click, and shift-right-click, triggering chat messages, commands, or page changes. That is how interactive signs like information boards and mailbox holograms are built.
Which Minecraft versions does DecentHolograms support, including 1.21.11 and the 26.x line?
Its Modrinth releases cover Paper and Spigot servers from Minecraft 1.8 through the current 26.2 line, with 1.21.11 and the rest of the late 1.21.x builds included alongside the newer year.drop versions. The 2.10.1 release, published in June 2026, is the current build for both version families, so there is no separate download to track down.
Is DecentHolograms free to use?
Yes. It is distributed under the GPL-3.0-or-later license and downloadable directly from its Modrinth project page, with source code maintained publicly on GitHub.
What are DecentHolograms' Display entities, and how do they differ from hologram lines?
Display entities are a separate DecentHolograms feature built on Minecraft's own text, item, and block display objects, managed through a dedicated /dh displays command instead of the hologram and line system. A Display is one floating object positioned on its own, while a hologram line is a single row inside a taller, multi-line hologram. That entity type arrived in Minecraft 1.19.4, so the command set needs that version or newer, even though classic hologram lines still work back to 1.8.
