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Chat Heads Wiki & Guide

Java EditionModGuides 4FAQ 10Related mods 48

A client-side chat enhancement that displays player heads beside chat messages, with optional integration for voice chat mods.

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Contents (5)
  1. Guides
  2. Configuration
  3. Frequently asked questions
  4. Gallery
  5. You May Also Like

Guides

Step-by-step, in-game.

How to Fix Chat Heads Not Working on a ServerChat Heads works on servers, but a few common situations make it look broken. Work through these before assuming the…How to Make Player Heads Show Up Next to Chat MessagesIf you installed Chat Heads and chat still looks plain, the mod is probably waiting on a setting or a resource it…How to Stop Chat Heads From Cluttering Your ScreenHeads next to every message look great until a busy server floods your chat. Here's how to keep the feature without…How to Use Chat Heads With Voice Chat ModsChat Heads can hook into voice chat mods so that the head shown next to a message also tells you who is currently…

Configuration

Every setting in the mod config file, with what it changes.

OptionWhat it does
explanation"UUIDs"? "Heuristics"?Normally, servers tell us who sent a message, i.e. the sender's UUID. However, many servers do not. They can even send fake UUIDs. In these cases we need to use a heuristic, i.e. we guess by the message content. This heuristic is not perfect, so it might misma
threeDeeNess3DnessRenders the hat layer slightly bigger to make chat heads appear less flat. This can cause some rendering issues.
detectNameAliasesAuto-detect Name AliasesThis will look for responses to /realname commands on EssentialsX servers and automatically add an alias for it.
rightPaddingChat Heads Right PaddingHow many pixels of empty space are put after a chat head. 0 is vanilla (head touches text) 1 is consistent with any text (shadow touches text) Note that 3Dness adds some amount of padding. This setting only applies to heads in the chat and inside books.
handleSystemMessagesWhether heads can be added to "pure" server messages. Note that many servers (e.g. running the FreedomChat plugin) turn player messages into server messages! Only disable this option if you know what you are doing!
nameAliasesSome servers allow setting nicknames which can't automatically be matched. Here you can manually match those nicknames to their profile name, like: nickname -> profilename
offsetNonPlayerTextOffset non-player chat textAll text will be aligned if enabled Only applies to "Before Line" rendering
senderDetectionFor most servers "UUID and heuristic" works fine. If the server sends fake UUIDs, "Heuristic only" has to be used.
smartHeuristicsTurn off heuristics if the server is known to send UUIDs. (Applies to the "UUID and heuristic" sender detection)
renderPositionSets where the chat head icon appears relative to each chat message
drawShadowRender ShadowToggles whether chat head icons render with a drop shadow
BEFORE_LINEPlaces the chat head at the start of the message line
BEFORE_NAMEPlaces the chat head just before the sender's name
HEURISTIC_ONLYMatches chat heads to players using name heuristics only
UUID_AND_HEURISTICMatches chat heads using both UUID and name heuristics
UUID_ONLYMatches chat heads to players using UUID only

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn on Chat Heads in Minecraft?
The mod is client-side and works automatically once installed, so heads appear beside chat messages with no toggle needed. If nothing shows, check that the mod is actually loaded for your profile and that you're seeing vanilla chat rather than another mod's chat overlay.
Why are Chat Heads not showing up next to messages?
The most common cause is another chat mod or HUD mod overriding the vanilla chat renderer. Disable conflicting chat mods or check your config to make sure head rendering is enabled.
Does Chat Heads work on servers?
Yes, it's client-side, so it works on any server without the server needing the mod installed. Heads are pulled from player skins, so players using default or hidden skins may show a generic head.
Does Chat Heads work on Bedrock?
No, this is a Java Edition mod and won't run on Bedrock. Bedrock players looking for similar behavior would need a Bedrock-specific addon, which this mod is not.

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