Chat Canvas is a client-side chat HUD customization mod for Minecraft Java Edition. It provides a visual editor that lets you move, resize, style, and preview the chat interface directly inside the game.
Instead of editing configuration files manually, you can drag the chat box to the desired position, resize it from any edge or corner, and immediately preview how your messages, input field, backgrounds, player names, and notifications will look.
Chat Canvas also includes per-player name colors, mention notifications, player quick actions, and a persistent command clipboard.
Chat Canvas includes two selectable visual themes:
A modern interface featuring:
A theme designed to match Minecraft’s visual language:
Both themes use the exact same editor layout, features, settings, and editing session. Switching themes only changes the appearance of the editor.
You can switch themes at any time without losing unsaved changes, undo history, or the current page.
The editor displays a live preview over the current game world.
You can:
The settings panel automatically moves to the opposite side when it would overlap the chat preview.
Chat Canvas provides extensive text controls:
Text wrapping, clickable links, hover events, player name hitboxes, and chat interaction coordinates are adjusted together with the visual text layout.
Character spacing also works with the chat input field, including its cursor, selection area, and mouse positioning.
Message backgrounds can be configured independently from the text.
Available message background modes:
Additional options include:
Background height remains independent from line spacing, preventing large dark blocks between widely spaced messages.
Chat Canvas can assign a stable color to each player based on their UUID.
Features include:
Only the player name is recolored. Message content, prefixes, formatting, click events, hover events, signatures, and indicators remain intact.
Double-click a player name in the opened chat screen to insert:
@PlayerName
The mention is inserted at the current cursor position or replaces the selected text.
Chat Canvas never sends the message automatically.
Mention features include:
@ symbolWhen another player mentions your name, Chat Canvas can notify you in several ways.
Available notification methods:
Each notification method can be enabled or disabled independently.
Repeated processing, message rewrapping, and chat refreshes do not trigger duplicate notifications for the same message.
Right-click a player name in the chat history to open a quick-action menu.
Available actions:
The private message template can be customized for different servers, for example:
/msg {player}
/tell {player}
/w {player}
These actions only modify the chat input field. They never send messages automatically.
Chat Canvas includes a global command clipboard for saving frequently used commands.
The command clipboard is not tied to a world or server. Saved commands remain available after leaving a world, changing servers, or restarting the game.
Features include:
Clicking a command only places it in the chat input field. It is never automatically executed.
The command launcher button automatically hides while the command clipboard is open and returns when the panel is closed.
The command clipboard stores saved commands locally as plain-text JSON.
Do not save passwords, access tokens, or private information on shared or untrusted computers. This includes commands such as:
/login/register/password/changepasswordChat Canvas displays a warning before saving commands that may contain sensitive information.
Chat Canvas does not upload your commands or send them to the mod author.
Chat Canvas includes compatibility handling for the following mods:
Chat Canvas does not provide player avatars itself. Chat Heads can continue rendering avatars alongside customized text, backgrounds, and alignment.
Player name click areas do not include the avatar.
Chat Canvas does not replace or restrict chat history capacity. More Chat History remains responsible for increasing the history limit.
Chat Canvas does not add a separate message-entry animation. ChatAnimation can continue handling message animations.
Chat Canvas does not implement another scrolling animation. Smooth Scrolling can continue handling chat scrolling.
Compatibility may vary depending on mod versions, resource packs, custom fonts, GUI scale, and modpack configuration.
Optional:
mods folder.Chat Canvas is a client-side mod. The server does not need to install it.
The mod does not bypass server permissions. Whether a command or private-message command is available depends on the server.
Numeric controls support:
Main configuration:
.minecraft/config/chat_canvas.json
Command clipboard:
.minecraft/config/chat_canvas/command_clipboard.json
These files are global client-side data and are not stored inside individual world saves.
Back up the files before editing or deleting them manually.
Deleting the main configuration restores default Chat Canvas settings. Deleting the command clipboard file removes all user-saved commands.
When reporting a problem, please include:
latest.logReport issues on the GitHub issue tracker.
Chat Canvas is developed and maintained by ShouYun / 寿云.
Chat Canvas is licensed under the MIT License.
You may use, modify, and distribute the project in accordance with the license terms.
