Read the HUD

The HUD puts frequently used player and world information around the edges of the screen. Some indicators appear only when relevant or in a compatible game mode.

Main indicators

• Crosshair: the center aiming point. Point at blocks and entities to target them for interaction.
• Hotbar: the row of nine selected-item slots at the bottom. Press 1–9 to choose a slot; the highlighted slot is active.
• Health: hearts show player health. Damage flashes briefly; healing and some status effects can change how hearts look.
• Food: drumsticks show hunger. Hunger affects health recovery and, on non-Peaceful difficulty, can drain health when depleted.
• Armor: armor icons appear when the player has armor points.
• Experience: the bar and level display show earned experience in modes where the survival HUD is active.
• Air: bubbles appear when the player is underwater and running low on air.
• Status effects: active effects appear as icons while they remain in effect.

Creative and Spectator modes intentionally hide or replace parts of the survival HUD. Mounted creatures can add their own health or jump indicator. The debug display is optional: F3 shows diagnostic information, and F3+B toggles entity hitboxes.

If something is missing

First check the current game mode and situation. For example, air appears underwater, armor appears when armor is equipped, and the survival meters are hidden in Creative. Then check Options → Video Settings for HUD/UI scale settings.

For how these indicators are assembled from player state, see the player and interface guide.