--- title: "Setting Up DecentHolograms for Floating Text | ZCS" description: "Floating text above a spawner, a shop sign, or an NPC: holograms are a small detail that shows up in a lot of polished server builds." url: "https://www.zcraftstudios.com/blog/decentholograms-floating-text-setup" updated: "2026-10-20T07:15:13.005688+00:00" source: "ZCraft Studios" --- > Site index for AI agents: https://www.zcraftstudios.com/llms.txt (full reference: https://www.zcraftstudios.com/llms-full.txt). Every page is available as Markdown by adding `.md` to its URL or sending `Accept: text/markdown`. 1. [Home](https://www.zcraftstudios.com/) 2. [Blog](https://www.zcraftstudios.com/blog) 3. Setting Up DecentHolograms for Floating Text [ All posts](https://www.zcraftstudios.com/blog) # Setting Up DecentHolograms for Floating Text ZCraft StudiosOct 3, 2026Updated Oct 20, 2026 Floating text above a spawner, a shop sign, or an NPC: holograms are a small detail that shows up in a lot of polished server builds. ## In this guide - [Install DecentHolograms](#install-decentholograms) - [Creating a Basic Hologram](#creating-a-basic-hologram) - [Editing Hologram Lines](#editing-hologram-lines) - [Using Placeholders in Holograms](#using-placeholders-in-holograms) - [Repositioning an Existing Hologram](#repositioning-an-existing-hologram) - [Removing a Hologram](#removing-a-hologram) - [Listing All Holograms](#listing-all-holograms) - [Common Uses Beyond Basic Labels](#common-uses-beyond-basic-labels) - [A Note on Overuse](#a-note-on-overuse) - [Readability and performance](#readability-and-performance) - [Design holograms that players can actually read](#design-holograms-that-players-can-actually-read) - [Official documentation and links](#official-documentation-and-links) - [DecentHolograms project examples](#decentholograms-project-examples) - [An operational test worth running](#an-operational-test-worth-running) ## Setting Up DecentHolograms for Floating Text _Floating, animated text in the world (above a shop, a spawn point, or a leaderboard) without it being attached to any physical block._ DecentHolograms creates floating text (and image) displays anywhere in the world, commonly used for leaderboards, shop labels, or decorative world information that shouldn't be tied to a sign or block. ## Install DecentHolograms [DecentHologramsA lightweight yet very powerful hologram plugin with many features and configuration options.On Modrinth ](https://modrinth.com/plugin/decentholograms) [PlaceholderAPIA resource that allows information from your favourite plugins be shown practically anywhere!On Modrinth ](https://modrinth.com/plugin/placeholderapi) Download DecentHolograms from the project linked above. Check the supported Minecraft version, server platform, Java requirement and dependencies for the selected release. 1. Back up the server files and any plugin database. 2. Stop the server before changing JAR files. Put the compatible plugin build and its required dependencies in the correct plugin folder. 3. Start the server and read the startup log. Resolve missing dependencies or version errors before editing the generated configuration. 4. Stop the server, make one small configuration change, then restart and test it with a non-operator account. Confirm DecentHolograms loads after a clean restart. Test the feature you need with an ordinary player account before adding optional integrations. ## Creating a Basic Hologram ``` /dh create myhologram ``` creates a hologram at your current location with a placeholder line of text, which can then be edited. ## Editing Hologram Lines ``` /dh addline myhologram &bWelcome to Spawn! /dh addline myhologram &7Have fun and play fair ``` Each command adds a new line to the hologram, stacking vertically. Color codes work the same as in chat. ## Using Placeholders in Holograms DecentHolograms supports PlaceholderAPI placeholders directly in hologram lines: ``` /dh addline myhologram &aOnline Players: %server_online% ``` This makes holograms genuinely dynamic: a leaderboard hologram showing live balances, player counts, or rankings rather than static text that needs manual updates. ## Repositioning an Existing Hologram ``` /dh movehere myhologram ``` moves an existing hologram to your current location, which is useful for adjusting placement without deleting and recreating it. ## Removing a Hologram ``` /dh delete myhologram ``` ## Listing All Holograms ``` /dh list ``` shows every hologram currently on the server. Handy once a server has more than a handful and names get hard to track by memory alone. ## Common Uses Beyond Basic Labels - **Leaderboards:** combined with an economy or stats placeholder, a hologram can display a live top-10 list that updates automatically. - **Shop and NPC labels:** floating above a ChestShop or Citizens NPC for extra visual clarity beyond the sign itself. - **Directional/info signage:** spawn area directions, rules reminders, or event announcements that shouldn't be tied to a specific block. ## A Note on Overuse Holograms are easy to overuse. Too many stacked in a small area becomes visual clutter rather than helpful information, especially combined with an already-busy tab list or scoreboard. A handful of well-placed holograms generally reads better than holograms on every available surface. ## Readability and performance View holograms at different distances and screen sizes. Check formatting, placeholder refresh frequency, and overlap with scoreboards or other displays. Prefer short lines with clear hierarchy; an overloaded hologram becomes harder to read rather than more informative. ## Design holograms that players can actually read A hologram works best when it answers one question quickly: where to go, what an NPC does, or what action the player should take. Keep important information at eye level and avoid stacking unrelated messages. ### Test layout and visibility 1. Create one hologram in a staging world using commands from the documentation for your installed plugin release. 2. Place it where a new player would naturally stop and look. 3. View it at different distances and from several directions. 4. Test as a normal player, including the effect of world and region changes. 5. Check text wrapping, colors and placeholders on clients with different GUI scales. 6. Restart and verify the hologram's position and text persist. ### Refresh and performance considerations Static text rarely needs frequent updates. Values such as balances, ranks or countdowns may use PlaceholderAPI or another integration, but refreshing an expensive placeholder too often can add unnecessary work. Confirm that missing expansions display a useful fallback instead of exposing raw placeholder syntax. | Use case | Good content | | --- | --- | | Spawn navigation | Destination and one action | | Shop entrance | Shop category and access method | | Event area | Start time and participation instruction | | NPC interaction | Concise explanation of what clicking does | See the [DecentHolograms project](https://github.com/DecentSoftware-eu/DecentHolograms) for current commands and supported server versions. ## Official documentation and links - [Official project repository](https://github.com/DecentSoftware-eu/DecentHolograms) - [Setting Up PlaceholderAPI: Installing Expansions and Using Placeholders](https://www.zcraftstudios.com/blog/placeholderapi-setup-guide) [DecentHologramsA lightweight yet very powerful hologram plugin with many features and configuration options.On Modrinth ](https://modrinth.com/plugin/decentholograms) ## DecentHolograms project examples These images come from the project’s official gallery. Use them to see the interface or gameplay; they show publisher examples rather than this server’s configuration. [![DecentHolograms: Example #1 ](https://cdn.modrinth.com/data/w02MKsTg/images/16118c3531f51b414cd476dc9eb1b51b8ca66d18_350.webp)](https://modrinth.com/plugin/decentholograms/gallery) _Official DecentHolograms gallery example. [Image source](https://modrinth.com/plugin/decentholograms/gallery)._ [![DecentHolograms: Example #2 ](https://cdn.modrinth.com/data/w02MKsTg/images/de73c7169e1d5d561753c7a1b06c498e1bf0cb98_350.webp)](https://modrinth.com/plugin/decentholograms/gallery) _Official DecentHolograms gallery example. [Image source](https://modrinth.com/plugin/decentholograms/gallery)._ ## An operational test worth running Confirm the hologram renders in the intended world, from normal player viewing distance, and after a restart. If it uses PlaceholderAPI, test unresolved placeholders and refresh rates. Avoid placing dozens of constantly refreshed statistics at spawn without checking client readability and server performance. [ Previous guide Setting Up ChestShop for Player-to-Player Shops](https://www.zcraftstudios.com/blog/chestshop-player-shops-setup)[ Next guide Setting Up PlayerWarps for Player-Created Locations](https://www.zcraftstudios.com/blog/playerwarps-setup-guide)