What is /tellraw used for?

/tellraw sends raw JSON text components to players - the only way to produce clickable, hoverable, multi-colored chat messages in vanilla. It's the backbone of map interfaces, server menus and quest dialogue.

What's the difference between /tellraw and /title?

/tellraw writes into the chat; /title displays large text in the middle of the screen with subtitle and actionbar variants and configurable fade timings. Both use the same text component format, so this generator covers both.

Can clicked text run any command?

run_command executes one command as the clicking player - with their permissions. Command blocks or functions triggered this way are how servers build clickable menus without plugins.

Why does my old tellraw command fail in 1.21.5+?

Mojang renamed the event fields: clickEvent became click_event, hoverEvent became hover_event, and hover contents moved. The generator outputs the syntax matching your selected game version.

How do I target specific players?

Use selectors in the command: @a for everyone, @p for the nearest player, @a[team=red] for a team - or a player name. The message itself can even embed selector components that print player names.

Does tellraw work in Bedrock?

Bedrock has /tellraw but with a reduced format: no hover events and no click events. Fully interactive messages are a Java Edition feature.

Tellraw & Title

Build colorful /tellraw chat messages and /title screen text with JSON text components - including click and hover events.

Java 1.21.5 renamed clickEvent and hoverEvent to click_event and hover_event with new field names - pick the format matching your server version.

Preview

Welcome to laby.net

Text segments

Segment 1

Text

Color

Custom

Style

Click event

Hover text

Segment 2

Text

Color

Custom

Style

Click event

Hover text

Command

/tellraw @a ["",{"text":"Welcome to ","color":"gold","bold":true},{"text":"laby.net","color":"aqua","bold":true,"click_event":{"action":"open_url","url":"https://laby.net"},"hover_event":{"action":"show_text","value":"Click to visit!"}}]

Raw JSON component

["",{"text":"Welcome to ","color":"gold","bold":true},{"text":"laby.net","color":"aqua","bold":true,"click_event":{"action":"open_url","url":"https://laby.net"},"hover_event":{"action":"show_text","value":"Click to visit!"}}]

JSON text components without the JSON

Build /tellraw chat messages and /title screen text visually instead of hand-writing JSON text components. Style segments with colors and formatting, attach click events (run command, open URL, suggest text) and hover tooltips, preview everything in a live chat rendering and copy the finished command for Java Edition.

Segment-based editor

Compose messages from segments, each with its own color, formatting and events - exactly how text components work.

Click events

Make text run a command, suggest chat input, open a URL or copy to clipboard when clicked.

Hover tooltips

Show styled tooltip text when players hover a segment - the classic interactive-chat building block.

Full RGB support

Use the 16 classic colors or any 24-bit hex color per segment (Java 1.16+).

Title, subtitle and actionbar

Switch to /title mode for screen titles with subtitle and actionbar plus fade-in, stay and fade-out timing.

Live chat preview

See the message exactly as it appears in chat or on screen - including hover previews - before you run anything.

How to build a tellraw message

1
Compose segments
Write your text as segments and give each one colors and formatting.
2
Add interactions
Attach click actions and hover tooltips where the message should react to players.
3
Copy the command
Copy /tellraw or /title and run it in chat or a command block - selector targets like @a included.

Frequently asked questions

What is /tellraw used for?: /tellraw sends raw JSON text components to players - the only way to produce clickable, hoverable, multi-colored chat messages in vanilla. It's the backbone of map interfaces, server menus and quest dialogue.
What's the difference between /tellraw and /title?: /tellraw writes into the chat; /title displays large text in the middle of the screen with subtitle and actionbar variants and configurable fade timings. Both use the same text component format, so this generator covers both.
Can clicked text run any command?: run_command executes one command as the clicking player - with their permissions. Command blocks or functions triggered this way are how servers build clickable menus without plugins.
Why does my old tellraw command fail in 1.21.5+?: Mojang renamed the event fields: clickEvent became click_event, hoverEvent became hover_event, and hover contents moved. The generator outputs the syntax matching your selected game version.
How do I target specific players?: Use selectors in the command: @a for everyone, @p for the nearest player, @a[team=red] for a team - or a player name. The message itself can even embed selector components that print player names.
Does tellraw work in Bedrock?: Bedrock has /tellraw but with a reduced format: no hover events and no click events. Fully interactive messages are a Java Edition feature.