Customizing the BetterF3 Debug Screen Appearance and Modules

guide

BetterF3 replaces the standard Minecraft debug overlay with a fully customizable version. To access its configuration, press F3 + Q. This opens the BetterF3 options screen where you can adjust modules, colors, and layout. To disable the mod entirely and return to the vanilla F3 HUD, use the tooltip option. There is also a toggle that makes the debug menu appear automatically as soon as the game launches.

Adjusting the Overall Look

Several settings control how the entire HUD is displayed. You can change the font scale to make text larger or smaller. A shadow effect option adds a dark outline to every character, improving readability. The spacing setting inserts a blank line after each module, separating groups of information. You can also control the number of empty lines shown between sections with the dedicated empty lines option.

The background of each line is fully editable. Look for the setting that changes the background color of every line, which uses the ARGB format (alpha, red, green, blue) to set both transparency and hue. Additionally, you can hide the debug crosshair, sidebar, and bossbar whenever the F3 menu is active, giving you a cleaner view of just the diagnostic text.

Managing Modules and Their Content

Each module—such as chunklight, fps tps, Ping / Bandwidth, or Pie Graph—can be individually enabled or disabled. The enable toggle for each module turns its display on or off. For modules that show coordinates, you can independently set the color of the X, Y, and Z values. The name and value colors for every line in a module are also customizable.

Some modules have context-specific color options. For FPS, you can assign different colors for high, medium, and low performance. Chunk-related text can use one color when options are enabled and another when disabled. Similarly, help text has separate colors for enabled and disabled states. The total chunk count, entity count, and maximum sound count each have their own color settings. The Memory Color Toggle enables automatic color shifting for the memory value based on how much memory is currently in use.

Animation and Profiler Settings

BetterF3 can animate the opening and closing of the debug menu. Enable the animation option to add a smooth transition effect. A separate speed control lets you set how fast this animation plays.

Several performance-related toggles are also available. The always enable profiler option keeps the profiler running whenever you press F3. The always enable TPS graph and always enable ping graph options force their respective graphs to appear. Note that these two graphs cannot be shown at the same time—enabling one disables the other.

Understanding the Displayed Information

The debug screen itself shows a wide range of data, including simulation distance, loaded chunks on the server, forceloaded chunks, horizontal velocity, biome blend radius, and pending uploads to the GPU. Direction indicators show which way you are facing relative to the coordinate axes. Some values appear only under certain conditions, such as "Waiting for chunk..." when the game is still loading an area.

Hotkeys and Quick Access

While most customization happens in the options menu, a few keyboard shortcuts exist for quick changes. Press F3 + F to cycle render distance (hold Shift to reverse direction). Add Ctrl to cycle simulation distance instead. To open the BetterF3 options directly, press F3 + M. For other actions, use the corresponding hotkey as set in the controls menu.