How to Get a Custom Tab
Customize your TAB list, nametags, scoreboard, header/footer, and BossBar from one plugin.
Customize your TAB list, nametags, scoreboard, header/footer, and BossBar from one plugin.
The default Minecraft TAB list shows players in random order, no formatting, no header or footer, and no rank prefixes. TAB by NEZNAMY takes over all of that: the TAB list, nametags, header/footer text, scoreboard sidebar, and BossBar, in one plugin instead of four separate ones conflicting over packets.
Requirements
- A Paper or Spigot server, or a BungeeCord/Velocity proxy
- LuckPerms (needed for automatic rank-based prefixes)
- PlaceholderAPI (optional, enables placeholders from other plugins)
Installation
- Download TAB from Modrinth or HangarMC.

- Stop your server from the MCServerHost dashboard.
- Upload the download file to
plugins/via the File Manager.
- Start your server. TAB generates its config files on first run.
Inside plugins/TAB/ you'll find:
plugins/TAB/
├── config.yml
├── groups.yml
└── users.yml
What Each File Does
config.yml - TAB list, nametags, header/footer, scoreboard, BossBar, sorting (each has enabled toggle)
groups.yml - tabprefix/tabsuffix -> TAB list | tagprefix/tagsuffix -> above heads | maps to LuckPerms groups
users.yml - per-player overrides of groups.yml, target by username or UUID
Run /tab reload after editing any file.
Commands & Permissions
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
/tab reload |
Reloads all config files |
/tab group [name] [property] [value] |
Set a property for a group |
/tab player [name] [property] [value] |
Set a property for a specific player |
/tab cpu |
Shows plugin CPU usage |
For the full feature reference (animations, conditional placeholders, sorting, per-world settings, proxy setup) visit the TAB wiki.
Important Considerations
- Conflicts. TAB uses scoreboard teams for nametag sorting. Plugins that also manage teams (glow, disguise, some anticheat) will conflict. The wiki has compatibility guides.
- Proxy setups. Install TAB on the proxy. Use
%vault_prefix%via PlaceholderAPI for cross-server LuckPerms prefixes instead of%luckperms-prefix%, which only works on the same server instance. - Nicknames. Put the nickname placeholder in
customtabname, nottabprefix. Usingtabprefixshows the name twice.
Conclusion
TAB is something you configure once and forget about. Most setups only need groups.yml edits to get prefixes and sorting working.
If you run into any issues on MCServerHost, join our Discord server or reach us at support@mcserverhost.com.
Related guides
- How to Add a Server Border on Your Minecraft Server — Limit the playable area to keep players together and reduce server lag
- How to Change the Difficulty on Your Minecraft Server — Set your server to Peaceful, Easy, Normal or Hard
- How to Change the World Preset on Your Minecraft Server — Generate a different world type, like superflat, large biomes, or amplified
- How to Fully Customize Your Server MOTD — Customize your server list MOTD, favicon, player count, and hover text with multiple switchable profiles.