/scoreboard

Manages scoreboard objectives and player scores. The scoreboard system tracks numeric values for entities and can display them in various locations.

Overview

Manages scoreboard objectives and player scores. The scoreboard system tracks numeric values for entities and can display them in various locations. In vanilla Minecraft Java Edition it is one of the data commands and has been available since version 1.5.

It is invoked as /scoreboard ... and accepts 2 required arguments ( and ).

Common criteria: dummy (manual only), health, playerKillCount, totalKillCount, deathCount, trigger, and many more. Display slots: sidebar, list, belowName. The scoreboard is one of the most powerful vanilla systems for custom content.

Objectives must be created with /scoreboard objectives add before scores can be set. Useful criteria include dummy, health, playerKillCount, deathCount and trigger; display slots are sidebar, list and belowName.

Syntax & Arguments

/scoreboard <objectives|players> ...

The full syntax is /scoreboard .... Angle brackets < > mark required arguments and square brackets [ ] mark optional ones; a vertical bar | between words means you pick exactly one of those literals. You must always supply and .

subcommand: Required, of type a literal. objectives = manage objectives; players = manage scores.
arguments: Required, of type a various. Varies by subcommand: objectives (add/list/modify/remove/setdisplay) or players (add/enable/get/list/operation/remove/reset/set).

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
subcommand	literal	Required	objectives = manage objectives; players = manage scores.
arguments	various	Required	Varies by subcommand: objectives (add/list/modify/remove/setdisplay) or players (add/enable/get/list/operation/remove/reset/set).

Examples

The 3 examples below are ready to copy and adapt. For instance, /scoreboard objectives add kills playerKillCount creates an objective called "kills" that tracks player kill count. Each example varies the arguments to show a different real use of /scoreboard; read the note under every snippet to see exactly what changes.

/scoreboard objectives add kills playerKillCount

Creates an objective called "kills" that tracks player kill count.

/scoreboard objectives setdisplay sidebar kills

Displays the "kills" objective on the sidebar for all players.

/scoreboard players set @p score 100

Sets the nearest player's "score" objective to 100.

Permission Level & Requirements

/scoreboard sits at permission Level 2 - Game Master / Cheats, which means it needs permission level 2, the level cheats grant to single-player worlds and that operators hold by default.

In a single-player world you must have "Allow Cheats" turned on (or open the world to LAN with cheats) before it will run; on a multiplayer server the player needs to be an operator at the matching level.

This reference describes the Java Edition 1.21 form of the command; Bedrock Edition may use slightly different argument formats.

Common Mistakes

Forgetting to create the objective before trying to set scores, objectives must be created with /scoreboard objectives add first.
Using incorrect criteria types, the criteria determines how the objective is tracked (dummy for manual, playerKillCount for PvP kills, etc.).

Notes

Related Commands

If /scoreboard is part of your toolkit, the commands below are the ones you will most often reach for alongside it: /team, /trigger, /tag, and /bossbar. They cover closely related tasks, so the links above jump straight to each one.

Frequently Asked Questions about /scoreboard

What does the /scoreboard command do in Minecraft?

Manages scoreboard objectives and player scores. The scoreboard system tracks numeric values for entities and can display them in various locations. It belongs to the data command group and was added in Java Edition 1.5.

What is the correct syntax for /scoreboard?

/scoreboard .... The required arguments are subcommand and arguments.

What permission level does /scoreboard need?

It requires permission Level 2 - Game Master / Cheats. On a server the player must be an operator at that level, or have cheats enabled in single-player.

What is a common mistake when using /scoreboard?

Forgetting to create the objective before trying to set scores, objectives must be created with /scoreboard objectives add first.

Can you give an example of /scoreboard in use?

Yes. /scoreboard objectives setdisplay sidebar kills — displays the "kills" objective on the sidebar for all players.

Need a Minecraft server?

Try these commands on Astroworld or host your own server.

Try Astroworld Hosting