/summon

Spawns an entity at a specified location, optionally with NBT data to customize the entity.

Overview

Spawns an entity at a specified location, optionally with NBT data to customize the entity. In vanilla Minecraft Java Edition it is one of the world commands and has been available since version 1.7.

It is invoked as /summon [] [] and accepts one required argument () and 2 optional arguments ([pos] and [nbt]).

The entity ID must be namespaced (minecraft:zombie) or unnamespaced (zombie). Complex NBT data can configure nearly every aspect of the summoned entity.

Entity ids may be written with or without the minecraft: namespace, and the trailing NBT compound can preset almost any property of the spawned entity.

Summoning into an unloaded chunk fails silently because the entity is removed the instant it is created off-grid.

Syntax & Arguments

/summon <entity> [<pos>] [<nbt>]

The full syntax is /summon [] []. 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 . The arguments [pos] and [nbt] may be omitted, in which case the documented default applies.

entity: Required, of type a resource. The entity type to summon (e.g., zombie, armor_stand, item).
pos: Optional, of type a vec3. The coordinates to spawn the entity at. Defaults to the executor's position.
nbt: Optional, of type a nbt_compound. NBT data to apply to the entity upon spawning.

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
entity	resource	Required	The entity type to summon (e.g., zombie, armor_stand, item).
pos	vec3	Optional	The coordinates to spawn the entity at. Defaults to the executor's position.
nbt	nbt_compound	Optional	NBT data to apply to the entity upon spawning.

Examples

The 3 examples below are ready to copy and adapt. For instance, /summon minecraft:zombie ~ ~ ~ spawns a zombie at your location. Each example varies the arguments to show a different real use of /summon; read the note under every snippet to see exactly what changes.

/summon minecraft:zombie ~ ~ ~

Spawns a zombie at your location.

/summon minecraft:armor_stand ~ ~ ~ {Invisible:1b,NoGravity:1b,CustomName:'{"text":"Marker"}',CustomNameVisible:1b}

Spawns an invisible, floating armor stand with a visible custom name.

/summon minecraft:villager ~ ~ ~ {VillagerData:{profession:"weaponsmith",level:5,type:"plains"}}

Summons a max-level weaponsmith plains villager.

Permission Level & Requirements

/summon 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

Summoning entities in unloaded chunks, the entity immediately despawns if the chunk is not loaded.
Invalid NBT syntax, forgetting quotes around string values or using wrong NBT type suffixes (b, s, f, d, L).

Notes

The entity ID must be namespaced (minecraft:zombie) or unnamespaced (zombie). Complex NBT data can configure nearly every aspect of the summoned entity.

Related Commands

If /summon is part of your toolkit, the commands below are the ones you will most often reach for alongside it: /kill, /tp, /data, and /forceload. They cover closely related tasks, so the links above jump straight to each one.

/kill

/tp

/data

/forceload

Frequently Asked Questions about /summon

What does the /summon command do in Minecraft?

Spawns an entity at a specified location, optionally with NBT data to customize the entity. It belongs to the world command group and was added in Java Edition 1.7.

What is the correct syntax for /summon?

/summon [] []. The required argument is entity, and the optional ones are pos and nbt.

What permission level does /summon 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 /summon?

Summoning entities in unloaded chunks, the entity immediately despawns if the chunk is not loaded.

Can you give an example of /summon in use?

Yes. /summon minecraft:armor_stand ~ ~ ~ {Invisible:1b,NoGravity:1b,CustomName:'{"text":"Marker"}',CustomNameVisible:1b} — spawns an invisible, floating armor stand with a visible custom name.

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