Summon a zombie
/summon minecraft:zombieA zombie appears at your position, as if it had spawned naturally.
/summon command in Minecraft
The /summon command creates a mob, a projectile, a display, a lightning bolt or any other entity at a chosen position, optionally with NBT data. It is the go-to command to test a mob farm, set up a boss fight or place armor stands and markers in a map.
Syntax
/summon <entity> [<pos> [<nbt>]]| Argument | Expects | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| entity | ID · entity_type | Entity type ID, e.g. minecraft:zombie, minecraft:villager or minecraft:lightning_bolt. Players cannot be summoned. |
| posoptional | Position (x y z) | Where it appears, by default ~ ~ ~ at your feet. ^ ^ ^5 places it five blocks in front of you. |
| nbtoptional | NBT compound | Optional entity data in SNBT, e.g. {NoAI:1b}, {IsBaby:1b} or {CustomName:"Bob"}. |
All 3 forms
- /summon <entity>
- /summon <entity> <pos>
- /summon <entity> <pos> <nbt>
Examples
Summon a baby zombie
/summon minecraft:zombie ~ ~ ~ {IsBaby:1b}The small, fast version of the zombie.
A villager that stays put
/summon minecraft:villager ~ ~ ~ {NoAI:1b}Without AI the villager does not move, turn or flee. Ideal for a shop or a lobby.
Summon a charged creeper
/summon minecraft:creeper ~ ~ ~ {powered:1b}A charged creeper with a bigger explosion, without waiting for a thunderstorm.
Lightning on every player
/execute at @a run summon minecraft:lightning_bolt ~ ~ ~One lightning bolt strikes at the position of each online player.
Interactive tool
Command generator
Fill in the fields, copy the command, paste it in the chat. Syntax checked against Java Edition 26.3.
Turn on JavaScript to use the interactive version.
/summon iron_golem ~ ~ ~Calculated from the Java Edition 26.3 game files
IDs for /summon
Allayallay
Armadilloarmadillo
Axolotlaxolotl
Batbat
Beebee
Blazeblaze
Boggedbogged
Breezebreeze
Camelcamel
Camel Huskcamel_husk
Catcat
Cave Spidercave_spider
Chickenchicken
Codcod
Copper Golemcopper_golem
Cowcow
Creakingcreaking
Creepercreeper
Dolphindolphin
Donkeydonkey
Drowneddrowned
Elder Guardianelder_guardian
Ender Dragonender_dragon
Endermanenderman
Endermiteendermite
Evokerevoker
Foxfox
Frogfrog
Ghastghast
Glow Squidglow_squid
Goatgoat
Guardianguardian
Happy Ghasthappy_ghast
Hoglinhoglin
Horsehorse
Huskhusk
Iron Golemiron_golem
Llamallama
Magma Cubemagma_cube
Mooshroommooshroom
Mulemule
Nautilusnautilus
Ocelotocelot
Pandapanda
Parchedparched
Parrotparrot
Phantomphantom
Pigpig
Piglinpiglin
Piglin Brutepiglin_brute
Pillagerpillager
Polar Bearpolar_bear
Pufferfishpufferfish
Rabbitrabbit
Ravagerravager
Salmonsalmon
Sheepsheep
Shulkershulker
Silverfishsilverfish
Skeletonskeleton
Skeleton Horseskeleton_horse
Slimeslime
Sniffersniffer
Snow Golemsnow_golem
Spiderspider
Squidsquid
Straystray
Striderstrider
Sulfur Cubesulfur_cube
Tadpoletadpole
Trader Llamatrader_llama
Tropical Fishtropical_fish
Turtleturtle
Vexvex
Villagervillager
Vindicatorvindicator
Wandering Traderwandering_trader
Wardenwarden
Witchwitch
Witherwither
Wither Skeletonwither_skeleton
Wolfwolf
Zoglinzoglin
Zombiezombie
Zombie Horsezombie_horse
Zombie Nautiluszombie_nautilus
Zombie Villagerzombie_villager
Zombified Piglinzombified_piglinUseful NBT
{NoAI:1b}: the mob stands still and does not react.{IsBaby:1b}: the baby version of a Zombie and the other zombie types.{CustomName:"Bob"}: a name shown above the mob, like a Name Tag.{powered:1b}: a charged Creeper.
Copying NBT from older tutorials often fails, because the format of names and items changed in recent versions. Keep to simple tags, and check the result in game.
Common errors
- "Monsters cannot be summoned in Peaceful difficulty": raise the level with /difficulty first.
- "Invalid position for summon": the position is outside the limits of the world.
- A player cannot be summoned, the entity list only offers types that the game can create.
Summon more than one
/summon creates one entity per run. To place one at every player, wrap it in /execute: /execute at @a run summon minecraft:lightning_bolt ~ ~ ~. Local coordinates with ^ place an entity in front of you, whatever the direction you face. To clean up after a test, /kill with a type or a tag selector removes exactly what you summoned.
✓ Checked in Java Edition 26.3 · updated 2 November 2026
/summon: FAQ
How do I summon a mob that does not move?
Add {NoAI:1b} to the command, for example /summon minecraft:villager ~ ~ ~ {NoAI:1b}. The mob stays in place and does not react to players.
Can I summon several mobs at once?
One run creates one entity. Repeat the command, use a repeating command block, or run it through /execute for several positions.
How do I use /summon?
Type it in the chat with cheats on: /summon <entity> [<pos> [<nbt>]].
Who can use /summon?
Cheats on, or operator level 2.