Minecraft Particle Command Tutorial (Updated 1.21 + )

Hey everyone, it’s UnderMyCap, and welcome back to another video! Today I’m going to be showing you how to use the particle command in the new Minecraft 1.21 update. Without further ado, let’s get straight into it!

If you’d prefer to watch the video version of this tutorial, you can check it out here: Minecraft Particle Command Tutorial (Updated 1.21+)

The Basic Particle Command

First of all, let’s start off with the basic command to summon a particle. You don’t really need a lot of requirements to get started — all you need is the particle command and a name for your particle. For example, if you type /particle angry_villager, you’ll notice it spawns an angry villager particle right at your feet. If you want to spawn it somewhere else, all you have to do is add three position values. These three values create a relative position for where the particle is going to spawn. For example, if you change the first squiggly line (~) to ~2 and keep the other two as ~, you’ll notice the particle spawns two blocks above where you’re standing.

Using Arguments to Customise Your Particles

The particle command has many customisations available through individual arguments, and this is where things get really exciting! To demonstrate this properly, I’ll use a command block. Place down a command block, open it up, and type in the basic command we just learned — so particle flame ~ ~1 ~ — then set it to Always Active and Repeat. You’ll now see the flame particle spawning one block above the command block.

Delta (Spread)

With arguments, we’re actually able to change the spread, speed, and count of the particles. Let’s start with delta, which controls the spread. Delta has three individual data points — X, Y, and Z — similar in structure to coordinates, but please do not mistake these for actual coordinates! They will not function as coordinates and will really mess things up. Once you add your delta values, you’ll need to fill out a couple more arguments before the command will work.

Speed

Speed controls how fast the particle moves. A speed of 0 means the particle will not move at all, while a speed of 1 will cause the particles to really zip around.

Count

Count controls how many particles spawn per tick. Setting this to something like 10 is great for clearly seeing the spread effect in action. For example, setting delta to 1 1 1, speed to 1, and count to 10 will cause the particles to spread by one in every direction. You’ll notice the spread isn’t exactly one full block — this is because the particle system uses a mathematical formula that places more particles toward the centre and fewer toward the outside edges. If you want a spread that lines up neatly with a full block, a delta value of around 0.125 should give you a nice circular spread. Cranking up the speed makes particles go wild, and bumping up the count to a very large number creates quite the visual spectacle!

Force vs Normal Mode

The next part of the command is the mode, which can be set to either force or normal. These might not look very different at first glance, but they behave quite differently. Force will make the particle visible no matter what — even if a player has particles turned off in their settings, the particle will still display for them. Normal, on the other hand, respects the player’s settings, so if particles are turned off, they simply won’t appear. Choose the mode that best suits your use case!

Cool Things You Can Do With Particles

If you’re wondering what you can actually use particles for, the answer is — so many things! Here are a few great examples to get your creativity flowing.

Ambient Effects — Dripping Taps

One fantastic use for particles is creating ambient effects like a dripping tap. Using a command block with the basic particle command and a small positional offset, you can create a really cool dripping water effect with minimal effort. It’s one of those little details that makes a build feel so much more alive.

Ambient Area Effects

You can also use the delta values to create a large ambient area effect. For instance, you can simulate something like a light rain or a misty atmosphere over a specific area of your world. Adjusting the height and spread of the particle lets you cover as much or as little of an area as you like, making builds look significantly more immersive and atmospheric.

Player Trails Using the Execute Command

I’m sure you’ve seen players with cool particle trails following them around — and it’s actually really easy to set up! It uses the execute command combined with the particle command. The syntax looks like this: /execute at @a run particle totem ~ ~ ~ 0.1 0.1 0.1 0 1 force @a. Using @a targets all players, and with a delta of 0.1, a speed of 0, and a count of 1, you get a beautiful totem-style trail that follows every player around. It looks incredibly cool! I’ll be doing a more in-depth video on the execute command as well, so stay tuned for that.

Wrapping Up

And that’s basically the particle command covered! It might look intimidating at first, but once you break it down argument by argument, it’s really not that difficult at all. With just a bit of creativity, you can use particles to take your Minecraft builds and worlds to a whole new level. I hope you found this tutorial helpful, and if you did, don’t forget to leave a like and subscribe — it really does help me out a lot. I can’t wait to see you in the next video. See ya!