Summon custom entities with /summon

The summon command creates any mob or entity you name. An optional block of data in curly braces changes how it spawns: its name, gear, effects, riders and more. You can run it from the Console tab or in game as an operator, and it is the quickest way to build bosses, display mobs and custom villagers.

Checked against Minecraft Java Edition 26.3, October 2026.

The command

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

• entity is the mob's ID, such as zombie or minecraft:zombie. Players and fishing bobbers cannot be summoned.
• pos is three coordinates. A tilde means relative, so ~ ~ ~ is the spot where the command runs. Leave it off and the entity appears at that spot.
• nbt is the data block. Every key is optional, and a key you leave out keeps its normal default.

In Peaceful difficulty the game refuses to summon monsters and replies "Monsters cannot be summoned in Peaceful difficulty".

Where to run it

In game. Type the command in chat with a leading slash. You need to be an operator: open Players, then Operators, and press Make operator. Whitelist players and set operators has the steps.

In the Console tab. Type the command with no leading slash. No player is standing at the console, so give the command a position. Either use fixed coordinates, or run it from a player's position with execute, using that player's name:

execute at Alex run summon creeper ~ ~ ~

The console accepts commands up to 1,024 characters. A longer data block is better kept in a datapack function, which Make custom weapons with commands shows.

Examples

A charged creeper with a name:

summon creeper ~ ~ ~ {powered:true,CustomName:"Powered Creeper"}

A zombie with a visible name, an iron sword and helmet, and no chance of despawning:

summon zombie ~ ~ ~ {CustomName:"Guard",CustomNameVisible:true,PersistenceRequired:true,equipment:{mainhand:{id:"minecraft:iron_sword",count:1},head:{id:"minecraft:iron_helmet",count:1}}}

A baby zombie with Speed II that never runs out. A duration of -1 means infinite, and an amplifier of 1 means level II:

summon zombie ~ ~ ~ {IsBaby:true,active_effects:[{id:"minecraft:speed",amplifier:1b,duration:-1,show_particles:true}]}

A spider carrying a skeleton with a bow:

summon spider ~ ~ ~ {Passengers:[{id:"minecraft:skeleton",equipment:{mainhand:{id:"minecraft:bow",count:1}}}]}

A villager with one trade, five diamonds for one dirt:

summon villager ~ ~ ~ {Offers:{Recipes:[{buy:{id:"minecraft:dirt",count:1},sell:{id:"minecraft:diamond",count:5},rewardExp:false}]}}

Keys worth knowing

Find and remove what you summoned

Give the entity a tag when you summon it, then use the tag to remove it:

summon zombie ~ ~ ~ {Tags:["boss"]}
kill @e[tag=boss]

If it fails

• "Unable to summon entity". The game could not create that entity. Run the command without the data block first, then add keys back one at a time. Players and fishing bobbers always fail.
• "Unable to summon entity due to duplicate UUIDs". You set a UUID that another entity already has. Leave the UUID out.
• "Invalid position for summon". The coordinates are beyond the world's limits.
• Nothing happens after execute at. The player has to be online. If nobody matches the name, the command finds no one to run from and does nothing.