How to change the size of mobs with commands in Minecraft

The latest Minecraft: Java Edition snapshot (23w51b) provides a way to increase or decrease the size of mobs and other entities through in-game commands. While changing sizes in previous versions was complex, this update simplifies the process. The syntax can be tricky, but you should grow comfortable with practice.

This new function is courtesy of Minecraft Snapshot 23w51b's introduction of the /attribute command, allowing players to retrieve or set distinct in-game attributes, and modifying a mob's scale/size is only the tip of the iceberg for this command.

For the curious, it doesn't hurt to start small and demonstrate how to use the command to alter a mob's size.

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How to change a mob's size via the /attribute command in Minecraft

The attribute command is used to make a small Warden in Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

It should be noted that before you begin, you'll have to make sure you're playing on Minecraft Java Snapshot 23w51b or higher and have cheats enabled. Otherwise, this command won't work as intended, though Mojang will probably implement the command later.

Whatever the case, the base command syntax for changing a mob's scale/size attribute is as follows:

• /attribute <target> <attribute> base set <value>

This is the basic syntax, but you must fill in the outlined brackets if you wish to use the command. In this case, the target will be @e, as it targets in-game entities like mobs. The attribute will be minecraft.generic.scale, which will alter the base size, and the value is the multiplier number you want to change the mob by. For example, five means the mob will grow 5x larger.

That said, additional text entries may be necessary, as using the base command syntax will apply to all mobs by default. Fortunately, adding a few extra commas in the attribute brackets can handle things easily. For example, if you wanted to change the size of a single zombie mob, you could enter the following:

• /attribute @e[type=zombie,limit=1,sort=nearest] minecraft.generic.scale base set 2 to make the closest zombie mob to the player double its size.

Fortunately, Mojang's in-game command syntax assistant is also available, allowing you to pick parts of the /attribute command without causing errors. The command input can still be tricky, especially if you're a beginner unfamiliar with using commands/cheats, but practice makes perfect.

Overall, once you understand the /attribute command, you may want to experiment with it to see what else it can accomplish. Changing the size of mobs and players is one thing, but manipulating other attributes is another. Still, considering a large collection of attributes exist in-game, you can set them to essentially any in-game entity by manipulating the attribute command.