/summon
Conjure mobs, animals, or items anywhere you like.
Overview
What is the /summon command?
The /summon command spawns any entity — mobs, items, armor stands, TNT, lightning and more — at a position you choose, with optional NBT data to customise it. A single line can spawn a named, equipped, baby zombie riding a chicken if you want.
It's the backbone of custom mobs, redstone-free contraptions, and a lot of map and datapack magic.
When to use it: Use /summon to spawn mobs or entities on demand, often with custom data for names, gear or behaviour.
At a glance
Syntax
/summon <entity> [x] [y] [z]See it
What it does
Anatomy
Every part, explained
- 1
/summonCreates a new entity in the world.
- 2
<entity>What to spawn, e.g. cow, creeper, ender_dragon.
- 3
[x] [y] [z]Where it appears. Leave blank to spawn at you.
Your turn
Try it yourself
Copy & paste
Examples
/summon cow ~ ~ ~A cow, right where you stand.
/summon lightning_bolt ~ ~ ~Strike lightning on the spot.
/summon allay ~ ~1 ~A floating helper just above you.
Avoid these
Common mistakes
/summon Cow/summon cowEntity ids are lowercase - 'cow', never 'Cow'.
/summon zombie 64/summon zombie ~ ~ ~Position needs all three coords, or none at all.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
- How do you summon a mob in Minecraft?
- Run /summon <entity> [x y z], e.g. /summon zombie ~ ~ ~ to spawn a zombie where you stand.
- How do you summon lightning?
- Use /summon lightning_bolt ~ ~ ~ to strike lightning at your position — great for effects and charging creepers.
- How do you give a summoned mob a custom name?
- Add NBT data, e.g. /summon zombie ~ ~ ~ {CustomName:'"Boss"'} (formatting varies slightly by version).
Keep going