Minecraft’s inventory system is functional but can be clunky for managing large quantities of items or streamlining gameplay. The modding community has created a variety of mods to enhance inventory management, from HUD displays to advanced storage systems. Below, Gurugamer presents the top 10 best inventory mods for Minecraft 1.21.6 in 2025, all verified for compatibility with the latest version and designed to improve your gameplay experience.

1. Inventory HUD+

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The HUD is also fully customizable.

Overview: Inventory HUD+ overhauls the in-game HUD by displaying your inventory, potion effects, and equipment details on-screen, reducing the need to open the inventory menu.

Features:

  • Shows your full inventory on the HUD, with customizable placement and transparency.
  • PotionHUD displays potion effects with timers or duration bars.
  • ArmorHUD shows armor durability, weapon condition, free slots, and arrow counts.
  • Fully configurable to toggle specific HUD elements.

Compatibility: Available for Forge, NeoForge, and Fabric on Minecraft 1.21.6.

Why It’s Great: With 65.5M downloads, this mod is a staple for players who want instant access to inventory information without pausing gameplay. Its lightweight design and customization options make it versatile for all playstyles.

2. Inventory Profiles Next

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Overview: Inventory Profiles Next is a powerful client-side mod that streamlines inventory and chest management, succeeding the legacy Inventory Tweaks mod.

Features:

  • Auto-sorts inventories and chests with customizable sorting rules.
  • Quick item movement between inventory and storage containers.
  • Locked slots to prevent sorting of specific items.
  • Auto-refill for tools or items in the hotbar when they break or deplete.
  • Gear sets for instant equipment swaps.
  • Overlay buttons for intuitive chest and inventory management.

Compatibility: Supports Forge, NeoForge, Fabric, and Quilt on Minecraft 1.21.6.

Why It’s Great: With 27.7M downloads, this mod offers comprehensive inventory control and multiplayer compatibility without server-side requirements, making it ideal for both solo and server play.

3. Refined Storage

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Overview: Refined Storage provides a tech-based, network-driven storage system for managing vast quantities of items and fluids, updated for 1.21.6.

Features:

  • Centralized storage network accessible via a single Grid interface.
  • Stores items and fluids in expandable device networks.
  • Automation tools like importers, exporters, constructors, and destructors.
  • Auto-crafting system for complex recipes with minimal input.

Compatibility: Available for Forge and NeoForge on Minecraft 1.21.6.

Why It’s Great: Perfect for large-scale projects, this mod simplifies mass storage and automation, making it a favorite for technical players and megabase builders.

4. Iron Chests

Iron Chest Mods

Overview: Iron Chests expands vanilla storage by adding larger, tiered chests made from materials like iron, gold, diamond, and obsidian.

Features:

  • New chest types with increased storage capacity (e.g., diamond chests hold more than vanilla chests).
  • Higher-tier chests like obsidian are blast-resistant.
  • Simple integration with other storage mods.

Compatibility: Supports Forge and NeoForge on Minecraft 1.21.6.

Why It’s Great: With millions of downloads, Iron Chests is a straightforward solution for players needing compact, high-capacity storage without complex systems.

5. Mouse Wheelie

Mouse Wheelie Mod For Minecraft 05

Overview: Mouse Wheelie enhances inventory interactions by improving mouse-based mechanics, making item management faster and more intuitive.

Features:

  • Replaces standard right-mouse dragging with smoother mechanics.
  • Left-mouse dragging for precise item placement.
  • Scroll wheel functionality to move items between inventories or slots (e.g., one item at a time when a chest is open).
  • Simplifies crafting and storage interactions.

Compatibility: Available for Forge and Fabric on Minecraft 1.21.6 (requires Cloth Config and Fabric API for Fabric).

Why It’s Great: This lightweight mod reduces the tedium of inventory management with intuitive controls, perfect for players who want quick, hassle-free item handling.

6. Inventory Essentials

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Overview: Inventory Essentials adds simple, lightweight inventory tweaks that enhance item management without overriding default behaviors.

Features:

  • Control-click to move a single item.
  • Shift-control-click to transfer all stacks of a specific item type.
  • Shift-move to quickly transfer items without multiple clicks.
  • Compatible with other inventory mods like Quark and Inventory Sorter.

Compatibility: Supports Fabric, Forge, and NeoForge on Minecraft 1.21.6.

Why It’s Great: With 32.3M downloads, this mod is perfect for players who want minimalistic yet powerful inventory controls that work seamlessly in modpacks or vanilla+ setups.

7. Just Enough Items (JEI)

Jei Mod

Overview: Just Enough Items (JEI) is a utility mod that provides an in-game recipe viewer and inventory management tool, essential for modded play.

Features:

  • Displays recipes for crafting, smelting, brewing, and anvil use.
  • Search bar to quickly find items and their recipes.
  • Inventory configurations to manage items and view modded content.
  • Bookmark system to save frequently used recipes.

Compatibility: Available for Forge, NeoForge, and Fabric on Minecraft 1.21.6.

Why It’s Great: JEI is a must-have for modded Minecraft, with over 100M downloads, as it simplifies recipe navigation and inventory management, especially in complex modpacks.

8. Storage Drawers

Storage Drawers Mod

Overview: Storage Drawers offers a compact, aesthetic storage solution with customizable drawers for organizing frequently used items.

Features:

  • Create drawers to store specific item stacks with designated slots.
  • Easy addition and removal of item stacks.
  • Upgradable storage capacity and drawer types.
  • Integrates well with mods like Refined Storage for hybrid setups.

Compatibility: Supports Forge and NeoForge on Minecraft 1.21.6.

Why It’s Great: This mod is ideal for players who want organized, visually appealing storage that complements other mods without overwhelming complexity.

9. Inventory Management

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Overview: Inventory Management is a lightweight mod focused on streamlining item sorting and transfers with a single click.

Features:

  • Sort inventory or chests with customizable button placements.
  • Transfer all items between inventories with one click.
  • Auto-stack items to combine partial stacks efficiently.
  • Configurable UI themes (light, dark, or auto) via ModMenu.

Compatibility: Available for Forge and NeoForge on Minecraft 1.21.6.

Why It’s Great: With a focus on simplicity and speed, this mod is perfect for players who want quick inventory organization without extensive configuration.

10. TrashSlot

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Overview: TrashSlot adds a dedicated slot to the inventory UI for easily disposing of unwanted items, preventing clutter and lag.

Features:

  • Adds a trash slot to the inventory HUD for quick item deletion.
  • Safely disposes of items without dropping them in the world.
  • Configurable to prevent accidental deletion of valuable items.
  • Lightweight and compatible with other inventory mods.

Compatibility: Supports Forge, NeoForge, and Fabric on Minecraft 1.21.6.

Why It’s Great: This mod solves the problem of managing excess items, especially in modded play where inventory clutter is common, making it a practical addition for any setup.

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