JsonForge

JsonForge is a visual editor for Minecraft Bedrock UI screens, with browser and desktop editions. It is best for pack creators who want to arrange interface elements on a canvas and export them as add-ons. Its focused export options are useful, but game-driven values and form-grid styling put firm boundaries on what those screens can do.

Overview

JsonForge brings the canvas, element hierarchy, properties, textures, bindings and JSON preview into a dockable workspace. That makes visual layout the natural starting point without cutting off direct work with Minecraft Bedrock JSON UI: projects can be saved as bundled .jfproject files or imported and exported as .json. The bundled format keeps the element tree, bindings and textures together, which is helpful when moving a project as a unit.

The editor is aimed at interface work for resource packs, rather than general-purpose Minecraft add-on creation. Its visual workflow can make screen construction more approachable, but it does not override the game’s rules about what UI values a resource pack can display.

Key features

Canvas and workspace

Ten element types include panels, images, labels, buttons, toggles and custom elements. The canvas supports anchors and scale and uses the game’s nine-slice texture algorithm; an Edit/Preview toggle separates arranging a screen from previewing it. That game-oriented layout model is a practical advantage for UI authors, though it should not be mistaken for a guarantee that every in-game behavior can be authored visually.

Textures, bindings and export

Five ore-UI preset texture sets and Minecraft fonts provide starting assets, and textures can be dropped onto elements or property fields. Per-element binding modes support connecting elements to values, while the export targets cover forms, HUD overlays and a restyled vanilla scoreboard with live names and scores. Depending on the target, exports can produce .mcaddon or .mcpack files.

The guide’s constraints matter for design decisions: a resource pack can restyle what the game already draws, but it cannot invent new values. Live text must come from a form script or scoreboard. For script-filled form button grids, the drawn layout determines capacity, and every cell takes its style from the first drawn button. JsonForge is therefore a better fit for deliberate, game-compatible UI work than for interfaces that depend on arbitrary live data or individually styled grid cells.

Persistence and world installation

IndexedDB persistence and autosave services support continued work in the app. The desktop edition can locate worlds on the machine and install exported packs into their resource and behavior pack folders, reducing manual steps for local workflows. JsonForge is open source under the MIT license; its README welcomes bug reports and pull requests and directs security reports to its security policy rather than public issues.

Pricing

JsonForge is free and open source, with a listed price of $0. The free plan includes the web and Electron app and MIT licensing; there is no free trial because the product is already free. There are no paid tiers described, so the choice is whether its editor and export scope fit the project, not which plan to buy.

Platforms

JsonForge runs in modern browsers and as a native Electron desktop application on Windows, macOS and Linux. The browser option suits users who prefer not to install a desktop app; desktop users also get world discovery and direct pack installation. Both formats support the core visual-editing workflow.

Who it's for

Choose JsonForge if you create Minecraft Bedrock resource-pack UI and want a canvas-based workflow, bundled project files, raw JSON interchange and targeted form, HUD or scoreboard exports. It is especially suitable when the project can work within existing game-drawn values and the form-grid styling rule.

Look elsewhere if the design depends on a resource pack generating new live values, or if every button in a script-filled grid needs its own style. JsonForge’s documented boundaries are central to those decisions, not minor implementation details.

Pros and cons

• Pro: A dockable canvas, hierarchy, properties and JSON preview bring visual editing and direct file work together.
• Pro: Form, HUD and restyled scoreboard targets give Bedrock UI creators concrete export paths, including pack files.
• Pro: The MIT-licensed app is free across web and desktop, with bundled textures and fonts to start from.
• Con: Resource packs cannot create new values; live text must come from a form script or scoreboard.
• Con: Script-filled button grids share the first drawn button’s style, limiting per-cell design.

Alternatives

Browse Minecraft Add-on Editors for a broader set of tools to compare.

• Snowstorm is another free option, with versions across web, mobile, desktop and extension platforms.
• Blockbench is free to use for any type of project and runs on web, mobile and desktop platforms.
• Minecraft Launcher has a free download, but access to games requires ownership or a time-limited demo; choose it for launcher access rather than JsonForge’s UI-authoring workflow.
• Visual Studio Code is a free alternative for readers who prefer a code-editor option.
• mcblend is a free Blender add-on for Linux, macOS and Windows.
• Bedrocken is a free VS Code extension that requires VS Code ^1.87.0.
• Blockception Minecraft Bedrock Development is a free VS Code extension for Minecraft Bedrock Add-ons and Minecraft Education Edition.
• McpeTool is free and MIT-licensed software for readers comparing another open-source option.

Verdict

JsonForge is a strong fit for Minecraft Bedrock pack creators who want visual UI layout, direct JSON interchange and a straightforward route to exporting forms, HUDs or scoreboard restyles. The free MIT-licensed web and desktop editions make it easy to choose the workflow that suits the project. Choose another approach if the UI needs resource-pack-created values or per-cell styling in script-filled button grids.