Minecraft wiki entry for Heads-up_display, associated text: The hotbar is a selection bar that appears on the bottom of the screen. It is where the player stores and selects commonly used items. It consists of the bottom nine slots within the player's inventory. The selected item also displays on the right side of the screen, or an empty fist if the slot is empty. When the player switches an item in hand by mouse wheel or 1-9, its name is shown above the experience level for a short period of time. This name appears in italics.