How to Change the HUD in Team Fortress 2

In Team Fortress 2 (TF2), there are many ways you can modify and alter the game’s characteristics. One thing you can change is the HUD, or Heads-Up Display. You can add a community-made HUD or even make your own.

If you’re new to changing your HUD in Team Fortress 2, you’re in the right place. We’ll guide you through a few common methods. We’ll also answer some of the more common questions.

Change TF2 HUD via ToonHUD

ToonHUD is a HUD modification popular with many TF2 players. There are many premade themes you can download on the website. You can even create your own through a theme maker.

Let’s take a look at how to change your HUD with ToonHUD. Here are the steps:

1. First, remove any HUDS from C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Team Fortress 2\tf\custom, for example.
2. If your path isn’t like this, you can locate the path via Steam Library, right-clicking TF2, selecting “Properties,” and browse for its local files.
   
3. Select a theme you want to download, such as Rust.
   
4. Download the ZIP file.
   
5. Open the ZIP file or decompress it.
6. Drag the “toonhud” folder into your “custom” folder.
   
7. Launch Steam if you haven’t already.
   
8. Locate TF2 and click play.
   
9. You should have an updated HUD.

For OS X, the steps are slightly different:

1. Remove any previous HUD folders.
2. Open the Finder and select “Go,” and then “Go to Folder.”
3. Type ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/common/Team Fortress 2/tf/custom in the field without the quotation marks.
4. Download a HUD like with Windows, but with another browser other than Safari.
5. Extract the ZIP file’s contents.
6. Drag and drop the “toonhud” folder into your “custom” folder.
7. Launch Steam and play TF2.
8. Your HUD should be modified with the theme you downloaded earlier.

For Linux, move the “toonhud” folder to ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Team Fortress 2/tf/custom. Bear in mind that it depends on where you installed TF2, so the path may be different. Locate the path first before proceeding.

For all three platforms, you can repeat the steps and replace themes. It’s as simple as deleting the older “toonhub” folder. The new theme should take its place when you start the game.

Change TF2 HUD via HUDS.TF

HUDS.TF is another website you can download premade themes to modify your HUD. They’re also categorized by various criteria such as resolution and popularity.

Here’s how you download and change your HUD via HUDS.TF:

1. Similarly to ToonHUB, you should locate your “custom” file first.
   
2. Download the HUD you wish to use from HUDS.TF.
   
3. Extract its contents.
   
4. Look into the extracted folder.
5. Within the folder, there are always two folders: “resource” and “scripts.”
   
6. Copy the folder containing these folders to the “custom” folder.
   
7. Launch Steam and play TF2.
   
8. You should have a modified HUD now.

For OS X, follow similar steps:

1. Open the Finder and select “Go,” and then “Go to Folder.”
2. Type ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/common/Team Fortress 2/tf/custom in the field without the quotation marks.
3. Download the HUD you wish to use from HUDS.TF.
4. Extract its contents.
5. Look into the extracted folder.
6. Within the folder is always two folders, “resource” and “scripts.”
7. Copy the folder containing these folders to the “custom” folder.
8. Launch Steam and play TF2.
9. You should have a modified HUD now.

Assuming you installed TF2 without changing its location, this should be the right path. If not, locate it with Steam.

The Linux steps are similar to ToonHUB’s. Just locate the path first before you install the HUD.

The steps for installing themes are similar across the board. Both ToonHUD and HUDS.TF are excellent websites to find themes.

There are many more guides to modifying your HUD in TF2. They can be found on HUDS.TF. There are even tools there to help make HUD modifying easier.

Customize Your TF2 HUD via Script

There are ways you can customize TF2 with the use of scripts. Some scripts modify the game sounds, and others change animations. Scripts can also be used to customize your HUD.

Before we get into that, you should create autoexec.cfg. Here’s how:

1. Find the “tf” folder.
   
2. Double-click the “cfg” folder after locating it.
   
3. Find the “config.cfg” file inside and double-click it.
   
4. Open the file with Notepad, and make it the default program for future use.
   
5. Inside are commands for TF2, and if you see spaces separating the commands, don’t proceed.
   
6. Copy and paste config.cfg.
7. Rename the copy “autoexec” and don’t add any other symbols or letters.
   
8. Open it and delete all the text within.

After you create “autoexec,” you can add scripts. These are the steps you can follow to customize your HUD with a script:

1. Look for any scripts that customize your HUD.
   
2. Copy the script text without modifying it.
   
3. Paste the script text inside “autoexec.”
   
4. Save the file and close it.
   
5. Launch Steam and play TF2.
   
6. You should have a customized HUD as well as other modifications you added.

If you want to run it manually, do this instead:

1. Launch TF2.
   
2. Go to “Options.”
   
3. Go to the “Keyboard” tab.
   
4. Select “Advanced.”
   
5. Make sure the “Enable Console (~)” box is checked.
   
6. Exit Options.
7. Press the “~” key.
   
8. Type “exec autoexec.cfg” and it should run.
   

Scripts are a great and reliable way to customize the game. They’re an alternative to using ToonHUD or HUDS.TF to change your HUD’s appearance. Just make sure you don’t delete anything important or you might have to reinstall the game.

Scripts can be found all over the internet with a quick Google search. Find one that you like and add it to the “autoexec” file.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Make a Custom HUD in Team Fortress 2?

ToonHUD is the easiest way to make a custom HUD in TF2. It has a theme maker that comes with plenty of options. Here are some of the criteria you have control over:

• Font

• Overrides

• Menu characteristics

• Button characteristics

• Main menu colors and other characteristics

• Source scheme characteristics

• Bookmarks

• Quality and rarity colors

• Health and health bar characteristics

• Ammo characteristics

• Target ID

• Item meters

• Show last damage done

• Many more

Without going into too much detail, you can easily create a theme that doesn’t resemble the default one at all. The maker isn’t very in-depth, but there are enough options to keep you occupied for a while.

After you’re done creating the theme, you can download it and install it with the steps above.

You can also take a look at other themes for inspiration. Many community members have uploaded their custom themes for all to use. Sometimes you’ll need some inspiration to get you started.

Can You Make HUD Text Smaller?

Yes, you can make HUD text smaller. The ToonHUD theme maker allows you to customize the size of the text. You can select the font size when you create your custom theme on the website.

When you install it after downloading, you’ll see that the text is smaller. The same method can also be used to make text larger.

There’s a way in-game to also reduce the text size. You do so by enabling Minimal HUD. It reduces the size of the HUD and the text.

Here are the steps:

1. Launch TF2 from Steam

2. Select “Options” from the main menu.

3. Go to the “Multiplayer” tab.

4. Select “Advanced.”

5. Look for “HUD Options.”

6. Select “Enable Minimal HUD.”

7. Now you should have a minimal HUD and a smaller text size.

The Minimal HUD is very useful for getting the cluttered icons out of the way. Smaller text also means that you have more screen space to spot enemies with.

Is Modifying My HUD Allowed?

Valve has never discouraged the TF2 community from being creative and modifying the game. Team Fortress was originally a mod based on id Software’s Quake Engine. Valve also has allowed for community-made items.

As such, you can modify your HUD without facing any consequences.

The community has unleashed its creativity by modifying the game in various ways. ToonHUD and HUDS.TF are only two of the most popular methods. There are still many themes and scripts out there for you to use.

How Do You Change the HUD?

You can either download a theme from the two websites or use scripts. The methods for doing so are up there. They’re safe and won’t compromise your game if you follow the instructions carefully.

What Are Some Good HUDs?

There are many good HUDs created by the TF2 community. Here we will list a few of them:

• Oxide

Oxide is a HUD designed for competitive TF2 players who only need the bare essentials. Every icon and menu has been made smaller. This provides a very empty screen allowing players to see everything around them.

The menus are reduced to being simple lists and barely anything else. The kill feed is also tiny and minimalistic. For a player only interested in winning, Oxide is the best choice.

• PVHUD

PVHUD is one of the most popular HUDs out there, and many players swear by it. The centeredness of all the components is what defines PVHUD. There’s nothing on the side so you don’t have to move your eyes at all.

Health, ammo, and abilities all are in the middle. The numbers are slightly larger but that’s to help you save time. Your peripheral vision can keep track of your stats while you focus on the enemies onscreen.

Simple and big is PVHUD’s game. It’s what makes it so popular.

• Flame’s TF2 HUD

Not only is this HUD minimalistic and simple, but Flame put a lot of effort into it. The result is a very slick and stylish HUD that looks professional. You can tell Flame loved every second of creating it.

The stats are all squeezed at the center of the screen without obstructing your vision. It’s narrow and yet not obscuring. The objective tracker is well-designed and practical.

If you want some flair without being too obnoxious, you should get Flame’s TF2 HUD. You won’t regret it.

Flame also has some guides for modifying and editing HUDs. They’re very in-depth and will teach you all you need to know.

• Budhud

While we talked about minimalistic HUDs, Budhud is the king of minimalism. There’s almost nothing left onscreen. It also follows a different philosophy, placing the elements to the side more than the center.

If you want the clearest view while playing, you’ll love Budhud. It’s so simple and empty that you’ll never be distracted.

Cool HUD, Where Did You Get It From?

Team Fortress 2’s high customizability still holds up today, particularly the HUD design. There are plenty of options out there to choose from. Now that you know how to change your HUD, you can go wild with your screen.

Do you like a minimalist design or something with flair? Have you tried making a theme on ToonHUD? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.