So, you’re playing All the Mods (ATM) and you’ve finally crafted that tiny, handheld miracle known as the Personal Shrinking Device. You’re ready to live out your Ant-Man fantasies, zip through one-block gaps, and finally organize those messy cables in your machine room without tearing the walls down. But then you hit a wall. You’re frantically mashing your keyboard, and nothing happens. You check the Curios slot, you see the device sitting there looking pretty, and you think, "There has to be a button for this, right?"
Honestly, the atm personal shrinking device keybind situation is one of the most common headaches in the pack. It's confusing because there are actually two different items with the exact same name in many versions of ATM. One is from the Compact Machines mod, and the other—the one you actually want for resizing your body—is from the Shrink mod.
If you're trying to toggle your size on the fly, you've probably noticed that the default keys in a massive pack like ATM 9 or ATM 10 are a total mess of overlaps.
The Mystery of the Missing Keybind
Here is the deal: by default, the Shrink mod (which provides the Personal Shrinking Device that changes your actual scale) often defaults to the G key.
Wait. Don’t go pressing G just yet.
In All the Mods, the G key is usually already claimed by about five different things, including vein mining, quest books, or some random utility from a tech mod. If you press it and nothing happens, or if a completely different menu pops up, the keybind is "reddened" in your settings. This means it’s conflicted and won’t trigger the shrinking effect.
To fix the atm personal shrinking device keybind, you need to do a bit of digging:
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- Esc -> Options -> Controls -> Key Binds.
- Search for "Shrink" in the search bar.
- Look for the "Toggle Shrinking" or "Shrink/Grow" entry.
- Change it to something obscure that isn't used, like K or a side mouse button.
If you are using the device from Compact Machines, things work differently. That version of the device is basically a manual and a literal "key" to enter the room-inside-a-block. It doesn't really have a "shrink me" keybind; you right-click the machine with it to go inside. Confusing? Totally. But once you realize which mod you’re actually dealing with, the frustration usually vanishes.
Why the Curios Slot is a Liar
You might have noticed that the Personal Shrinking Device can be placed in a special Curios slot (the little necklace icon in your inventory). Most players assume that once it's in there, the keybind will just work.
Kinda.
In some versions of the ATM pack, especially in recent updates for 1.20+, there has been a recurring bug where the device must be in your main hand to trigger the initial GUI where you set your target height. If you have the device in your Curios slot but you've never opened the interface to tell it "Hey, I want to be 0.2 blocks tall," the keybind might just do nothing.
Take the device out, hold it, and Right-Click the air. A GUI will pop up with a slider. This is where you set your scale. Once that is set, then you can tuck it away in your Curios slot and use your newly assigned keybind to toggle back and forth.
Real-World Use Cases (Or: Why Bother?)
Being small isn't just a gimmick. In a pack as complex as All the Mods, it’s a legitimate survival tool. I’ve used it to:
- Fix Cable Spaghetti: Ever tried to click a specific Pipez connector behind a row of Fusion Reactors? It’s a nightmare. Shrink down to 10% size, and you can literally walk behind your machines like a tiny electrician.
- Wither Proofing: If you’re fighting the Wither in a small, enclosed space, being tiny makes your hitbox significantly harder to hit.
- Mob Spawners: You can fit through the gaps in iron bars or fences. You can enter your mob farm to fix a clogged item collector without breaking the glass and letting the chaos out.
Troubleshooting the "I'm Stuck Small" Bug
Every now and then, the mod desyncs. You press the atm personal shrinking device keybind, your screen jitters, and you stay small—even though the device thinks you’re big. Or worse, you’re "big" but your camera is stuck at floor level.
If this happens, don't panic. The easiest fix is usually to take the device back into your hand and Shift + Right-Click. This "resets" the device's internal state. If you’re playing on a server, sometimes a quick relog is the only way to force the server to realize you aren't a six-inch-tall ant anymore.
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Also, keep an eye on your power. The Shrink mod version of the device usually requires FE (Forge Energy). If it's dead, the keybind won't do a thing. Throw it in a ChargePad or a Wireless Charger from Flux Networks to keep it topped off.
Setting Up Your Controls
To get the most out of your shrinking experience, I recommend a specific setup. Don't just settle for a random key.
Since you'll likely want to toggle size quickly while flying or building, bind the "Toggle Shrink" to a button you can reach without taking your hand off the WASD keys. I personally use the V key because it's right there next to the spacebar. Just make sure you unbind whatever "V" was doing before (usually some random voice chat or world map feature).
Actionable Next Steps
- Check your inventory right now. If the device is from Compact Machines, it's for entering blocks. If it's from Shrink, it's for your body.
- Go into your Key Binds and search "Shrink" to clear any red-colored conflicts.
- Hold the device in your hand and Right-Click once to set your preferred scale (0.2 is usually the sweet spot for fitting through gaps).
- Ensure the device is charged with FE; a dead device is just a paperweight.
- Put the device in your Curio slot to save that precious inventory space while keeping the toggle active.