Step by step
How to install a mod
Written for someone who has never done this. It takes about ten minutes the first time and about thirty seconds every time after that.
ℹ️ Java Edition only
These steps are for Minecraft Java Edition on PC. If you play on a phone, console or the Windows Store version, skip to Bedrock add-ons.
🧮 Step 1: Check the mod's two numbers
Open the mod's page here and look at the bar under the title. It gives a loader (NeoForge, Forge or Fabric) and a Minecraft version (like 1.21.1). Note both down. Everything else depends on getting these two right.
⬇️ Step 2: Install that loader
- Run the official Minecraft launcher once on the exact version you want (for example 1.21.1) and let it reach the title screen. This creates the files the loader needs.
- Download the installer for your loader from its own official site, choosing the same Minecraft version.
- Run the installer and choose Install client.
- Reopen the Minecraft launcher. A new profile appears in the bottom-left dropdown and you should select it and press Play once to confirm it boots.
🧩 Fabric users, one extra file
Fabric mods almost always also need Fabric API, which is itself a mod. Download it and put it in the same mods folder in the next step.
📁 Step 3: Find your mods folder
Running the loader once creates it automatically. To get there quickly:
- Windows: press Win+R, type
%appdata%\.minecraft, press Enter. - macOS: in Finder press Cmd+Shift+G and enter
~/Library/Application Support/minecraft. - Linux:
~/.minecraft
Inside is a folder called mods. If it is not there, create one with exactly
that name.
📦 Step 4: Drop the jar in
Mods are .jar files. Put the file straight into mods. Do
not unzip it, do not put it in a subfolder, do not rename it. Then launch the game using the
loader profile. If it worked, the mod is counted on the title screen's mods list.
💾 Step 5: Back up your world first. Really.
Mods write extra data into your save file. Removing a mod later can leave a world that will not open. Backing up takes ten seconds:
- Go to
.minecraft/saves. - Copy the folder named after your world.
- Paste it somewhere else and add "backup" to the name.
⚠️ Most of these mods have never been playtested
Every mod page says which. Try them on a fresh world, or on a copy, before letting one anywhere near a survival world you care about.
👥 Step 6: Playing with friends
Each mod page has a Who installs it box. Usually everyone on the server needs the same mod at the same version, and the server needs it too. A few are client-side only, and those you can use on any server without asking anyone.
📱 Bedrock add-ons
Bedrock Edition (phone, tablet, console, Windows Store) does not use jars or loaders. It
uses add-ons, packaged as .mcaddon files. Download one and open it, and
Minecraft imports it by itself. Then, when creating a world, switch the behaviour pack
and resource pack on in the world settings, and enable Experimental Features if the
add-on's page says to. Add-ons apply per world, not globally.
💥 When it does not work
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Crashes instantly on launch | Loader or Minecraft version does not match the mod. Check both numbers again. |
| "Missing dependency" error screen | The mod needs another mod. Fabric API is the usual answer; a couple of mods here depend on each other and say so on their page. |
| Game loads, mod does nothing | Wrong profile selected in the launcher, or the jar landed in the wrong folder. |
| World will not open after removing a mod | Restore your backup. This is what step 5 is for. |
| Kicked when joining a friend | The server and every player need the same mods at the same versions. |