Minecraft modding guide
This guide is intended to explain how to download and use Fabric/Forge mods on Minecraft. Curated by Big Iron#4218
Before you start
📌Prerequisites
If you want to play a specific version of Minecraft, you'll need to have the compatible version of the JRE (Java Runtime Environment).
For this guide, we'll be using the ones provided by Adoptium, which are based upon OpenJDK.
Minecraft Version | JRE Version |
---|---|
1.16.5 and older | Java 8 |
1.17.X | Java 16 |
1.18 and newer | Java 17 |
🧰Tools
Here is a list of the tools we are going to use during this guide. All of them are open-source and free to use.
Tool | Description |
---|---|
MultiMC | An alternative to the official Minecraft launcher, made to easily manage and mod various instances. |
PrismLauncher | A fork of MultiMC, with many enhanced features, like an inbuilt mod downloader. |
UltimMC | A fork of MultiMC, made for cracked players who don't own a legit copy of Minecraft. |
PollyMC | A fork of PrismLauncher, made for cracked players who don't own a legit copy of Minecraft. |
Fabric Loader | The modloader used for Fabric mods. |
Forge Loader | The modloader used for Forge mods. |
Unsafe cracked launchers
Avoid using closed source third-party launchers (TLauncher
is a common example).
Since nobody can look at the code, the developers could insert malicious code, that could potentilally harm your devices.
I suggest using PollyMC
or UltimMC
, as stated above.
🌐Websites
These are the webisites we are going to use to download mods.
Website | Sescription |
---|---|
Modrinth | The newest website for Minecraft mods. It has filters to help you find what you want easily. |
Curseforge | The old website for Minecrft mods. The UI is less intuitive, and the filters are barely usable. |
Since the release of Fabric, Modrinth has become the best platform for mods, and many of those hosted on Curseforge have migrated to it.
That's why I suggest you use this newer and better source for all your modding needs.
Installation Walkthrough
☕Installing the JRE
So, you know what version of Minecraft you want to play on. Then, be ready to download the compatible JRE:
- Go to the Adoptium website;
- Select your OS under
Operating System
; - Select
JRE
underPackage Type
; - Select the version you need under
Version
; - Download the version compatible with your
Architecture
.
Installer vs Archive
There isn't much of a difference, other than that the installer is going to try and download the JRE to the default folder for Java.
If you want to install the JRE to another folder, using the archive version is suggested (Open archives using a compatible tool, like 7zip).
📦Installing Minecraft
💵Legit
If you own a legit copy of Minecraft, you'll want to install PrismLauncher .
Choose the version compatible with your OS, extract the archive and start the executable.
- Choose your language (not all translations are 100% complete);
- Choose your default Java version (this one will be used for all your instances, but you can specify other versions when making an instance);
- Set the Minimum/Maximum memory allocation to a multiple of 512 (RAM deticated to Minecraft, do not dedicate more than half of your RAM);
- Once you are on the main menu, click the
Profiles
button on the top right corner and selectManage Accounts
; - Select
Add Microsoft
and follow the on-screen instructions to add your MC account.
You have now completed the setup of PrismLauncher. Now, we'll see how to add a playable instance.
- To create a Minecraft instance, click on the
Add Instance
button on the top left corner; - On the left bar, select the type of instance you want;
- On the bottom, select the version and the modloader, then click
OK
to create it; - Double click on the instance to run it and play.
Starting the game in fullscreen
To start any instance in fullscreen, click the Settings
button, then go to Minecraft
and enable the Start Minecraft maximized
option.
🏴☠️Cracked
If you don't own a legit copy of Minecraft, you'll want to install PollyMC.
This should work without any further configuration, in a manner similar to PrismLauncher.
Alternatively, you can download UltimMC.
Almost all the steps are like the ones for the legit version, except:
- When adding an account, put your username in the
Email
section and a random password; - Before creating an instance, click the
Settings
button, then go toJava
and insert-Dauthlibinjector.noShowServerName
intoJVM arguments
.
Modding Walkthrough
If you are using PrismLauncher, you can click the Download mods
button inside of an instance's menu to open the in-built mod downloader.
📜Fabric
Add Fabric Loader to a new instance:
- Right click on a Vanilla (mod-less) instance, click
Edit Instance
; - Select the
Version
tab, then clickInstall Fabric
on the right side; - Choose the newest version of the Fabric Loader, compatible with the instance version.
To download mods to a Fabric instance:
- Go on Modrinth;
- Search for a mod (you can use filters to refine your search);
- Download the mod (usually a
.jar
file, do not try and extract it); - Copy and paste it inside the
mods
folder of the Fabric instance.
🔨Forge
Add Forge Loader to a new instance:
- Right click on a Vanilla (mod-less) instance, click
Edit Instance
; - Select the
Version
tab, then clickInstall Forge
on the right side; - Choose the newest version of the Forge Loader, compatible with the instance version.
To download mods to a Forge instance:
- Go on Modrinth;
- Search for a mod (you can use filters to refine your search);
- Download the mod (usually a
.jar
file, do not try and extract it); - Copy and paste it inside the
mods
folder of the Forge instance.
🗃️Modpacks
To download any type of modpack (Fabric/Forge):
- Create a new instance;
- When choosing the type, select
Curseforge
; - Use the search bar to find your modpack;
- Choose the version of the modpack in the bottom right;
- Click
OK
and wait for the mods to be automatically downloaded
You have now downloaded a modpack. Double click on the instance to ply it.
Slow game start
When playing with many mods, the game might take longer to load, and suffer performance drops.
Is that's the case, I suggest you increase the dedictaed RAM, but never allocate more than half of your device's available RAM.