# How to install Minecraft mods

Step by step: install a mod loader (Fabric, Forge or NeoForge), add mods to the mods folder, install a modpack, and fix a game that crashes on start.

Updated 2026-11-11, 6 minute read. HTML version: https://craftrank.org/guides/how-to-install-minecraft-mods

To use mods on Minecraft Java Edition you need a **mod loader** (Fabric, Forge or NeoForge) for your exact game version. Then you put the mod's `.jar` file in the `mods` folder and start the game with the loader's profile. A launcher like Prism or the Modrinth App can do all of this for you.

## The easy way: let a launcher do it

1. Install **Prism Launcher** or the **Modrinth App** (see [the best Minecraft launchers](https://craftrank.org/guides/best-minecraft-launchers)) and sign in with your Microsoft account.
2. Create a new instance. Pick the Minecraft version and the loader the mod needs.
3. Open the instance's mods page, search for the mod and click Install. Required mods, such as Fabric API, are added with it.
4. Press Play.

## The manual way, step 1: install a mod loader

Every mod page says which loader it is made for. You can't mix them: a Fabric mod doesn't run on Forge.

- **Fabric:** download the installer from fabricmc.net, pick your Minecraft version and click Install. Most Fabric mods also need the **Fabric API** mod.
- **NeoForge:** download the installer from neoforged.net, choose **Install client**.
- **Forge:** download the installer for your version from minecraftforge.net, choose **Install client**.

Start the official launcher once: a new profile with the loader's name appears under Installations.

## Step 2: put the mods in the mods folder

Download the `.jar` file for your Minecraft version and loader, then copy it into the `mods` folder:

- **Windows:** press Win + R, type `%appdata%\.minecraft` and open the `mods` folder (make it if it isn't there).
- **macOS:** `~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/mods`
- **Linux:** `~/.minecraft/mods`

Don't unzip the `.jar`. Start the game with the loader's profile; on Fabric and NeoForge a Mods button on the title screen lists what loaded.

## Installing a modpack

A [modpack](https://craftrank.org/resources/modpacks) is a ready set of mods that work together. Don't copy its mods by hand: open the `.mrpack` file with the Modrinth App or Prism Launcher, or install the pack from the CurseForge app. It makes a new instance with the right version, loader and settings. Give it 4 to 8 GB of memory in the instance settings.

## Mods and servers

Mods that only change your own game, like minimaps or performance mods, work on any server. Mods that add blocks, items or mobs need the same mods on the server. The [modded servers](https://craftrank.org/modded-minecraft-servers) list shows what each one needs, and [how to use mods on a Minecraft server](https://craftrank.org/guides/how-to-use-mods-on-a-minecraft-server) explains the rest.

## If the game crashes

- **Wrong version:** the mod, the loader and Minecraft must all be the same version.
- **Missing mod:** the crash screen usually names a mod that is required. Install it.
- **Two loaders:** remove mods made for a different loader.
- Still stuck? Move half the mods out of the folder, start the game, and repeat until you find the one that breaks it.

Browse thousands of [mods](https://craftrank.org/resources/mods) in our resources, each with its versions and loader listed.