How to download and install mods for Minecraft

A step by step guide for installing mods for Minecraft (Image via Mojang)
A step by step guide for installing mods for Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

Minecraft is perfect the way it is. However, the vanilla experience of Minecraft has become quite boring for those who have been playing it for several years. They can try mods to add new content and revitalize their gameplay.

Mods (short for modifications) are only available in Java Edition, and installing them is quite simple. These are external programs that are capable of completely changing almost anything in the game.


Download and install mods for Minecraft

Here's what players need to do to install and play Minecraft mods on their computers:

Step 1: Players need to ensure that Java is installed on their computers. If not, they can download it from the official website.

Installing Forge for Minecraft 1.17.1
Installing Forge for Minecraft 1.17.1

Step 2: Next, they need to install Forge, which can be downloaded from here. Players need to install Forge based on their version of Minecraft. Once completed, they will need to run the downloaded file and click on "OK."

Step 3: Open the Minecraft launcher and select Forge on the bottom left of the menu. If it doesn't appear, players may have to select the "Modded" option under the "Installations" tab. Once they have done this, Forge will appear.

Modded Minecraft installation warning (Image via Mojang)
Modded Minecraft installation warning (Image via Mojang)

Step 4: Launch the game once with Forge selected. A warning may pop up saying the version has been modified. Players need to tick the box and click on the play button.

Step 5: Players need to download a mod that they want to install. Some of the trusted websites for Minecraft mods are CurseForge and PlanetMinecraft.

Step 6: Locate the downloaded mod file and copy it to the "mods" folder. The latter is present in Minecraft's application data folder. It can be accessed by pressing WIN+R and typing "%appdata%/.minecraft/mods" in the box.

Once the mod file has been copied to the correct folder, it will appear in the game. One of the main reasons why mods do not work sometimes is that the player might've downloaded an outdated version.

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