How to Install Mods in Minecraft

Mods don't go into “bare” Minecraft: they need a mod loader — Forge, NeoForge, Fabric or Quilt — and an exact match with the game version. Most mod problems start right here: a mod for a different version, for a different loader, or missing a required dependency. In TCLauncher, the launcher does these checks, and all you have to do is choose what to install.

Step 1. Create an instance with a loader

Mods live in an instance — a separate copy of the game with its own mods folder, worlds and settings. That way, mods from one instance never get mixed up with another.

1. Open the “Instances” tab and click “New instance”.
2. Enter a name, for example “Adventure with friends”.
3. Pick the game version — the one the mods you want are released for.
4. Pick the loader and its version. The “recommended” label tells you what to take if you're unsure.
5. Click “Create”. The launcher downloads the game, the loader and the right Java on its own.

Not sure which loader to choose? See the comparison Forge, Fabric, NeoForge or Quilt. In short: look at what the mods you want are released for.

Step 2. Find and install mods

1. Go to the “Mods” tab and choose your instance at the top.
2. Open the “Catalogue”. The search runs on Modrinth and is already narrowed down to your instance's game version and loader — the list only shows what will actually run.
3. Type the mod name (for example, sodium) and click “Find”. An empty search shows the most popular mods.
4. Click “Install” next to the mod you want.

Along with the mod, the launcher installs its required dependencies. A good share of “the mod doesn't work” complaints come down to a forgotten Fabric API, so here you won't have to think about it. Optional dependencies are left alone: you install those deliberately.

The same catalogue has resource packs and shaders: they go into the instance's resourcepacks and shaderpacks folders, and you turn them on in the game itself.

Step 3. Keep track of the mods in your instance

The “Installed” tab shows everything in the mods folder — under the mods' real names, not file names. Next to each mod there are actions:

• “Update” installs the newer version and removes the old one. The “Update all” button does this for the whole instance.
• “Disable” adds .disabled to the file name: the game doesn't load it, and you can bring it back with one click. Handy for checking whether a mod is behind a crash.
• “Delete” removes the file.

Labels tell you what's wrong before you even launch: “duplicate” (two files of the same mod — a common cause of crashes after an update), “not for this version” and “update available”. Updates are looked up by file hash, so they work even for mods you dropped into the folder by hand.

Mods that aren't on Modrinth

The launcher's catalogue is Modrinth. If a mod is only on CurseForge or a friend sent it to you, download the .jar and put it in the instance: the “Folder” button in the “Mods” tab opens the instance folder, and the instance settings (the gear icon in “Instances”) have “Add from files…”. Such a mod appears in the “Installed” list; the launcher will only offer updates for it if Modrinth knows that file.

How to install mods manually

Without the launcher the principle is the same — you just have to check everything yourself:

1. Install a mod loader for your game version.
2. Download the mod for exactly that version and that loader.
3. Put the .jar into the mods folder (in the regular launcher — .minecraft/mods).
4. Find all the required dependencies listed on the mod's page and put them in the same folder.
5. Launch the game with the loader profile.

If the game still crashes, TCLauncher reads the crash report itself and tells you in plain language what broke and which mod is to blame.

Download TCLauncher — it's free, and the first launch takes just a few minutes.