Minecraft Forge is a fundamental component of the Java Edition modding community, revolutionizing the way players interact with and personalize their Minecraft worlds. This powerful modding platform has become an essential tool for millions of players, providing access to a vast library of community-created content.
From basic quality-of-life enhancements to intricate total conversion mods, Forge offers a reliable foundation that makes advanced modding accessible to players of all skill levels.
When exploring Minecraft modding, you’ll encounter three main frameworks, each with unique benefits and target audiences. These are Forge, Fabric, and NeoForge, with each of them having different mods, update schedules, and more.
Minecraft Forge is the most established and widely used modding platform available. With over ten years of development, Forge provides a comprehensive modding API and has the largest library of available mods. It is especially well-suited for complex and content-rich mods that introduce new dimensions, intricate machinery, or extensive gameplay systems.
Fabric offers a lightweight and developer-friendly framework that prioritizes performance and rapid updates. It usually supports new Minecraft versions within hours or days of their release, making it a great choice for players who want to mod the latest snapshots. Fabric is especially effective for performance optimization mods, utility mods, and smaller gameplay adjustments.
NeoForge is a new entrant in the modding community, launched in 2023 as a community-driven fork of Forge. Its goal is to preserve Forge’s extensive modding capabilities while enhancing development practices and community governance. NeoForge is compatible with many Forge mods and is mostly used in version 1.21 and up.
There are several methods for installing Forge and running mods. The method you choose will depend on how much control you want over the installation and your willingness to download third-party software.
METHOD 1: CurseForge
The CurseForge application provides a user-friendly way to install Forge, making it an ideal choice for newcomers to Minecraft modding. This approach reduces the manual effort typically required for mod management while providing features like built-in compatibility checks and automatic updates.
Players can download the CurseForge application from the official website, choosing either the standalone version or the Overwolf-integrated version based on their preferences. The standalone is recommended, as Overwolf tends to use more system resources and provides unnecessary features.
After installing CurseForge, players need to link their Minecraft installation. To do this, select “Minecraft” from the left sidebar and click the “Create” button. During the profile creation process, you will need to name your profile, select the desired Minecraft version, choose “Forge” as the mod loader, and pick the appropriate Forge version. CurseForge will automatically handle the installation of Forge, creating a ready-to-use profile that supports the installation and management of mods.
This method is especially useful as it automatically matches versions, ensuring that the installed mods are compatible with both the Minecraft version and the Forge version in use. The integrated mod browser enables players to easily discover and install mods with a single click while effectively managing dependencies and resolving conflicts.
Method 2: Manual Install
Firstly, go to the official website for Forge, which can be found here. Or you can just type files.minecraftforge.net into a browser window. On the left-hand side, you can see a list of Minecraft versions currently released.
If you’re on the latest version of Minecraft, there’s a small chance it might not be shown here. Forge can take a few days to update after the release of a new version, in some rare cases, a few weeks. Join the Forge Discord, or check the website again soon to see if a new version has been released.
From the panel on the left, select your version of Minecraft that you want to mod. You don’t have to play the latest version, just because it’s available. Some of the best mods are still sitting on Minecraft 1.12.2, which came out a few years ago.
All you want to do is select the ‘Installer’ button. If the ‘Recommended’ option is there, choose that. Otherwise, you can just select ‘Latest’. The Forge website might redirect to an advertisement. After a few seconds, you can press the ‘Skip’ button in the top right corner.
The Forge installer file will begin to download. It’s just a few megabytes in size, and should only take a few seconds. You might notice it’s a .JAR file. If you’re unfamiliar with these files, they’re Java files.
Install Forge
Once the installer .JAR has downloaded, click it to open it up. Hopefully, it should open right away. If it doesn’t open, or a program needs to be selected to open it with, make sure you have Java installed.
When the installer opens successfully, you’ll see a screen like the image below. It shows an ‘install client’ and ‘install server’ option. For now, we just need to ensure the ‘install client’ option is selected. To create a server with friends, you’ll also need to do the ‘install server’ option, and change the directory to a new folder. But we’ve covered that in a separate guide.
Before continuing, make sure the Minecraft Launcher, and Minecraft is closed. Otherwise, the installation process wont work. With the ‘install client’ option checked, simply press the ‘Ok’ button. After a few seconds, Forge will install, and can be played with.
Select the Launcher Profile
Open up the Minecraft Launcher, and don’t press the play button. Instead, look for the dropdown in the bottom left corner. In here, the Forge option should now be visible, you need to select it.
If the Forge profile isn’t there, then the installation process didn’t work. Ensure that Minecraft and the Launcher are closed, and try installing it again. You can also check that your Minecraft directory is correct, although it should be by default.
Now that Forge is selected, you can press the Play button. After a few seconds, Minecraft will open as normal, and it might not look too different. There’s a few things you can check to prove that it’s working. In the bottom left corner of the main screen, it might show that Forge is installed, or there could be a Mods button now available.
Forge is successfully installed, and you can begin to add mods to Minecraft.
Fast Guide to Install Forge
Follow these steps to install Forge with Minecraft:
- Go to the Forge website, and download the Installer file for your version of Minecraft.
- Once downloaded, open the Installer with Java. A small window should pop up.
- Make sure the ‘Install client’ option is selected, and that your Minecraft directory is correct. Then press OK.
- Once the installation has complete, open the Minecraft Launcher. Select Forge in the dropdown menu, found in the bottom left corner of the Launcher.
- Press play, and Forge is successfully installed!
How to Install Mods
Firstly, you need to get to your mods folder. After installing Forge and running Minecraft at least once, this will be created in your games main directory. There’s a few ways to reach that folder:
- Type %appdata% into the Windows start menu and press enter. This brings you to the Roaming folder of your computer. Open the .minecraft folder.
- In Minecraft, go to the Resource Pack selection screen. Then select the ‘Open Resource Packs folder’, or similar button. This brings you to the Resource/Texture Packs folder of your Minecraft directory. You just need to go up one level, so you’re just in .minecraft
- Mac users can find the Minecraft installation at ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft
As previously stated, there should be a mods folder in here. If there isn’t you can go ahead and create it yourself. Each time you download a Minecraft mod, it will come as a .JAR file. You don’t need to open it like you did with the Forge installer. Instead, just place it inside the mods folder.
Once it’s inside the mods folder, open up the Minecraft Launcher again. Make sure Forge is still selected in the dropdown menu and press Play. When you enter a world, the mod should be active and working.
Mods can be found at websites like CurseForge and PlanetMinecraft. Whereas here at Minecraft-Guides.com, we’ve got our own Minecraft Mods section, which allows you to sort by Genre, Forge as well as your Minecraft Version.
FAQ
The Forge installer isn’t opening?
If the Forge installer doesn’t open, then it’s likely that you don’t have Java installed. Install the latest version, and try again. You might also need to right click the installer, select ‘Open with’ and manually select Java.
There’s no Forge option in the Minecraft Launcher?
Even though the Forge installer says it was successfully installed, sometimes it doesn’t appear in the Launcher. This usually happens when you have the Launcher open while going through the installation process. You need to make sure that both Minecraft and its Launcher is closed. Also check in Task Manager.
Minecraft crashes with Forge?
When Minecraft crashes, it means there’s an error with your mods. Some mods have dependencies, meaning they rely on other mods. You have to read a mods description to see what it requires, or press the ‘Relations’ tab in CurseForge. Try deleting mods one by one until it doesn’t crash.
Can I install Fabric too?
It’s possible to install Fabric, or additional Forge versions while Forge is already installed. They’ll just become separate profiles in the launcher and can be selected in the bottom left corner. Just make sure to swap out your mods folder, or change the directory.
