How to install a modpack in Minecraft, step by step

You found a modpack you want to play. Now what? The good news: you never have to copy mod files around by hand. A modpack launcher reads the pack, downloads Minecraft, the mod loader and every mod, and keeps it all in its own folder, away from your normal game. Here's how to do it in the three launchers most people use.

Before you start

• You need Minecraft: Java Edition. Modpacks don't work on Bedrock (the console, phone and Windows Store edition that isn't Java). Every launcher below asks you to sign in with the Microsoft account that owns the game.
• Use the launcher the pack was made for. A pack from CurseForge usually comes as a CurseForge zip; a pack from Modrinth comes as a .mrpack file. Prism Launcher can open both.
• Only download launchers and packs from their official sites. See is CurseForge safe? for why.

Install a modpack with the CurseForge app

1. Download the CurseForge app from curseforge.com. It comes as a lightweight standalone app or as a version that runs inside Overwolf; either works for modpacks.
2. Open it and pick Minecraft.
3. Browse or search the modpacks, open the one you want, and click Install.
4. When it's done, the pack appears in your list of profiles. Click Play.

Got a zip file instead? Someone shared a pack with you, or you downloaded it from a pack's page. Click Import in the app, choose Import Profile .zip, then Choose .zip file and pick it. The app installs it as a new profile under the Minecraft tab. It has to be a CurseForge-format zip; a zip of someone's whole .minecraft folder won't import.

Install a modpack with the Modrinth App

1. Download the Modrinth App from modrinth.com.
2. Go to Discover content, switch to modpacks, find the pack and click Install.
3. Open the new instance and press Play.

Got a .mrpack file? Click the + button (Create new instance), choose Upload a modpack ("Install a modpack from an .mrpack file on your device") and select the file. If the Modrinth App is installed, opening a .mrpack file from your computer also installs it directly. The same menu has Import instance for bringing over packs you already have in Prism or CurseForge.

Install a modpack with Prism Launcher

Prism Launcher is free and open source, and it handles packs from both sites.

1. Download Prism from prismlauncher.org and add your Microsoft account.
2. Click Add Instance.
3. On the left, pick Modrinth or CurseForge to browse packs, choose one, and click OK.

Importing a file or a link: in Add Instance, pick Import. The box says "Local file or link to a direct download", so you can browse to a file or paste a URL. Prism reads CurseForge zips, Modrinth .mrpack files and zips, Prism or MultiMC exports, and Technic zips.

Some CurseForge mod authors don't allow other launchers to download their files. When a pack includes one, Prism shows a list of those mods with links. Download each one in your browser, then let Prism find them in the folder you saved them to.

Set the memory before you play

Most launchers start you with too little memory for a big pack. Before the first launch, open the pack's settings and raise the maximum memory: around 4 GB for small packs, 6 GB for medium and 8 GB for large ones, and never more than about half your computer's RAM. Here's how to allocate more RAM in every launcher.

The first launch is slow. Minecraft is loading every mod and building caches, so give it a few minutes before assuming it's stuck.

If it crashes

Crashing on launch is common with a fresh install and usually fixable:

• Check you gave it enough memory (an OutOfMemoryError in the log is the giveaway).
• Don't add or update mods inside a pack before you've played it once as made.
• Read the crash report for the mod's name. Here's how to find the mod causing a crash.

Want your own pack instead?

Installing someone else's pack is easy; making your own that doesn't crash is the hard part. Packspire builds NeoForge 1.21.1 packs from the mods you pick on Modrinth or CurseForge, starts each one on a real server, and hands you a file that imports into the launchers above. Every mod is linked from its own site, not re-uploaded, and every file is checked against that site and scanned for known malware.

Start planning your pack, or read how to make a Minecraft modpack.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add a modpack to Minecraft without CurseForge?

Use the Modrinth App or Prism Launcher. Both install modpacks from Modrinth, and Prism can also install CurseForge packs, from its browse tab or by importing the zip.

Can I install a modpack with the normal Minecraft Launcher?

Not easily. The official launcher doesn't install modpacks, so you'd have to set up the mod loader and copy every mod in by hand. A modpack launcher does it in one click and keeps each pack separate.

Do modpacks work on Bedrock Edition?

No. Modpacks are made for Minecraft: Java Edition. Bedrock has add-ons from the Marketplace, which are a different thing.

Why won't my modpack zip import?

Usually it's the wrong format for that launcher. The CurseForge app only imports CurseForge-format zips; a .mrpack needs the Modrinth App or Prism. Prism's Import option reads both.

Sources

• Importing a modpack zip, CurseForge support
• Download the CurseForge app
• Modrinth App releases and source
• Download modpacks, Prism Launcher wiki
• Prism Launcher's import page, listing the file types it reads