Tired of playing vanilla Minecraft? Download Forge and begin your modding journey today. Minecraft Forge is a mod management system for Minecraft Java Edition with which you can create, install, and run all the best available mods. It is the oldest modding API and loader, almost as old as the game itself.
Mods are the same as compared to other games. These mods can add items, blocks, resource packs, interface changes, etc. Some heavyweight mods also exist which can massively change the entire game.
It can be installed on both the client side and server side. This way you can install and run mods even on a server. For the client side, however, the mod library is larger and offers more options for modding.
Forge Alternatives
Its two major competitors are Fabric and Quilt, they’re both good in their own right.
One thing to note is that Quilt is a fork of Fabric Mod Loader & API so it works quite similar to Fabric. Also, Quilt is the newest mod loader among these and supports fewer mods compared to its competition.
Forge Vs Fabric & Quilt
Forge is a heavyweight mod loader that is used for large game-changing mods that make significant changes to Minecraft. Fabric and Quilt are lightweight mod loaders that can not support massive game-changing mods like these.
You can also download it as its own launcher, called Curseforge Launcher. With this Launcher, you can install new mods into a modpack from within the app. This launcher also has an official license for Minecraft from Mojang Studios. Fabric and Quilt cannot do this which puts them at a serious disadvantage.
One of the best cards it holds over the other mod loaders is its ability to make mods work seamlessly with each other. Fabric & Quilt have a hard time making multiple mods work with each other smoothly which makes it a no-brainer choice for installing multiple mods.
Mod Features
Have a look below at the features of this mod loader:
- Mod Support: Supports the largest mods library for Minecraft Java Edition thanks to its powerful Mod Loader. All of the best mods that modify Minecraft on a large scale support it exclusively.
- Minecraft Developer Kit (MDK): Minecraft Developer Kit (MDK) allows devs to create and modify mods easily for the Java Edition of the game.
- Mod Menu: Adds a Mods Menu on the main screen of Minecraft through which you can view and manage all installed mods. Other mod loaders add this feature by 3rd party mods.
- Dedicated Mods Folder Button: Adds a “Mods Folder” button in the Mods menu in-game which can take you directly to the mods folder. This can help you locate the mods folder in your PC for future mod installations.
- Modding API: Provides a set of libraries and tools that allow access to Minecraft’s code which makes it easier for devs to create large mods for Minecraft.
- Mod Compatibility Layer: Allows multiple mods to work seamlessly with each other. Thanks to its powerful modding API. Other mod loaders can run into issues when running multiple mods with each other.
- Update Checker: Provides a very lightweight, opt-in, update-checker. If any mods have an available update, it will show a flashing icon on the ‘Mods’ button of the main menu and in the mod list along with the changelogs of the available update. Note: It does not download updates automatically.
Popular Exclusive Mods
These are some of the most popular exclusive mods available for this mod loader:
OptiFine
It exclusively supports OptiFine, one of the largest and most downloaded mods ever for MC. OptiFine is the most popular optimization mod that also adds support for Shaders and HD Texture packs.
Its popular competitor Iris Shaders, however, is a Fabric/Quilt exclusive mod.
Sound Physics Minecraft Mod
Sound Physics mod provides realistic sound attenuation, reverberation, and absorption through blocks. It wasn’t originally available for this mod loader but now the remastered version of this mod is available to download for this loader.
Better MC Mod
The devs of the mod call this mod Minecraft 2 or what the game should have been. Better MC Mod completely overhauls the game by changing almost every aspect of the game. If you’re interested in playing this mod instead of the vanilla game then you’ll be happy to know that it is supported by it.
JourneyMap Mod
JourneyMap Mod adds a real-time map to your game. It can be quite useful in exploration, keeping track of where you have been, etc. It is another one of the most downloaded mods for MC due to its unique nature.
Minecraft Forge Not Working
A very common reason for this not working error is the wrong installation. It may be possible that you’ve installed Minecraft Forge on the Windows version of Minecraft. Only Java Edition is supported by this mod loader.
Also, another reason could be mismatching versions of the game and the loader.
Exit Code 1 Forge
The most common reason for this error is code is outdated mods installed via this mod loader. The obvious solution would be to update the outdated mods. If in case the mod does not have an update available then it will need to be removed/uninstalled.
Click on the Mods Folder button inside the Mods menu in MC. This will take you to the mods folder inside your Minecraft installation. From here you can simply delete the jar file of the outdated mod that is causing this error.
How to Download Minecraft Forge
Downloading it is quite simple, you only need to scroll to the top of the page and click on the Download Now Button to download the latest version of this loader. If you’re looking for one of the popular older versions you can scroll down to our Old Versions section and download the one you need from there.
How to Install Minecraft Forge
There are two separate ways to install it, standalone installation or installation as a part of Curseforge Launcher.
Installing via Installer
The downloaded installer file will be in jar format, so Java (JRE) must be installed beforehand.
Step 1: Once Java is installed, launch the jar file.
Step 2: Select Install Client or Install Server depending on what you need and click OK to start the installation.
Installing Curseforge Launcher
It can also be installed as an officially licensed launcher also called Curseforge Launcher. This performs all the functions that the loader would perform normally along with a few others like in-app mod downloads, creating custom modpacks, creating custom profiles, etc. Visit our page dedicated to the Curseforge Launcher for further details and information on how to install it.
Installing Mods with Forge
All you need to do is place the downloaded jar file of the mod into the Mods folder inside your game’s installation located in: “Local Disk (C:) > Users > (Your PC Name) > AppData > Roaming > .minecraft > mods”.
How to Update Minecraft Forge
There is no built-in option for automatic updates for this mod loader. So, you will have to manually update it by installing a newer version whenever it is available. It is a hectic process to do every time but given that major updates are released after a long time, you won’t have to do it that often.
How to Uninstall Forge & Mods From Minecraft
Given below are the methods to uninstall this mod loader and any mods that you’ve installed with it.
Uninstalling Mod Loader
Uninstalling it from the game is a little different than uninstalling other mods from Minecraft. See the instructions below to uninstall it safely:
Step 1: Go to the following location: “Local Disk (C:) > Users > (Your PC Name) > AppData > Roaming > .minecraft > versions” and delete the folder that matches the installed version of the MC with the mod loader.
Uninstalling Mods
To uninstall mods follow the same path as above into the mods folder and delete the jar file of the mod you wish to uninstall.
