Here’s How to Mod Minecraft on Windows 10/11

Minecraft Windows 10/11 Edition came out almost eight years ago and still leaves players confused about what you can and can’t do with it. It’s played on a PC that runs Java, so why wouldn’t you be able to do everything that you can in Java Edition? The sad truth is Minecraft Windows 10/11 Edition is almost as limited as Bedrock Edition for consoles but is there no hope? Can you mod Minecraft on Windows 10/11?

Windows 10/11 Edition vs. Java

The differences between Windows 10/11 Edition and Java are big. The Windows 10/11 Edition is Bedrock Edition that you can play on your PC. It’s coded in C++, whereas Java Edition is coded in Java. This means that every mechanic or update that happens for Bedrock Edition will happen in Windows 10/11 Edition and vice versa.

Why is this a problem? Bedrock Edition doesn’t allow modding. Five years ago, some users were speculating why you can’t mod the Windows 10/11 Edition and why it’s likely that it’ll never happen. They answered that Bedrock Edition Minecraft brings Mojang/Microsoft a lot of money because you must buy add-ons to mod the game. Their theory was that if it ever became possible, nobody would want to pay for their stuff since you could get it for free.

Luckily, the beloved Minecraft community came up with a solution, and you can now mod Minecraft on Windows 10/11 using third-party add-ons.

How to mod Minecraft Windows 10/11 Edition: Step-by-step guide

Modding Minecraft Windows 10/11 Edition might be slightly more complicated than modding Java. However, it’s still easier compared to what you had to do years ago when the Windows 10/11 Edition first came out, and you had no way to mod your game experience unless you bought add-ons from the Marketplace. So, to mod Minecraft for Windows 10/11, follow these steps:

1. Download the add-on either from MinecraftPlanet or Curseforge. Make sure to search for add-ons and not for mods. The add-on should download as a .rar or .zip file.
2. Extract the .zip or .rar file using an extraction program. You most likely have the program pre-installed on your computer. If not, you can use 7zip or WinRAR.
3. Copy or move everything you’ve extracted to the com.Mojang folder. The file path is C:/users/username/AppData/Local/Packages/Microsoft.MinecraftUWP_8wekyb3d8bbwe/localstate/games/com.mojang. To make it easier to find, access the %appdata% folder and help yourself using the search bar.
4. Paste the copied or cut files into the folder. Make sure you know what you’re downloading because you’ll have to place the behavior pack in the corresponding folder, texture/resource packs in the resource packs folder, etc…
5. Enter Minecraft and your world, then go to settings and enter the Resource and Behavior packs tab.
6. Select your add-on from the menu. The game should reload, and you can enjoy your add-ons.

What is Forge & Optifine?

Modding has been around since the dawn of Minecraft and has a long history behind it. Eloraam and SpaceToad created Forge to answer the problem of people being unable to load more than one mod into the game. Additionally, before Forge, you had to manually insert the code into the Minecraft jar folder, which was a tedious task.

Forge is an API (Application Programming Interface) that helps Minecraft do all the cool things you want it to do. Optifine is actually just another mod, but one that doesn’t add cool new features to the game. Instead, it allows Minecraft to run faster and look better. With Optifine, you can easily add cool textures and make easy configurations to your gameplay.

Can you mod Minecraft without them?

You can mod without Optifine, but most Minecraft shaders require Optifine to run. In the case of Forge, you can also mod without it, but if you want more mods, you can’t, and certain mods require the use of Forge. In case you don’t already have Forge installed, follow these steps to do so:

1. Download Minecraft Forge from their official website for the version of Minecraft you’re currently running
2. Open the installer and follow the installation process instructions. Make sure the Install Client is selected
3. Open your Minecraft Launcher and change your profile to Forge

To install Optifine, follow these steps:

1. Download Optifine from their official website
2. Open the downloaded file and proceed to install Optifine. Open the installer with Java.
3. Click Install, and after the installation is done, it will notify you that it is. The only reason why it wouldn’t do that is if you don’t have the latest version of Minecraft.
4. To play with Optifine, access your Minecraft launcher, click on profiles, then select Optifine.

Remember that you’ll only be able to download Optifine for Windows 10/11 Edition Minecraft, whereas you can’t install Forge for Windows 10/11 Edition Minecraft; it’s exclusive to Java Edition Minecraft. If you bought Minecraft Java or Bedrock Edition for Windows 10, there was a big announcement on June 4th that each player will get the edition they don’t own for free. The ones who bought Minecraft after that announcement also get it for free, so if you own the Windows 10/11 Edition, you now also own Java Edition.

How to mod Minecraft Java Edition: Step by step

Modding Minecraft Java is as simple as it gets. First, you should follow the steps to download Forge and Optifine; after that, the fun can begin. To Mod Minecraft Java Edition, follow these steps:

1. Search through a plethora of mods available on Planet Minecraft or CurseForge. After you’ve found the one you like, download it. Once the download is finished, your file will likely be a .zip file.
2. From your start menu, search for the %appdata% folder.
3. Enter the folder and enter the .minecraft folder.
4. Find the mods folder and transfer the downloaded file to the folder.
5. Launch Minecraft and enter the mods tab to check if the mods have loaded.
6. Enter your world and enjoy.

The process is similar if you own a Mac, but you won’t be accessing the %appdata% folder. Instead, you’ll have to go to Library/Application Support/Minecraft/and click Go. Then you should find the mods folder and repeat all the steps from above.

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