How to add mods to your Minecraft server

Mods need a mod loader: Fabric, Forge or NeoForge. A Paper or vanilla server cannot load them. Check the loader at the top of the server page first.

Install from the panel

1. Open the Resources tab and choose Mods.
2. Search. Results come from Modrinth and CurseForge and are filtered to your loader and Minecraft version.
3. Press Install. Required dependencies are installed with the mod. Optional ones are listed so you can pick.
4. Restart the server. Mods load at boot, not while running.

The Installed view lists what is on the server, tells you when an update exists and updates it in one click.

Upload jars yourself

1. Open Files and go into the mods folder.
2. Upload files: the .jar files, or a zip you then Unzip.
3. Restart.

Files uploaded this way also show up in Installed; Import matches them to their Modrinth or CurseForge entry so they get update checks too.

Switching to a mod loader

A server made for plugins has no loader. Open Server Software in the header, set the loader (Fabric, Forge or NeoForge) and the version, and save. The world stays; plugins do not carry over.

Good to know

• Everyone joining needs the same mods on their client, at the same versions. Content mods (new blocks, items, mobs) are refused by the server if they are missing on the client; a few server-side mods such as performance mods are not.
• Client-only mods (shaders, minimaps, HUD tweaks) belong on the player’s PC. The installer skips the known ones; on a dedicated server they crash the boot.
• More RAM per mod: a Fabric server with a handful of mods runs in 2 to 4 GB, a 200-mod pack wants 6 to 8. See Allocate RAM.
• For a whole pack instead of picking mods, install a modpack.