Frequently Asked Questions

How do I install a shaderpack?

First you need to install Optifine, which is the main mod that allows shaders to work. You may have also heard of the shaders mod. Don't use this. The shaders mod is massively outdated nowadays because optifine now includes it automatically. Optifine has also taken over its development, so it now has many new features that the original shaders mod didn't have.

You can download optifine here: OptiFine Downloads You install optifine by executing (double-click) the downloaded java file. This way a new profile will be created inside the minecraft launcher which you then can select by clicking on the game version shown in the bottom left corner.

Once you've downloaded a pack, place it in .minecraft/shaderpacks. If the shaderpacks folder does not exist, run the game once or just manually create it. There is no need to unzip the shaderpack. Then, load up the game and select it from options > video settings > shaders. Usually the shader packs also have additional options that can be configured. These options can be found under "shader options" in the shader selection screen.

What game versions are supported?

Due to the usage of newer Optifine features only 1.12 and newer are guaranteed to work properly.

Why does shaderpack A perform worse than shaderpack B?

When comparing the performance of different shaderpacks, you also have to take the complexity and featureset of each shaderpack into account. A lightweight low-end shaderpack, which is usually rather simple due to its nature, will obviously perform a lot better than a high-end shaderpack that is packed with features. This has nothing to do with optimisation as even heavy effects can still be very optimised for the results they deliver, they are just not intended to be lightweight or for low-end systems in the first place. Thus it is usually much more sensible to compare the performance of shaderpacks with a similar aim, rather than comparing two packs with completely different goals.