How to Add Custom Mods to a Minecraft Server

Most mods can be installed from Package Manager, which picks the right version and installs anything they depend on. Use this guide for a mod that isn't listed there, such as one you built yourself or one only shared as a file.

Before you start

• Your server must run a mod loader: Fabric, Forge or NeoForge. Install one from Package Manager if it's on Paper or Vanilla.
• The mod must be built for your loader and your Minecraft version. A Fabric mod won't load on Forge.
• Check whether it's a server mod. Client-only mods (minimaps, shaders, HUD mods) crash a server or do nothing.

Upload the mod

1. Open your server and go to Console. Click Stop.
2. Go to Files and open the mods folder. If there isn't one, start the server once with the loader installed, then stop it again.
3. Drag the mod's .jar file into the folder.
4. Upload any library mods it needs too, for example Fabric API or Architectury.
5. Go to Console and click Start.

Watch the console as it starts. A missing dependency is named in the error, usually near the top.

Removing a mod

Stop the server, delete the jar from mods, and start it again. Some mods leave a config folder in config; you can delete that too.

Prefer Package Manager when you can

Mods added by hand aren't tracked, so Package Manager can't update them or tell you when they stop matching your Minecraft version. If the mod is on Modrinth or CurseForge, install it from Package Manager instead.