# How to Add Custom Mods to a Minecraft Server

> Install a mod that isn't on Modrinth or CurseForge by uploading the jar yourself.

Source: https://www.beaconhosting.org/knowledgebase/how-to-add-custom-mods-to-a-minecraft-server
Category: Minecraft
Last updated: 2026-11-05

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.

> [!TIP]
> To fetch a file straight from a download link without saving it to your computer first, open the arrow next to **Upload** in **Files**, choose **Download from a link**, and paste the link.

## 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.