How to install a modpack on your Minecraft server

A modpack is a ready-made bundle of mods, settings and often a fixed Minecraft version and mod loader. Installing one is much easier than adding mods one by one, and it keeps everyone on the same setup. The panel can install packs from six catalogues straight onto a server you already have, and from three of them when you set up a new server.

A modpack replaces your server. Installing one wipes the mods, settings and world that are on the server now, and your server becomes a modpack server. Back up and download your world first. See How to back up, restore and reset your Minecraft world.

Where packs come from

The new-server screen offers Modrinth, Technic and CurseForge (CurseForge only when the panel's connection to it is working). Feed the Beast, ATLauncher and Void's Wrath are available only from the Modding tab, then Modpacks, on a server you already have. The pack decides the Minecraft version and the mod loader, so you do not choose them yourself. Packs that need an old Minecraft version run on an older Java, which the panel picks for you from the pack's version.

Choose a pack on a new server

When you set up a new server, the first screen asks How do you want to play?

1. Choose Modded and click Continue. The card says "Install a modpack. Everyone joining needs the same pack."
2. Pick a source from the ones offered, then type the pack's name in Search modpacks.
3. Click the pack you want. If the panel shows a message under the search box that the pack cannot be installed on your plan, pick another pack.
4. Click Continue, give your server a name and click Finish Setup. If the pack wants more memory than your plan has, the panel says so and offers Install anyway or Choose another pack. Otherwise it installs the pack. Wait until the Console shows the server running.

Install a pack on a server you already have

1. Take a backup and download it. Anything on the server now is replaced.
2. Open your server in the panel and click Modding, then the Modpacks tab. Only the server owner can install a pack.
3. Choose a Source. Modpack sources are chosen one at a time, not searched together.
4. Type a name in Search modpacks and press Enter. The filters can narrow Modrinth packs by play style, such as Adventure, Technology or Lightweight.
5. Click Install on a pack. A window titled Install followed by the pack's name opens, with Choose a version under the title. The newest stable version is already selected. Pick another version if you need one.
6. Read the memory line in that window. It shows the number of mods, what the pack recommends and what your server has. See the next section.
7. Click the install button. The panel takes you to the Console, where you can watch the server reinstall. This can take several minutes for a large pack.
8. When the Console shows the server has started, join to check.

The tab's yellow bar, A modpack replaces your server, has a Take a backup first button that opens your backups.

The Modpacks tab is missing on proxies, Bedrock, Pocketmine and Custom Jar servers, because a modpack cannot replace those. Every other Java server type shows it.

Check the memory

Modpacks use much more memory than a plain server. The pack's own mods are loaded into memory as the server starts, and more mods means more memory.

• When a pack's published or estimated needs are above your plan, the panel stops with This modpack wants more memory. The window shows the mods, what the pack recommends, the minimum, and what your server has. It names a plan that would run the pack.
• You can choose Pick another, Upgrade plan, or Install anyway. The panel says that installing anyway is allowed and the server may run slowly or stop under load.
• For packs whose creators do not publish a figure, the panel gives a rough estimate from the number of mods. Treat it as a guide, not a promise.

After the pack runs with players on, open the Usage graphs on Overview and look at RAM. See How much RAM does a Minecraft server need and How to read your server's usage graphs.

Get your players on the same pack

Every player needs the same pack at the same version.

1. Tell them the pack name and its version. The version is in the version window of the install, or on the pack's page.
2. They install the pack in the launcher for its source. CurseForge packs use the CurseForge app, Modrinth packs the Modrinth App, Feed the Beast packs the FTB app, Technic packs the Technic launcher, and ATLauncher packs ATLauncher.
3. They join with your Server Address from Overview. See How to join your Minecraft server.

If someone sees a mod mismatch message when joining, their pack version differs from the server's.

After the pack is installed

• Overview shows an Active modpack card with the pack's name and a Browse modpacks button.
• The Modding tab starts on Modpacks for a pack server. The Mods tab lists what the pack installed.
• Add extra mods only if they match the pack's loader and Minecraft version. See How to install mods on Forge, Fabric and NeoForge. Extra mods can break a pack that was balanced as a whole.
• Settings such as the World name and Difficulty are in Settings, then Server Properties (Java). See Minecraft server properties explained.

Update or change the pack

Installing another version, or another pack, is the same action as the first install and replaces the server again. Back up first. If you want to keep your world, download it from your backup, install the new pack version, then upload the world again. See How to upload your own Minecraft world. Worlds can depend on the pack version that made them, so read the pack's own notes on updating before you do it.

To go back to a plain server type later, use Edit Server Type. See How to change your Minecraft version or server type.

If the pack does not start

1. Open the Console and click Errors. The first error usually names a mod or a missing file. See How to fix a server that will not start.
2. Check RAM on Overview. A pack that stops while it loads may need more memory than your plan has.
3. Some packs are made for the launcher or single player and do not work as a server. If the install fails or the server never starts, open a ticket with the pack's name, its version and the last lines of the Console. See How to open a support ticket.

Plugin servers such as Paper cannot run a modpack's mods. If you only want server-side extras, see How to install plugins on Paper, Spigot and Purpur.