How to Install the OptiFine Mod for Minecraft

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Co-authored by Zac Churchill and Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: May 19, 2024 Fact Checked

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Installing with Minecraft Forge (With Mods)

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Installing Without Mods

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Q&A

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Tips

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OptiFine for Minecraft lets you customize in-game animations and lighting to improve your gameplay on less-powerful computers. It's easy to install OptiFine as a standalone configuration, which means you won't even need Minecraft Forge. If you use Forge already, installing OptiFine is a little different, but still pretty easy. This wikiHow article will teach you how to install OptiFine for Minecraft, with or without Minecraft Forge.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Installing with Minecraft Forge (With Mods)

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1
Update Minecraft if necessary. You'll need to be running the latest version of Minecraft if you want to install the latest OptiFine. To update Minecraft, open the launcher with no mods, wait for the newest version to download, and then sign back in if prompted.
- Visit Minecraft’s Release Changelogs page to confirm what the latest version of Minecraft is.
- Use this method if you want to run OptiFine with Minecraft Forge, which will allow you to play with mods.^{[1]
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- If you haven't already installed and configured Minecraft Forge, you'll need to do so first.
Go to OptiFine Downloads page. This is the official download page for OptiFine.

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Click Download. This will display some ads, which is necessary for keeping the download free. After a few seconds, you can click Skip at the top-right to skip these ads.
- Click Mirror if you’d like an ad-free download experience.
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Click the Download link. This saves the file (which ends with ".jar") to your computer.^{[2]
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- You may have to click Save or OK to start the download.
- Don't run the installer once downloaded!
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Open your Minecraft mods folder. Here's how:^{[3]
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- Windows: Press Windows key + R to open the Run box, type or paste %Appdata%/.minecraft, and then click OK. Double-click the mods folder if you see it. If you don't, create a new folder called mods and then double-click to open it.
- macOS: In Finder, click the Go menu and select Go to Folder. Type or paste ~/Library/Application Support/Minecraft and click Go. Double-click the mods folder if you see it. If you don't see it, create a new folder called mods and double-click to open it.
- Troubleshooting: You might not see a “mods” folder on your computer if you’ve only ever played Minecraft un-modded (without any modding programs installed). Make sure that Minecraft Forge is installed properly, and create a new mods folder for yourself if the default one won’t show up.
To copy it, click it once in your default Downloads folder and press Control + C (PC) or Command + C (Mac).^{[4]
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To do this, just right-click (or Control + click) a blank area inside of the mods folder and select Paste.^{[5]
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Run OptiFine via Forge. Now that you've added the appropriate file to the mods folder, OptiFine will work with Minecraft Forge. Here's how to start using OptiFine through Forge:^{[6]
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- Open the Minecraft Launcher.
- Click the drop-down menu next to PLAY.
- Click forge.
- Click PLAY.
- You'll find your OptiFine controls in the main menu under Options > Video Settings. Some common OptiFine controls are Shaders, Details, and Animations.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Installing Without Mods

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1
Update Minecraft if necessary. You'll need to be running the latest version of Minecraft if you want to install the latest version of OptiFine. To update Minecraft, open the launcher with no mods, wait for the newest version to download, and then sign back in if prompted.
- Use this method if you want to run OptiFine without Minecraft Forge, which is the simplest and most straightforward way to install OptiFine.
- If you use Minecraft Forge to play with other mods, you'll want to use the Installing with Minecraft Forge instructions, which lets you install OptiFine like a mod.
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Click Download. This will display some ads, which is necessary for keeping the download free. After a few seconds, you can click Skip at the top-right to skip these ads.
- You can also click Mirror to get an ad-free download.
3
Click the Download link. This saves the file (which ends with ".jar") to your computer.
- You may have to click Save or OK to start the download.
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Install Java 17 on your computer. Click on the tab for your operating system (Windows/Mac/Linux), and click on the Installer download link, which automatically downloads an .exe file to your device. Run this file to install Java successfully.
- Skip this step if you already have Java 17 on your computer.
- Tip: Examine the file icon next to the .jar filed you downloaded. Do you see the Java logo next to it (a blue and orange coffee cup), or a blank white icon? If you see a blank white icon, you may need to install Java (or use Jarfix) to ensure that your computer is using Java to open .jar files).
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Run the OptiFine installer. You can usually do this by double-clicking the file you downloaded (which can be found in your “Downloads” folder) that ends with ".jar."^{[7]
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Research source} The OptiFine Installer should automatically pull up the correct destination.
- If you're using Windows, right-click the downloaded file ending with .jar, select Open with, and then click Java(TM) Platform SE binary.^{[8]
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- On a Mac, just double-click the downloaded file. If that doesn't work, press Control as you click the file once, and then select Open from the menu.
- Troubleshooting: Download Jarfix if Java isn’t automatically opening your .jar file. Jarfix makes it so your device will always associate .jar files with Java.^{[9]
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Click Install on the installer window. This installs the OptiFine files into the appropriate directory. When the installation is complete, you'll see a success message. You can click OK to close it.^{[10]
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- If the correct destination doesn’t appear on the Installer, pull up Minecraft, click on the “Installations” tab, and click on the folder icon next to “Latest release.” You can copy and paste the correct file path from there—just be sure to close Minecraft again before you install OptiFine.
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Run the OptiFine version of Minecraft. Now that OptiFine is installed, you can start playing! Here's how:^{[11]
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- Open the Minecraft Launcher and click the arrow to the left of the PLAY button.
- Select the OptiFine installation.
- Click PLAY.
- You'll find your OptiFine controls in the main menu under Options > Video Settings. Some common OptiFine controls are Shaders, Details, and Animations.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I use the zoom function of Optifine?

Community Answer

Hold either Z or C to zoom in. You can check your keybinds to find out for sure.

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If I install Optifine, will I be able to play multiplayer on normal servers?

Community Answer

Yes. OptiFine is an allowed mod across almost all servers and you should be able to play multiplayer on normal servers.

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Question

How do I update an older version of OptiFine to a newer one?

Community Answer

Go to the website, and download a new version. Next, follow the exact steps above.

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Tips

You can use the Video Settings... section of Minecraft's Options menu to access OptiFine's advanced settings (such as dynamic lighting).

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When running OptiFine via Forge, you won't see OptiFine in the "Mods" menu; this is because OptiFine is technically a profile, not a mod. You should, however, see "OptiFine" in the lower-left side of the main menu upon opening Forge.

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Toying with OptiFine settings you don't fully understand may cause Minecraft to crash.

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