How to Install Minecraft Shaders

Shaders are not a resource pack. They require a shader loader — Iris or OptiFine — before Minecraft can use them. This guide covers both loaders and what to do when a shader pack does not appear in the list.

Before you start: pick a loader

Iris and OptiFine are not interchangeable. If you already use Sodium, install Iris. If you want a single installer and do not care about Sodium, OptiFine still works [citation:1]. For a full comparison, see the Iris vs OptiFine guide.

Method 1: Install with Iris (recommended)

  1. Download the Iris installer from the official Iris website. Select "Iris and Sodium" and your Minecraft version, then install [citation:5].
  2. Open the Minecraft Launcher. Select the new Iris profile from the dropdown.
  3. Launch the game. Go to Options > Video Settings > Shader Packs.
  4. Click Open Shader Pack Folder. This opens .minecraft/shaderpacks [citation:5].
  5. Place the shader pack .zip file inside the folder. Do not extract it.
  6. Return to the game. The pack appears in the list. Click it to enable [citation:1].

Method 2: Install with OptiFine

  1. Download the OptiFine installer for your Minecraft version from optifine.net. Run it and select "Install" [citation:5].
  2. Open the Minecraft Launcher. Select the new OptiFine profile.
  3. Launch the game. Go to Options > Video Settings > Shaders.
  4. Click Shaders Folder at the bottom of the screen. This opens .minecraft/shaderpacks [citation:5].
  5. Place the shader pack .zip inside the folder. Do not extract it.
  6. Select the pack from the in-game list.

Where the shaderpacks folder is

If you need to find it manually:

Windows: %appdata%\.minecraft\shaderpacks

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/shaderpacks

Linux: ~/.minecraft/shaderpacks

If the shader does not appear

  • Check the file format. It must be a .zip. If you extracted it, re-download or re-zip the folder inside.
  • Check the version. Some shader packs require a minimum Iris or OptiFine version. Photon, for example, requires Iris 1.5 or newer [citation:1].
  • Check the folder path. The ZIP must be directly inside shaderpacks, not inside a subfolder.

Common mistakes

  • Installing OptiFine and Iris together. They conflict. Pick one.
  • Extracting the ZIP. Shader packs load as ZIPs. Do not unzip.
  • Using a resource pack as a shader. Texture packs go in resourcepacks, not shaderpacks. They are different systems.

Related guides

Iris vs OptiFine for Shaders — full comparison and shader compatibility.

How to Install Texture Packs — for resource packs, not shaders.