How to Install Minecraft Texture Packs

Texture packs are resource packs. On Java, they are ZIP files you drop into resourcepacks. On Bedrock, they are .mcpack files that import when you double-click them. This guide covers both editions and the most common reasons a pack does not appear.

Java Edition

  1. Download the pack. It should be a .zip file. Do not extract it unless the creator explicitly says to [citation:3].
  2. Open the resourcepacks folder. Press Win + R, type %appdata%\.minecraft\resourcepacks, and press Enter [citation:3]. On macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/resourcepacks. On Linux: ~/.minecraft/resourcepacks.
  3. Place the ZIP directly inside resourcepacks. Not in a subfolder.
  4. Launch Minecraft. Go to Options > Resource Packs. The pack appears in the left column.
  5. Move it to the right column. Hover over the pack and click the arrow. Click Done [citation:3].

Bedrock Edition

  1. Download the pack. Bedrock packs are usually .mcpack files [citation:3].
  2. Double-click the file. Minecraft should launch and import the pack. Wait for the "Import Successful" message [citation:3].
  3. Activate it. Go to Settings > Global Resources > My Packs. Click the pack and select Activate [citation:3].

If double-click does not work, place the file manually in the resource_packs folder:

Windows: %localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.MinecraftUWP_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\games\com.mojang\resource_packs

Android: /games/com.mojang/resource_packs/ [citation:3]

If the pack does not appear

  • You extracted the ZIP. Java packs load as ZIPs. If you extracted it, re-zip the folder or re-download [citation:3].
  • Version mismatch. A pack built for 1.20 may still work on 1.21, but some do not. Check the pack's page for supported versions [citation:3].
  • Wrong folder. Texture packs go in resourcepacks, not shaderpacks or mods.

Load order

Resource packs load from bottom to top. If two packs change the same texture, the one higher in the list wins [citation:7]. If you use an add-on pack on top of a base pack, put the add-on above the base.

Related guides

How to Install Shaders — for Iris and OptiFine.

How to Install Maps — for world downloads.