How to Install Minecraft Shaders

Shaders are not resource packs. They require a shader loader — Iris or OptiFine — before Minecraft can use them. This guide covers both loaders, where the shaderpacks folder is, and why a shader pack sometimes does not appear in the list even when it is installed correctly.

Step 1: Iris or OptiFine

Both loaders work. They 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 — but you will lose Sodium's frame rate improvements.

Feature	Iris	OptiFine
Works with Sodium	Yes (designed for it)	No (replaces Sodium)
Shader pack support	Most modern packs	Broadest legacy support
Mod loader	Fabric / NeoForge	Standalone
Open source	Yes (LGPL-3.0)	No
Zoom	Via Zoomify	Built in
Connected textures	Via Continuity	Built in

If you have no existing setup, Iris + Sodium is the recommended path for performance. For a full comparison, see the Iris vs OptiFine guide.

Step 2a: Install Iris

Download the Iris installer from irisshaders.dev. Select "Iris and Sodium" and your Minecraft version.
Run the installer. It adds a profile to the Minecraft Launcher.
Launch Minecraft with the new profile.
Go to Options → Video Settings. You should see a Shader Packs button.

Step 2b: Install OptiFine

Download the OptiFine installer for your Minecraft version from optifine.net.
Run the installer and select Install.
Launch Minecraft with the new OptiFine profile.
Go to Options → Video Settings → Shaders.

Do not install Iris and OptiFine together. They both replace parts of the rendering engine and conflict. Pick one.

Step 3: Open the shaderpacks folder

Both Iris and OptiFine have a button in the Shader Packs menu that opens the folder directly. Look for Open Shader Pack Folder (Iris) or Shaders Folder (OptiFine).

If you need to find it manually:

Windows: %appdata%\.minecraft\shaderpacks
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/shaderpacks
Linux: ~/.minecraft/shaderpacks

Step 4: Install the shader pack

Shader packs are distributed as .zip files. Do not extract them. Place the ZIP directly inside shaderpacks.

Return to the game. The pack appears in the list. Click it to enable it.

Step 5: Configure for your hardware

Most shader packs include presets. Start with the lowest preset and work up until frame rate drops below your target.

Integrated graphics: Complementary Reimagined on Potato, MakeUp Ultra Fast, or Chocapic13 Lite.
Mid-range dedicated GPU: Complementary on Medium or High, Photon, BSL on Medium.
High-end GPU: Any shader pack on any preset. SEUS PTGI becomes playable.

If the shader does not appear

Wrong file format. It must be a .zip. If you extracted it, re-download or re-zip the folder inside.
Wrong folder. The ZIP must be directly inside shaderpacks, not inside a subfolder.
Version mismatch. Some shaders require a minimum Iris or OptiFine version. Photon, for example, requires Iris 1.5 or newer.
It IS a resource pack, not a shader. Texture packs go in resourcepacks. They are separate folders.

Common mistakes

Installing OptiFine and Iris together (they conflict).
Extracting the ZIP (shaders load as ZIPs, not folders).
Putting a resource pack in shaderpacks (different systems entirely).
Loading a shader on a version it does not support (older Iris builds reject newer packs).

What to do after installing

Most shader packs expose options through the in-game shader menu: shadow resolution, render quality, volumetric effects, bloom intensity. If frame rate is low, reduce shadow resolution first — it has the largest performance impact. Disable volumetric light second. Reduce render distance third.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need OptiFine to use shaders?

No. Iris loads OptiFine-format shader packs without OptiFine installed. In fact, you should not install both.

Will shaders work on a laptop?

It depends on the GPU. Integrated graphics (Intel HD, AMD Radeon Graphics) can run lightweight shaders like MakeUp Ultra Fast or Complementary on Potato. Laptops with a dedicated GPU can run heavier packs.

Do shaders work on Bedrock?

Bedrock has its own shader system (RenderDragon), which is different from Java. Most of the shader packs listed on this site are Java-only.

Can I use shaders with mods?

Yes. Iris runs on Fabric and NeoForge, so you can combine shaders with performance mods, utility mods, and content mods.

Why do my shaders look blurry?

This is usually TAA (temporal anti-aliasing) or FXAA. It can be reduced or disabled in the shader settings. Some packs also use temporal upscaling, which renders at lower resolution and upscales — that also causes blur.

Related guides

Iris vs OptiFine for Shaders — full comparison.

How to Install Mods — for Fabric and Forge setup.

How to Install Texture Packs — for resource packs.