Minecraft: How To Install Shaders (2024)

Minecraft has added a huge variety of blocks over the years, but the overall appearance has remained the same. If you are looking to branch out and experience different lighting and textures, then you've come to the right place. In this guide, we are going to take a look at how to install shaders.

Shaders are essentially mods that change the graphics setting of your Minecraft world. Oftentimes, shaders are used to give the world a more realistic feel, with enhanced lighting and sunlight. First, let's take a look at what you need to do prior to downloading shaders.

Updated June 15, 2024 by Jacqueline Zalace: Looking to make your Minecraft build appear even more beautiful? We've updated this guide with a few more shader options, as well as some information on potential lag caused by shaders.

How To Install Optifine

Optifine is a mod that basically allows shaders to work in your Minecraft world. It is important to have Optifine installed prior to downloading shaders.

To download Optifine, you can go to the website and click 'download'. When downloading, be sure to click on 'Mirror' for the most recent version of the game. Doing so will cause the file to download to your computer.

With Optifine downloaded, right-click and select 'Open with'. From here, select the Java option. Now, a menu for Optifine will appear; click install and then head over to the Minecraft launcher.

To the left of the Play button, you should see a little menu showing the version of the game that you are currently playing. Click on the arrow and select Optifine, and you're all set!

Where To Download Shaders From

Shaders can be downloaded from various websites. There are hundreds of shader options, so you are bound to find one that looks nice to you.

Prior to downloading shaders, be sure that you are using a trustworthy site! As with downloading anything from the internet, you should be cautious.

We suggest making a new folder to hold your downloaded shaders. This way, you will easily be able to find them when it comes time to put the shaders in the game.

Shaders We Recommend

If you don't know where to start in terms of searching for a shader, we've got you covered. Below, you can find several shaders we recommend, as well as a screenshot of the game with the shader on.

These shaders aren't too drastic and can help you ease into the world of Minecraft shaders.

Shader	Appearance
Sonic Ether's Unbelievable Shaders
BSL Shaders
Nostalgia Shader
Sildur's Shaders
Iris Shaders
Rethinking Voxels
Cartoon Shaders

How To Install Shaders

Now that you have a shader pack downloaded, it's time to open Minecraft.

From the home screen of Minecraft, head to 'Options' and then go to 'Video Setting', followed by 'Shaders'. From here, you will see a screen with several options on the right side and a list of shaders on the left side.

BSL Shaders Installed

Click 'Shaders Folder' on the bottom left-hand corner of the screen, and then move your desired shader pack here. You can do this by pasting the shaders directly into the folder. Once you have the shaders in the folder, press 'Done'.

When you go to enter your Minecraft world, the shaders should now be installed!

Shaders In a Multiplayer Server

You can install shaders in a server that has other players.

Shaders are client-side, which means that they can be installed on an individual computer. Essentially, you will still download the shader exactly the same as shown above, since this won't have any direct impact on the server itself.

As such, other players won't be able to see the shaders you have installed, unless they also have the same shader.

Do Shaders Cause Lag?

Yes, shaders can cause lag. If your computer is not powerful enough, having shaders on can definitely cause some FPS drops. If you are set on using shaders though, try using them only at specific times.

For example, do you want to take some nice screenshots of your build? This is a great time to use some shaders. After the photoshoot is over, turn them off. You can also turn them on if you just want to admire your base.

Overall, shaders are not essential to making your server look good, so if your computer can't handle them, it's okay! Several shaders are 'low-end' as well; we suggest doing some research on shaders like this.