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How to Find the Minecraft Mods Folder on Windows, Mac, and Linux

Find the default Minecraft: Java Edition game folder on Windows, macOS, and Linux, then check the active Launcher installation if its mods folder is elsewhere.
Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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For Minecraft: Java Edition, the mods folder is named mods and sits inside the game directory used by your active Launcher installation. The default game-directory paths are %AppData%.minecraft on Windows, ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft on macOS, and ~/.minecraft on Linux. Open the matching location, then open mods if it exists.

First, check that you’re using Java Edition

These paths apply to Minecraft: Java Edition. Bedrock Edition is a separate edition, so do not assume it uses Java’s .minecraft/mods folder. Minecraft’s Java Edition mod guidance also notes that mods are third-party software: “These mods are not created, reviewed or endorsed by Mojang Studios, and the same precautions should be taken when installing mods as you would with any other piece of independently developed software.”

Open the default game folder for your computer

Windows

  1. Press Windows key + R to open Run.
  2. Enter %AppData%.minecraft and press Enter.
  3. Open the mods folder if it is present.

This shortcut opens the default .minecraft folder under AppDataRoaming. Minecraft Help documents that location in its manual uninstall instructions.

macOS

  1. Open Finder.
  2. Press Shift + Command + G to open Go to Folder.
  3. Enter ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft and press Return.
  4. Open mods if it is present.

Minecraft Help identifies the Application Support location for Java game data and confirms the Minecraft folder in its Java screenshot instructions.

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Linux

  1. In your file manager, show hidden files or choose its Go to Location option.
  2. Enter ~/.minecraft.
  3. Open mods if it is present.

The leading period makes .minecraft a hidden folder in Linux file managers. You can also enter cd ~/.minecraft in a terminal to navigate there, then use a file manager to view or manage its contents. Minecraft Help references this default Linux location in its game-data instructions.

If the default path doesn’t contain your mods

Minecraft Launcher installations can use different game directories. Check the installation you actually launch before assuming the default folder is the one in use.

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  1. Open Minecraft Launcher and select Installations.
  2. Find the installation you play and inspect its game-directory setting or folder control. The exact layout and wording may vary between Launcher versions.
  3. Open that installation’s game directory, then look for mods.

Minecraft Help documents the Launcher’s Installations workflow in its guide to creating a Java installation. The Minecraft Wiki’s Launcher documentation describes a configurable game directory and a folder control for opening it.

What it means if there is no mods folder

  • The game directory exists, but mods does not: The folder may not have been created for that installation. Its absence alone does not mean the game files are missing, and it does not indicate that a mod is installed.
  • You may be looking at the wrong installation: Check the selected installation’s game-directory control in Launcher, especially if you have more than one installation.
  • You may be using Bedrock Edition: The paths in this guide are for Java Edition; the cited Java mod guidance does not establish a Bedrock mod-folder path. Minecraft explains the distinction between editions in its edition overview.

This guide is about locating the folder, not installing a mod loader or a mod. You do not need to download a mod just to make a folder appear.

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Protect your worlds before changing game files

If you plan to move or delete files while looking for the correct directory, first back up any worlds and other files you want to keep. Minecraft Help warns that Minecraft Support cannot recover deleted files in its manual uninstall guidance. It also says, “As modding is not officially supported, Minecraft Support cannot assist with issues arising from mod usage,” in its Java Edition mod guidance.

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