How to install a .mrpack modpack

You've downloaded a Modrinth pack — now get it into Minecraft. Pick your launcher below; every recipe takes under two minutes.

Updated 2026-10-12 5 min read
Recipes were checked against official launcher documentation on 2026-09-16. Menu names can shift between versions — if your launcher looks different, look for the keywords Import or Modpack.

Pick a launcher

Native .mrpack support means one-click imports and automatic mod downloads. If your launcher isn't listed as native, the <a href="/#convert">mrpack to ZIP converter</a> prepares the pack for manual install in seconds.

Launcher .mrpack support Best route
Modrinth App / Prism / ATLauncher / GDLauncher / HMCLFull supportImport the .mrpack directly
Minecraft launcher / Technic / MultiMCNeeds ZIPConvert to ZIP, install manually

Last verified: 2026-09-16

Prism Launcher

Prism is the community's default pick: free, open source and at home on Windows, macOS and Linux. Importing a Modrinth pack is one dialog:

  1. Install Prism Launcher from prismlauncher.org and open it.
  2. Click Add Instance in the top-right corner.
  3. Select Import from the left sidebar.
  4. Click Browse, pick your .mrpack file, and confirm with OK.
  5. Prism detects the Modrinth pack, resolves the mod loader and downloads every mod from the index.
Prism shows download progress per mod — on packs with 200+ mods this can take a few minutes depending on your connection.

HMCL (Hello Minecraft! Launcher)

  1. Open HMCL and go to Versions.
  2. Click Install Modpack, or simply drag the .mrpack file onto the HMCL window.
  3. Choose local import and select your .mrpack.
  4. Confirm the install options; HMCL installs the loader and downloads all mods.
HMCL officially supports importing CurseForge, MultiMC and Modrinth modpacks, and is a solid choice on Windows, macOS and Linux.

GDLauncher & ATLauncher

GDLauncher: use the Import an instance feature and select the .mrpack — it accepts CurseForge zips, Modrinth packs and share codes alike.

ATLauncher: create a new pack and choose Import from file, then pick the .mrpack. Mods install from the index automatically.

Official Minecraft launcher (manual route)

The vanilla launcher has no modpack importer, so the mods have to be placed by hand:

  1. Convert the .mrpack to ZIP with our converter (keep “Download mod files” on).
  2. Extract the ZIP into a folder.
  3. In the launcher, create an installation for the pack's exact Minecraft version.
  4. Install the loader the pack uses — Fabric, Forge, Quilt or NeoForge.
  5. Open the installation's Open Game Directory, create a mods folder, and copy every .jar from the export's mods/ folder into it.
  6. Copy config/ and any other folders (shaderpacks, resourcepacks, kubejs…) next to it.
This route works but is error-prone — one wrong Minecraft or loader version and mods silently fail to load. A Modrinth-aware launcher really is easier.

Installing the same pack on a multiplayer server

Servers can't import .mrpack files — the pack format targets client launchers. To run the same mod list on a server, convert the .mrpack to ZIP with “Download mod files” enabled, then move the export's contents into the server folder:

  1. Install the pack's loader server-side (Fabric/Forge/Quilt/NeoForge server jar or installer).
  2. Copy every .jar from the export's mods/ folder into the server's mods/ folder.
  3. Copy config/ and other folders the same way — server-side config files live in the same places.
  4. Remove client-only mods (minimaps, shader loaders, HUD tweaks) or the server may refuse to start.
Server operators live in logs/latest.log: almost every startup failure names the mod at fault. See the export guide for keeping the server pack versioned.

Troubleshooting

The import fails immediately
Make sure the file kept its .mrpack extension (some browsers rename downloads). If it's a .zip, use the import-with-zip route or re-download the pack.
Instance installs but mods are missing
Launchers download mods from the index at import time — the machine needs internet access. Corporate proxies and blocked CDNs are common culprits; retry on a normal connection.
Game crashes or mods silently don't load
Check that the Minecraft version and mod loader match the pack (the index lists both). With the vanilla launcher, a wrong loader version is the number-one cause.
The download stalls on the same mod every time
That file may be region-blocked or removed from Modrinth. The index lists each mod's page URL — download it manually and drop the .jar into the instance's mods/ folder, then import again.
Do the mods update automatically after installing?
No — a pack pins exact versions, and launchers fetch exactly what the index lists. Updating means exporting a new pack version, or editing the instance and re-exporting. That's deliberate: modpacks are tested as a set, and surprise auto-updates are the classic way a working pack breaks.

Sources

Convert .mrpack to ZIPFor launchers without Modrinth support Export from Modrinth AppCreate a .mrpack from your instance CurseForge ⇄ ModrinthConvert packs across platforms