Using Shaders and Mods in Minecraft On Apple Silicon Mac

Introduction

In this guide, we’ll show you how to add shaders and mods to Minecraft on a Mac using the Iris Shaders mod. This approach enhances Minecraft’s visuals and gameplay on Macs, including those with Apple Silicon chips. We’ll cover the installation process, ensuring a visually stunning and smoothly running Minecraft experience. Whether you’re new to mods and shaders or looking to upgrade your Minecraft setup, this concise guide has you covered.

All the links you need are here:

1. Minecraft Java

   https://www.minecraft.net/

2. Fabric

   https://fabricmc.net/use/installer/

3. Fabric API

   https://modrinth.com/mod/fabric-api/

4. Sodium

   https://modrinth.com/mod/sodium

5. Iris

   https://modrinth.com/mod/iris

1. Install Fabric

The first step is to install the Fabric Loader. Go to https://fabricmc.net/use/installer/ and click Download installer (Universal/.JAR) to download the fabric.

Double-click the .jar package to install the Fabric Loader. Install the specific version or the latest version, depending on your situation.

2. Install Necessary Mods

After installing Fabric Loader, open Minecraft Launcher. You will find there is an fabri-loader-1.XX.X , simplly click Play to download some necessary packages. If everything is correct, you will be in the game. Now turn off the game and go to /Library/Application Support/minecraft.You need to create two new folders, one called mods (put mods here) and one called shaderpacks (put shaders here).

Now you need to download:

1. Fabric API

   https://modrinth.com/mod/fabric-api/

   The Fabric API is a minimalistic modding toolchain for Minecraft, offering a flexible framework for creating mods. Known for its quick updates and compatibility with new Minecraft versions, it supports both client-side and server-side mods, making it a popular choice in the modding community.

2. Sodium

   https://modrinth.com/mod/sodium

   Sodium is a performance optimization mod for Minecraft that significantly improves the game’s frame rates and reduces lag. It’s designed to work with the Fabric mod loader and focuses on optimizing the game’s rendering engine. By rewriting key parts of the game’s graphics engine, Sodium offers a smoother gameplay experience, especially on lower-end hardware. It’s particularly well-regarded for its ability to enhance performance without compromising the game’s visual quality, making it a popular choice among players looking to improve their Minecraft experience.

3. Iris

   https://modrinth.com/mod/iris

   Iris is a Minecraft mod for using shaders with Fabric, offering compatibility with Sodium for enhanced performance and visuals. It simplifies shader management, allowing advanced lighting and effects.

Put the downloaded files into the mods folder.

CloseX@X mods % tree
.
├── fabric-api-0.95.3+1.20.4.jar
├── iris-mc1.20.4-1.6.14.jar
├── litematica-fabric-1.20.4-0.17.0.jar
├── malilib-fabric-1.20.4-0.18.0.jar
├── reeses_sodium_options-1.7.0+mc1.20.2-build.97.jar
├── sodium-extra-0.5.3+mc1.20.2-build.114.jar
└── sodium-fabric-mc1.20.3-0.5.5.jar

1 directory, 7 files

After downloading these mods, open the game and check if everything works fine. If there’s an error it’s probably because the Mac isn’t supported or it’s an incompatible version. Choose the right version to download.

3. Download Your Shaders Pack(s)

Go to https://modrinth.com/shaders or https://minecraftshader.com to download shaders. You need to be aware that these shaders support Macs. Put the shaders you downloaded into shaderpacks. Open your game and click Options --> Video Settings --> Shader Pack, you can now see your shaders. Then click the shader pack you want in the list, click Apply, and Done.

4. Enjoy

Congratulations and enjoy your game.

Reference

1. https://thebreakdown.xyz/how-to-download-install-iris-shaders-in-minecraft/
2. https://www.minecraft.net/