beginner performance

How to Install Shaders in Minecraft [2026]

Complete guide to installing shaders in Minecraft Java Edition using OptiFine or Iris. Includes where to download shaders and the best packs for every PC spec.

Shaders transform Minecraft’s flat, blocky visuals into something stunning — realistic water reflections, volumetric fog, dynamic shadows, waving plants, and atmospheric lighting. This guide covers how to install shaders using both OptiFine and Iris, where to safely download shader packs, and which shaders work best for different hardware levels.

What You Need

Shaders require a shader loader. There are two options:

  1. OptiFine — the original shader loader, works standalone or with Forge. See our OptiFine installation guide.
  2. Iris Shaders — a newer shader loader built on top of Sodium (Fabric/Quilt). Better FPS than OptiFine with nearly identical shader compatibility.

If you are unsure which to pick, our OptiFine vs Sodium vs Iris comparison breaks down the differences. The short version: Iris + Sodium gives higher FPS; OptiFine is simpler to install.

You also need a dedicated GPU for most shaders. Integrated graphics (Intel UHD, AMD Vega) can run lightweight shaders like Sildur’s Basic, but anything more demanding will produce unplayable frame rates.

Method 1: Installing Shaders with OptiFine

Step 1: Install OptiFine

If you have not already installed OptiFine, follow our full installation guide. Once installed, confirm it is working by launching Minecraft and checking for “OptiFine” in the lower left of the title screen.

Step 2: Download a Shader Pack

Download a shader pack file (a .zip file — do not extract it). See the recommended shaders section below for specific recommendations, or download from these safe sources:

Do not download shaders from random Minecraft mod aggregator sites. These sites frequently repackage files with malware or distribute outdated versions.

Step 3: Place the Shader in Your Shaderpacks Folder

  1. Open Minecraft with OptiFine
  2. Go to Options > Video Settings > Shaders
  3. Click Shaders Folder (bottom left). This opens the shaderpacks folder in your file manager.
  4. Drag and drop the downloaded .zip file into this folder. Do not unzip it.
  5. Alternatively, manually navigate to:
    • Windows: %appdata%\.minecraft\shaderpacks\
    • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/shaderpacks/
    • Linux: ~/.minecraft/shaderpacks/

Step 4: Enable the Shader

  1. Back in the Shaders menu, your new shader pack should appear in the list.
  2. Click on it to select it.
  3. Click Done.
  4. The screen will go dark briefly while the shader compiles. This can take 10-30 seconds the first time.
  5. Once loaded, you should see the visual changes immediately — shadows, improved lighting, water effects, etc.

Step 5: Adjust Shader Settings

Most shaders have their own settings menu:

  1. Go to Options > Video Settings > Shaders
  2. Click Shader Options (or the settings icon next to the shader name)
  3. Adjust quality, shadow resolution, effect toggles, and other shader-specific settings

Common shader settings to tweak for performance:

  • Shadow Quality/Resolution — the single biggest FPS killer. Lowering from 2048 to 1024 can recover 15-25% FPS.
  • Shadow Distance — how far shadows render. Reducing this significantly helps FPS.
  • Reflections — screen-space reflections are expensive. Disable on low-mid hardware.
  • Volumetric Lighting/Fog — beautiful but costly. Disable if FPS is low.
  • Bloom — usually low cost but some implementations are heavy.

Method 2: Installing Shaders with Iris

Iris is a shader loader for Fabric that bundles Sodium for maximum performance. Many players prefer Iris because Sodium’s rendering engine gives higher base FPS, leaving more headroom for shaders.

Step 1: Install Fabric Loader

  1. Go to fabricmc.net/use/installer
  2. Download and run the Fabric installer
  3. Select your Minecraft version (1.21) and click Install
  4. A new “fabric-loader-1.21” profile appears in your Minecraft Launcher

Step 2: Install Iris (Includes Sodium)

  1. Go to irisshaders.dev or modrinth.com/mod/iris
  2. Download the Iris .jar file for your Minecraft version
  3. Place it in your .minecraft/mods/ folder:
    • Windows: %appdata%\.minecraft\mods\
    • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/mods/
    • Linux: ~/.minecraft/mods/
  4. Iris automatically includes Sodium, so you do not need to download Sodium separately

Note: Do not place both Iris and a standalone Sodium download in the mods folder. Iris bundles its own compatible Sodium version. Having two copies will crash the game.

Step 3: Download and Install a Shader Pack

The process is identical to OptiFine:

  1. Download a shader pack .zip file from Modrinth, CurseForge, or the developer’s site
  2. Launch Minecraft with the Fabric profile
  3. Go to Options > Video Settings > Shader Packs
  4. Click Open Shader Pack Folder
  5. Drop the .zip file in
  6. Select the shader from the list and click Apply

Step 4: Configure

Iris provides shader configuration through the same Shader Packs menu. Click the settings icon next to the active shader to access its options.

Best Shaders for Every PC

Low-End / Integrated Graphics (30-60 FPS target)

These shaders add visual improvements while keeping FPS impact minimal.

Sildur’s Enhanced Default

  • Subtle shadows, improved lighting, better water
  • Minimal FPS impact (5-15% loss)
  • Looks like a polished vanilla experience
  • Download: Modrinth or sildurs-shaders.github.io

Complementary Reimagined (Potato settings)

  • Has aggressive performance presets specifically for weak hardware
  • The “Potato” profile strips effects to bare minimum while keeping core improvements
  • Download: Modrinth

Super Duper Vanilla

  • Stays extremely close to vanilla aesthetics
  • Adds only subtle shadows and soft lighting
  • Very low performance cost
  • Download: Modrinth

Mid-Range (60-100 FPS target)

These shaders deliver noticeable visual upgrades without destroying your framerate on a GTX 1060/1660 or RX 580/5600 class GPU.

BSL Shaders

  • The most popular shader pack for good reason
  • Excellent balance of visual quality and performance
  • Beautiful sunsets, realistic water, tasteful bloom
  • Highly configurable — dozens of settings to tune
  • Download: Modrinth

Complementary Reimagined

  • Modern shader with a distinctive art style
  • Integrated Complementary Shaders features with a fresh visual direction
  • Good performance on medium settings
  • Download: Modrinth

Sildur’s Vibrant Shaders (Medium)

  • Colorful, warm aesthetic
  • Good performance on medium preset
  • Waving grass and leaves add significant atmosphere
  • Download: sildurs-shaders.github.io

High-End (Any FPS, Maximum Quality)

These shaders push visual boundaries and require RTX 3060+ or RX 6700+ class hardware.

SEUS Renewed

  • Sonic Ether’s Unbelievable Shaders, the classic choice
  • Photorealistic lighting, detailed water, volumetric clouds
  • Higher performance cost but stunning results
  • Download: sonicether.com/seus

SEUS PTGI

  • Path-traced global illumination — actual ray tracing in Minecraft
  • The most realistic lighting available
  • Extremely GPU-intensive — RTX 3070+ recommended
  • Light bounces realistically off surfaces, colors bleed between blocks
  • Download: sonicether.com/seus (Patreon for latest versions)

Continuum

  • Cinema-grade visuals
  • Physically based rendering with PBR texture support
  • Best paired with PBR resource packs like Patrix or Stratum
  • Download: continuum.graphics

Complementary Reimagined (Ultra)

  • On maximum settings, competes with dedicated “cinematic” shaders
  • Better optimized than SEUS PTGI for similar visual fidelity
  • Excellent developer support and frequent updates

Shader Performance Tips

Reduce Shadow Resolution First

Shadow maps are the single most expensive shader feature. Most shaders default to 1024 or 2048 resolution. Dropping to 512 can recover 20-40% FPS with a barely noticeable quality difference during gameplay. You only see the difference in still screenshots.

Lower Render Distance with Shaders

Shaders multiply the cost of every visible chunk because they add additional rendering passes (shadow pass, lighting pass, post-processing). A good rule of thumb: subtract 4-8 chunks from your normal render distance when using shaders.

Normal Render DistanceWith Shaders
8 chunks6 chunks
12 chunks8-10 chunks
16 chunks10-12 chunks
24 chunks14-18 chunks

Allocate Enough RAM

Shaders increase memory usage. If you are running shaders with high-resolution resource packs, you may need 6-8 GB allocated. See our RAM allocation guide for how to adjust this in every launcher.

Disable Effects You Cannot See

Many shader features are only visible in specific situations:

  • Volumetric fog — only noticeable in caves and during rain
  • Screen-space reflections — only visible on wet/reflective surfaces
  • Depth of field — a cinematic effect that blurs background; many players disable it because it interferes with gameplay
  • Motion blur — almost universally disliked for gameplay; safe to disable
  • Lens flare — aesthetic preference; zero gameplay value

Disabling effects you do not care about can recover significant FPS.

Monitor VRAM Usage

Shaders are GPU-bound. Press F3 to check GPU utilization. If your GPU is at 95-100%, you are GPU-bottlenecked and should:

  1. Lower shadow resolution
  2. Reduce render distance
  3. Disable expensive effects
  4. Try a lighter shader

If your GPU is at 50-70% but FPS is still low, you may be CPU-bottlenecked. In that case, shaders are not the problem — lower your simulation distance and entity render distance instead.

Troubleshooting

Shader Crashes on Load

  • Out of VRAM — the shader exceeds your GPU’s memory. Try a lighter preset or a different shader.
  • Incompatible shader version — make sure the shader supports your Minecraft version. Shaders built for 1.20 usually work on 1.21, but not always.
  • Driver issue — update your GPU drivers to the latest version. Shader compilation depends heavily on driver quality.
  • Iris incompatibility — if a shader crashes only on Iris but works on OptiFine, check the Iris GitHub issues page for known incompatibilities.

Visual Artifacts (Flickering, Missing Shadows, Broken Water)

  • Update the shader — most visual bugs are fixed in newer versions.
  • Check shader settings — some settings conflict with each other or with specific hardware.
  • Integrated graphics — many shaders do not fully support Intel/AMD integrated graphics. Stick to lightweight shaders listed in the low-end section above.

Shader Not Appearing in List

  • Make sure the file is a .zip and is placed in the shaderpacks folder (not a subfolder inside it).
  • Some shaders use a .zip.txt extension after download (Windows hides extensions by default). Rename to remove the .txt part.
  • Restart Minecraft after adding the shader file.

Extremely Low FPS with Shaders

  1. Start with the shader’s lowest preset
  2. Reduce shadow resolution to 512
  3. Lower render distance to 6-8 chunks
  4. Disable volumetric effects, reflections, and depth of field
  5. If still unplayable, the shader is too demanding for your hardware — try a lighter pack

If you are getting poor FPS even without shaders, start with our OptiFine settings guide to optimize base game performance before adding shaders on top.

OptiFine vs Iris for Shaders

Both platforms support the vast majority of shader packs. The main differences:

  • Iris gives 5-15% higher FPS with the same shader because Sodium’s base rendering is faster
  • OptiFine has marginally wider compatibility with niche/older shaders
  • Iris has better Fabric mod compatibility
  • OptiFine works with Forge

For most players, either works well. If you are Fabric-based, use Iris. If you are Forge-based or want maximum shader compatibility, use OptiFine. For a deeper comparison, see our full mod comparison guide.