Installing Shaders

Give your Minecraft a visual update with Shaders

Updated June 6, 2026

Introduction

Want to make your Minecraft look better? Shaders are a great way to do that. They add new lighting and visual effects to the game, making it look more realistic and immersive. Pretty Shaders

This is how you install the shader loader Iris and shader pack "Complementary Shaders - Reimagined" the recommended way. We are going to start with Modrinth for this, CurseForge will be covered in the next section.

Iris supports fabric 1.16.5 and up, NeoForge 1.21.1 and up and quilt on Java. You can't use this on bedrock or mobile devices.

Don't install on servers

This may seem obvious to some, but don't install shaders on servers. Servers are not able to use these.

Modrinth

If you haven't already, make sure you have a shader compatible instance. If you don't, create one by clicking the "Create Instance +" button. Make sure to select a compatible version and modloader. Create shader compatible instance

Search for iris shaders by coderbot on modrinth. This is the shader loader that we will be using. Click on install for the version compatible with your instance.

go back to the instance and click on the "Mods" tab. You should see iris shaders in the list of mods. If you don't, make sure to check if you installed it on the correct instance.

Now, we need to install the shader pack. In your instance, click on "Browse content" and click on the shaders tab. Here we're going to search for the shader pack. In this example, we're going to look for Complementary Shaders - Reimagined which is hosted with Modrinth. Searching Modpack

Install the shader pack and go back to the instance. You should see the shader pack in the list of mods. If you don't, make sure to check if you installed it on the correct instance.

Now, you can launch the instance and enjoy your new shaders! You can also customize the shader settings in-game to your liking.

CurseForge

If you haven't already, make sure you have a shader compatible profile. If you don't, create one by clicking the "+ Create" button. Make sure to select a compatible version and modloader. Create shader compatible instance

Click on "+ Add Content" and search for iris shaders by coderbot. This is the shader loader that we will be using. Click on install for the version compatible with your profile.

go back to the profile and click on the "+ Add Content" tab. You should see iris shaders in the list of mods. If you don't, make sure to check if you installed it on the correct profile.

now, we need to install the shader pack. In your profile, click on "Add content" and make sure to select the "Shader" category. Here we're going to search for the shader pack. In this example, we're going to look for Complementary Shaders - Reimagined which is hosted with CurseForge. Select Shader Category

Install the shader pack and go back to the profile. You should see the shader pack in the list of shaders under content. If you don't, make sure to check if you installed it on the correct profile.

Now, you can launch the profile and enjoy your new shaders! You can also customize the shader settings in-game to your liking.