How to Install OptiFine to Use Shaders in Minecraft

Check out the OptiFine installation to boost Minecraft’s gameplay and the overall aesthetics.

Why wouldn’t the best-selling game of all time have mods? It has, and aplenty aim to put some realistic touch to the Minecraft blocks. Besides, improving frames per rate lies on every gamer’s agenda.

While it’s tough to guess the exact number of Minecraft mods, it’s easy to spot OptiFine in any list featuring the top ones.

What is OptiFine?

OptiFine is about Minecraft optimization to have high frame rates and appealing visuals.

While the best thing about it is smooth gameplay, it gives a bunch of other enhancements making the gameplay more realistic.

There is a lot to tweak and optimize for excellent graphics while not dragging the overall performance.

The Animations give you this choice to go selective about the visual elements:

However, if you desire a radical change in the Minecraft graphics, it’s the shaders you’re after.

Take a look at the following image to notice the difference between the two in the clouds, water, sun, shadows, etc.

That’s just one shader (Complementary Shaders V4), and there are countless more you can install with just a click. However, I won’t recommend getting too creative, as the FPS will take a hit accordingly.

Still, OptiFine can help you if you feel bored with the standard Minecraft.

And like most mods, it is completely free. However, one can donate to the developers and get a customized cape to showcase other gamers using OptiFine.

How to Install OptiFine

There are two ways to install OptiFine: with or without mods. The latter is the simpler of the two with a single installation. However, you’ll need to install Forge to use it with other mods.

Before proceeding to this tutorial, ensure you have the latest Java installed.

Optifine without Mods

Head over to the OptiFine website and download the version compatible with your Minecraft.

You may get a warning about the file being harmful to your computer, but you can ignore that as long as you’re downloading from the official OptiFine website.

Since Java is already installed, it’ll be an executable file that you can right-click and select Open to run.

Subsequently, click Install on the next screen, and it will complete within seconds:

Finally, start the Minecraft launcher and select OptiFine to check the available customizations in Options>Video Settings.

OptiFine with Mods

OptiFine has supported Forge since Minecraft version 1.14.4. Forge helps to play Minecraft with multiple mods, sidelining any compatibility issues.

For this, first, you need to install Forge.

This will also be an executable jar file you can run to get the Forge preset in Minecraft Launcher.

Now, open Windows Run by pressing ⊞+R, then type %Appdata%/.minecraft, and click OK.

This will land you in the Minecraft directory. Now, search for the ‘mods’ folder, or create one if there isn’t any.

Finally, paste the OptiFine jar file in the mods folder and start Minecraft with Forge.

You won’t notice any difference till you navigate to Video Settings in Options.

This confirms OptiFine is loaded into Forge.

Using Shaders with OptiFine

Now that you know how to install OptiFine, let’s see using shaders with it.

You can find various shaderpacks on this wiki. The list mentions their FPS impact and compatible Minecraft versions, among other things.

The Style columns give a glimpse of the package you can check upfront. Afterward, you can download the preferred pack and move it to the ‘shaderpacks‘ folder.

This folder will be located inside the Minecraft directory as mentioned in the ‘OptiFine with Mods’ section.

Alternatively, you can head over to Shaders in the Video Settings and click Shaders Folder at the bottom left.

This will list all, which you can select one at a time.

Conclusion

OptiFine is one of the most used Minecraft mods that allows granular control over the gameplay graphics to achieve a perfect balance between graphics and performance.

Besides, it allows you to use Shaders, bringing a significant upgrade over the vanilla graphics. However, avoid Shaders for the best possible FPS per your machine processing power.

One can also have Forge combine OptiFine with other mods.

But while playing solo is great, the fun begins with multiplayer. For this, you can create a Minecraft server on your Windows PC or Linux. Alternatively, set up a Minecraft server on Vultr for top-notch multiplayer performance.