I show you how you can download and install shaders in any version of Minecraft and what are all the available alternatives.Once you enter the world of mods, texture packs and shaders in Minecraft , I’m sorry to say that there’s no going back , or at least in my case it’s something that I have to have installed no matter what to enjoy the game again in my annual hype . So, in this guide I’ll show you how you can install shaders in any version , including the latest, which in this case is 1.21. 8.
How to install Shaders in Minecraft
This guide is completely valid for any version, but if you want the latest version (1.21.8), you’ll have to keep in mind that you might have to change methods , as has happened to me on several occasions. In this case, I’ll talk about Optifine , the most well-known among the community and an alternative I’ve been testing this past month, called Iris .
Shaders with Optifine (Any Version)
If you’ve set up a server with your friends and want to install shaders to make Minecraft look more beautiful or realistic, Optifine is a good option, especially for older versions , since developers usually take a while to release an updated version for the latest Minecraft update. So, I’ll use version 1.21.4 as an example .
The first thing we’ll have to do is open the Minecraft launcher and select version 1.21.4 to download it to our computer. Once this is done, we’ll need to install the latest version of Java through its official website . The next step is to search for the version of Minecraft we’re going to play on the Optifine website . As in this case, we’re using version 1.21.4. We’ll download ” OptiFine HD U J3 ” by clicking the blue button .
If you are looking for a different version, press Ctrl+F to search for it after clicking the “Show all versions” button.
In my case, I installed the latest version of Optifine available for testing.
Once it’s downloaded, we’ll need to open the file and install the program following the instructions provided. Next, we’ll open the Minecraft launcher again and notice that we now have an Optifine icon next to the version number, confirming that the program we need is installed.
Finally, and most importantly, you’ll need to download the shaders you want, keeping in mind that they must be the same version as the game . In this case, I recommend using the CurseForge website , where you can search and view the versions in the Files section .
Once you’ve downloaded the ones you like the most, you’ll need to open the game and follow this path : Options/Graphics/Shaders. This is where you can change the shaders, so you’ll need to click the “Shader Folder” button and drag the previously downloaded shaders to the folder you just opened.
If everything went well, you should see the names of the shaders in the menu . Finally, create a world or log into your server to check that each one works. Simply click on them to easily change them and experiment.
Iris Shaders (Version 1.21.8 and earlier)
Just like with Optifine, we’ll need to open the Minecraft launcher and select version 1.21.8 to download it to our computer. Once this is done, we’ll also need to install the latest version of Java through its official website . Now, we’ll need to install Iris through its website by clicking the “Download Universal Jar” button.
Once downloaded, we’ll need to double-click the file to begin installing it. A new window will appear, where we can select the game version we’ll be playing on. In this case, it’ll be the latest version (1.21.8), so it’ll be set by default. For the installation type, we’ll choose ” Iris Only ” and the installation path ” .minecraft .”
Finally, we’ll simply have to open the launcher and check that the game version has been changed to Iris and download the shaders from the same website we mentioned above, but you’ll have to check that they’re updated to the latest version of the game.
Which shaders are updated to version 1.21.8?
If you want to know which shaders are updated to version 1.21.8 without going completely crazy, there’s a way to filter them all by version through CurseForge . To do this, go to the Minecraft Shaders category and look at the menu on the left side of the screen, where you’ll find a drop-down menu labeled “Game Version.”
Finally, select the latest version of the game and you’ll see a list of all the games that already have a stable version that you can download and install in your game. In any case, here’s a list of the most popular ones currently available to run:
- Complementary Shaders – Reimagined
- Complementary Shaders – Unbound
- Makeup – Ultra Fast | Shaders
- Spooklementary
- Mellow