The following post contains instructions on downloading and installing Optifine, one of the most popular Minecraft mods. Would you like to know where you can download and install Minecraft OptiFine 1.18? With Optifine, you can not only run Minecraft fast and without lag, but it can also improve the graphics of Minecraft with HD textures and other resource packs.
Optifine will also provide a ton of video settings for Minecrafting. Whatever you need to install Optifine, this article will show you how!
Read also: The best Minecraft seeds for PS4
How to download OptiFine?
- Download the latest version of Optifine from the official website. Here is the direct download link of OptiFine for Minecraft.
- Wait 5 seconds, then click SKIP AD in the top-right corner of the screen (you may first need to click Continue on the ad-blocker warning).
- Click once more on the second Download button after clicking on the Mirror link.
- The Optifine installation file for your system will have the extension .jar. Thus, this is a mod that works for the Java Edition of Minecraft.
- There is a chance you will receive an error message stating the file is harmful if you are using an antivirus. You do not need to worry about the same, and you can simply click Keep to continue downloading.
- You can either exclude the download folder or temporarily disable the security software if your antivirus constantly displays warnings.
Update Minecraft to the latest version
You'll need to update Minecraft by opening its launcher, waiting for the newest version of Minecraft to download, and signing back into your Minecraft account.
Install Minecraft Forge (Required if you plan to use Optifine as part of Minecraft Forge)
Ensure you have Minecraft Forge installed if you want to run Optifine as a mod inside the Minecraft Forge environment.
You can skip this step if you want to run OptiFine as a separate Minecraft configuration, arguably an easier approach than installing Forge.
Determine your Minecraft installation path (Required if you are planning to use Optifine individually)
If you want to install OptiFine as an individual Minecraft configuration instead of using Forge, you need to know the path to the folder where Minecraft is installed. You can find it by following these steps:
- Click or double-click the Minecraft app icon to launch the Minecraft launcher.
- Select the Launch options tab.
- Click on the Latest release.
- Select the “Game directory” switch.
- You can copy the game directory address by selecting the address in the “Game directory” text field and then pressing Ctrl+C (Windows) or ⌘ Command+C (Mac).
Install Optifine using Forge
If you don't see this option, look in the top-right corner of the Minecraft window.
Click on the Latest release. The option is in the middle of the window.
This opens the information page for your Minecraft installation.
This will bring up the Minecraft installation folder in a File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) window.
Double-click the “mods” folder. It should be in the middle of the window; doing so will open the “mods” folder.
If there isn't a “mods” folder, create one by doing the following:
- If using Windows, right-click in a blank area of the folder, click New, click Folder, enter mods (don't capitalize the title), and hit ↵ Enter.
- For Mac, click a blank space in the folder, click File, New Folder, type mods (don't capitalize the title), and click ⏎ Return.
Paste in the OptiFine file ?press either Ctrl+V (Windows) or ⌘ Command+V (Mac) to do so. You should see the OptiFine file appear in the folder after a second or so.
- You can also just click and drag the OptiFine file into the “mods” folder if you want to keep a copy of the original download.
Run OptiFine via Forge.
To run the mod through Minecraft Forge, do the following:
- Click the News tab in the Minecraft launcher window.
- Click the upward-facing arrow to the right of PLAY.
- Click forge.
- Click PLAY.
Installing the Optifine Mod individually
Double-click the downloaded file. Upon doing so, an installation window will appear.
On a Mac, Control-click the file, then click Open in the drop-down menu.
Please click ⋯. In the middle of the pop-up window, it's to the right of the “Folder” address bar. This opens a new window.
Enter the address of the copied game directory. Press Ctrl+V (Windows) or ⌘ Command+V Press * Enter (Mac) to paste the copied address. OptiFine will now be installed into your Minecraft directory.
Click the Install button. You'll find it at the bottom of the OptiFine window.
When prompted, click OK. OptiFine has been successfully installed.
Launch the Minecraft launcher. Double-click the Minecraft app icon, which looks like a grassy block of dirt.
Launching Minecraft brings up the launcher window. The launch options will appear on a tab in the upper-right corner of the window.
Click in the top-right corner of the Minecraft window if you don't see this option.
Add a new entry by clicking Add new. It is near the top of the list of Minecraft versions. This will bring up a page with several text boxes.
Enter a name for your OptiFine configuration in the “Name” text box.
- As long as you remember that your selected name pertains to OptiFine, you can name this whatever you like.
Select the “Version” drop-down box. You'll find it below the “Name” box. A drop-down menu appears.
Choose the “OptiFine” release. The drop-down menu option has “OptiFine” and the current version number of your OptiFine installation in the title.
Save the file. There is a green button at the bottom of the window.
Install the OptiFine version of Minecraft. Follow these steps to select OptiFine as the version of Minecraft to run:
- In the Minecraft launcher, click the News tab.
- To play, click the upward-facing arrow to the right of PLAY.
- Click on the name of your OptiFine configuration.
- Play Minecraft.