Minecraft Bedrock add-ons: how modding works without Forge

Minecraft Bedrock is the cross-platform version of Minecraft that runs on consoles, phones, Windows, and more, and its modding works nothing like the Java Edition most tutorials assume. There is no Forge, no Fabric, and no jar-file mod loader. Bedrock customisation happens through add-ons, an official system of behavior packs and resource packs, plus a JavaScript scripting layer for anyone who wants to go further. Knowing that Bedrock is add-ons, not Java mods, saves new players from chasing tools that will never work here.

How the scene is shaped

Because add-ons are an official, documented format, the Bedrock scene is broad and beginner-friendly rather than loader-dependent. A resource pack changes how things look: textures, models, sounds, and UI. A behavior pack changes how things act: mob AI, loot, crafting, and custom entities. Bundle the two and you have an add-on that can feel like a substantial mod. The community hub for free add-ons is MCPEDL, while Mojang's own Marketplace sells curated content. Anything genuinely game-changing tends to combine a behavior pack with the scripting API.

The toolchain primer

Add-ons ship as two file types. A .mcpack contains a single pack, either behavior or resource. A .mcaddon bundles both together. On a phone, console, or Windows install, opening one of these files imports it straight into Minecraft, after which you enable the packs on a world. For deeper logic, the Bedrock Script API lets creators write gameplay in JavaScript or TypeScript, with custom UI and entity behaviour; using it on a world means turning on the Beta APIs experiment. On servers, packs are placed in the world's behavior and resource folders and registered in the world_behavior_packs.json and world_resource_packs.json files by their pack ID and version.

Free add-ons and the Marketplace

Bedrock has two parallel content worlds, and it helps to know which is which. The Marketplace is Mojang's built-in store, where studios sell maps, skin packs, and add-ons for in-game currency; it is curated, console-friendly, and the only option on some locked-down platforms. Outside it sits the free community scene, centred on sites like MCPEDL, where creators share .mcpack and .mcaddon files directly. Both deliver the same underlying behavior-and-resource-pack technology. The difference is distribution and price, not format.

That split matters because Bedrock runs on so many devices. A free add-on you side-load on Windows or Android may not be installable the same way on a console that only accepts Marketplace content, so where you play affects which scene is open to you.

What you'll find on OpenMods

OpenMods indexes mods published in public repositories, so the Bedrock material here leans toward open-source add-ons and script projects rather than Marketplace content. For the broadest selection of free add-ons, MCPEDL is the main destination. OpenMods is a better fit for script-API projects and tooling that authors share through GitHub.

Practical notes

• Bedrock is add-ons, not Java mods. Forge and Fabric do not apply here.
• Double-click to import. A .mcpack or .mcaddon opens directly into Minecraft on most platforms.
• Script add-ons need an experiment. Enable Beta APIs on the world for scripting-based content.
• Match versions. A pack's manifest declares the version it targets, and mismatches are the usual cause of a pack not loading.

For a hands-on walkthrough, see the Minecraft Bedrock add-ons guide.