Add-ons, not Java mods: setting up Minecraft Bedrock packs

Can you put .jar mods into Minecraft Bedrock?

No. A .jar file is a Java Edition mod, built for loaders like Forge, Fabric or NeoForge. Bedrock is a different game underneath, written in a different language, and it has no way to load Java code. Converters exist for some texture packs, but nothing turns a Java code mod into a Bedrock one.

You have two real options:

• On a PC, you probably already own Java Edition. Since June 2022, Minecraft on PC has been sold as Java & Bedrock Edition, and anyone who owned one of the two was given the other for free. Open the Minecraft Launcher, pick Minecraft: Java Edition, and use the jar mod there. The Forge or Fabric guide walks through setting that up.
• On console, phone or tablet, look for a Bedrock add-on that does the same job. Many popular Java mods have Bedrock counterparts built as add-ons by other creators. They won't be identical, but they're the only kind of mod those devices can run.

The rest of this guide covers add-ons.

Behavior packs, resource packs and add-ons

Three terms cover almost everything:

• Resource pack: changes how the game looks and sounds, including textures, models, audio and UI.
• Behavior pack: changes how the game behaves, including mob AI, drops, crafting and custom entities.
• Add-on: a resource pack and a behavior pack designed to work together.

The file types follow from that. A .mcpack holds one pack. A .mcaddon holds a matched set.

Importing a pack

On phone, console, or a Windows install, importing is a double-click.

1. Download the .mcpack or .mcaddon.
2. Open the file. Your device hands it to Minecraft, which imports it into your pack library.
3. Wait for the message confirming the import succeeded.

That's all the import step involves. You never copy files into a folder by hand on a normal client.

Enabling it on a world

Importing doesn't switch a pack on. You apply it to a world.

1. Create a new world or edit an existing one.
2. Open the Behavior Packs or Resource Packs section of the world settings.
3. Activate the pack you imported. If a behavior pack comes with a matching resource pack, enable both.
4. Start the world.

Scripting, and when you need Beta APIs

Some add-ons include JavaScript that runs through the Bedrock Script API, for logic that plain packs can't express. Whether you need to change anything depends on which version of the API the add-on uses.

• Add-ons built on the stable Script API work with no extra settings.
• Add-ons built on beta script modules need the Beta APIs experiment. Open the world's Experiments section and switch it on.

The add-on's page usually says if it needs Beta APIs. Believe it: the beta modules change between game updates, so these add-ons are also the ones most likely to break after a patch.

Turning on any experiment marks the world as experimental, and you can't turn that off again. Use a copy of any world you care about.

Where to find add-ons

Which source is open to you depends on your platform.

• Community sites such as MCPEDL host free .mcpack and .mcaddon files that you download and open yourself. This is the main free scene, and it works best on Windows and Android, where you can open downloaded files directly.
• The Marketplace, built into the game, sells curated add-ons, maps and skin packs for Minecoins. On consoles that don't allow side-loading, it's usually the only route.

Both use the same pack technology, so a Marketplace add-on and a free one behave the same once they're on a world.

Add-ons on Realms and servers

On a Realm, the owner applies packs to the Realm's world, and they download automatically to everyone who joins.

On a self-hosted Bedrock server, packs go into the world's folders and are registered in world_behavior_packs.json and world_resource_packs.json by pack UUID and version. Both have to match the values in each pack's manifest.json exactly. A mismatch is the usual reason a server-side pack fails without any error.

When a pack doesn't work

• It imported, but nothing changed. Importing isn't enabling. Activate it in the world's pack settings.
• The behavior pack does nothing visible. It probably needs its paired resource pack enabled as well.
• A script add-on throws errors. If it's built on beta modules, the world needs Beta APIs, and it may need an update after a recent game patch.
• The pack won't load at all. Its manifest targets a different game version. Check which Minecraft version the pack supports.