Can I use Fabric mods with Quilt?

Yes, the majority of Fabric mods work fine on Quilt. Quilt was built to be compatible with the Fabric ecosystem. A small number of mods that do low-level Fabric-specific things may not work, but for most popular mods you won't have any issues.

Do I need to install Quilt API separately?

Yes. Quilt Standard Libraries (QSL) is a separate download that goes into your mods folder just like any other mod. Most Quilt mods list it as a required dependency. Without it, you'll get crashes or mods simply won't load.

Can I use Forge or NeoForge mods with Quilt?

No. Forge and NeoForge mods are built on a completely different modding API and won't run on Quilt. You need to pick one ecosystem and stick with it. If you want Forge mods, use Forge or NeoForge. If you want Quilt or Fabric mods, use Quilt or Fabric.

Do I need to reinstall Quilt when I update Minecraft?

Yes. Each Minecraft version needs its own Quilt profile. Run the Quilt installer, select the new Minecraft version, and install. Your old profiles stay in the launcher so you can still play older versions. Your mods also need to be updated to match the new Minecraft version.

Where is the mods folder on Windows?

Press Win + R, type %AppData%\.minecraft\mods and press Enter. If the mods folder doesn't exist, create it. Make sure you're using the Quilt profile in the launcher when you play, otherwise the game won't load anything from that folder.

How to Install the Quilt Loader for Minecraft

Quilt is a mod loader for Minecraft Java Edition. It’s a fork of Fabric, so it runs most Fabric mods and adds its own ecosystem on top. If you want to use mods that target Quilt specifically, or you prefer it over Fabric or Forge, this guide covers everything from downloading the installer to getting your first mod running.

What You Need Before You Start

Minecraft Java Edition — Quilt does not work with Bedrock Edition at all.
Java 17 or newer — Java 21 is recommended for Minecraft 1.20.5 and later. You can check by opening a terminal or command prompt and typing java -version. If Java isn’t installed, grab it from Adoptium or Oracle.
The Quilt installer — available on the Quilt installer page.

How to Install the Quilt Loader

Download the installer. The installer is a .jar file. Save it somewhere you can find it, like your Downloads folder.
Run the installer. On Windows, double-click the .jar file if Java is set as the default for that file type. If nothing happens, open a terminal in that folder and run: java -jar quilt-installer-x.x.x.jar (replace the filename with whatever you downloaded). On Mac and Linux, the same command works in your terminal.
Pick your Minecraft version. In the installer window, click the “Minecraft Version” dropdown and select the version you want to mod. Stick to a release version unless you specifically need a snapshot.
Leave the loader version on latest. The “Quilt Loader Version” field defaults to the newest stable build. There’s no reason to change this unless a specific mod tells you to use an older version.
Check the install location. By default it points to your .minecraft folder. Leave this alone unless you’re using a custom launcher with a different directory.
Click Install. The installer downloads what it needs and adds a new profile to your Minecraft launcher. This takes a few seconds.
Open the Minecraft Launcher. In the launcher, look for the profile selector near the Play button. Select the profile named something like “quilt-loader-0.x.x-1.21” and click Play. The game will launch once and set up the mods folder.
Let it load once, then close it. You can quit back to the main menu. This first launch creates the folder structure you need for mods.

Adding Mods to Quilt

Before adding mods, you need the Quilt Standard Libraries (QSL), which is Quilt’s equivalent of the Fabric API. Most mods won’t run without it. Download QSL from Modrinth and treat it like any other mod file.

Find your mods folder.
- Windows: Press Win + R, type %AppData%\.minecraft\mods, and press Enter.
- Mac: Open Finder, press Cmd + Shift + G, and paste ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/mods.
- Linux: Navigate to ~/.minecraft/mods.
If the mods folder doesn’t exist yet, create it manually.
Download mods built for Quilt or Fabric. Quilt runs most Fabric mods. Look for mods on Modrinth or CurseForge and filter by your Minecraft version. Download the .jar file for each mod you want.
Drop the .jar files into the mods folder. Put QSL in there too. Do not unzip anything — the files go in as-is.
Launch using the Quilt profile. Make sure you still have the Quilt profile selected in the launcher, then hit Play.

For more detail on finding and downloading mod files, the guide at how to download and install mods with Minecraft Forge covers the process well even though the loader is different — the file-hunting steps are the same.

Common Mistakes and Troubleshooting

The installer won’t open when I double-click it

Java isn’t associated with .jar files on your system. Open a terminal or command prompt in the same folder and run java -jar quilt-installer-x.x.x.jar. If that fails with “java is not recognized,” Java isn’t installed or isn’t on your PATH. Install Java 17+ first.

The Quilt profile doesn’t show up in the launcher

Some versions of the official launcher hide profiles by default. Click the three dots or the profile icon near the Play button and look for an option to show all installations. If it’s still missing, run the installer again and make sure the install location matches your actual .minecraft folder.

The game crashes immediately on launch

Usually one of three things: a mod that isn’t compatible with your Minecraft version, a missing dependency (often QSL), or a Forge/NeoForge mod dropped into the mods folder by mistake. Open the crash log in .minecraft/crash-reports and look at the last few lines — it almost always names the problem mod. Remove mods one at a time until the game loads, then add them back.

A mod says it needs Fabric API but I’m using Quilt

Quilt includes a compatibility layer for Fabric API, but you may need to add the actual Fabric API .jar to your mods folder alongside QSL. Some mods check specifically for Fabric API rather than accepting Quilt’s layer. Just download it from Modrinth for your Minecraft version and drop it in.

I updated Minecraft and my mods broke

You need to run the Quilt installer again and install the loader for the new Minecraft version. Mods also need to be updated separately — a mod built for 1.20.4 won’t work on 1.21. Check each mod’s page for a compatible version before updating your game.

Which Versions and Editions Does Quilt Support

Quilt supports Minecraft Java Edition only. It has no support for Bedrock Edition, console versions, or the Education Edition. In terms of Java Edition versions, Quilt generally supports 1.14 and later, with most active development focused on recent releases. Older versions like 1.12 or 1.7 are not supported — if you need mods for those, look at Minecraft Forge instead.

If you’re comparing loaders, Quilt and Fabric are the most similar. NeoForge is the better pick for the larger Forge-style mod ecosystem. Quilt mods and Fabric mods share a large overlap, but Forge/NeoForge mods are a completely different system and won’t run on Quilt.