Install Minecraft Modpacks in PojavLauncher Android

A modpack bundles a curated set of mods, configuration files, and optional resource packs into a single installable package. Instead of manually downloading dozens of JARs and tweaking config files, you install one package and play. PojavLauncher integrates a full modpack browser directly into the app, supporting Modrinth and CurseForge, so you can search, install, and update modpacks without ever leaving the launcher.

Supported Platforms

Platform	Internal constant	Description
Modrinth	`SOURCE_MODRINTH = 0`	Open-source modding platform; uses `.mrpack` format
CurseForge	`SOURCE_CURSEFORGE = 1`	The largest modpack catalogue; uses `.zip` + `manifest.json`

Opening the Modpack Browser

From the PojavLauncher main menu, tap the Modpacks button. The browser opens with a unified search bar and a filter button. Searches run against both Modrinth and CurseForge simultaneously, and results are interleaved in a single list sorted by relevance. You can filter results by:

Name — type a search term in the search bar and submit.
Minecraft version — tap the filter button and select the target game version from the version picker.

Scroll down to load additional pages automatically.

Installing a Modpack from the Browser

Find the modpack

Use the search bar and version filter to locate the modpack you want. Thumbnail images, names, and short descriptions are shown for each result. Tap a card to open the detail view.

Review details and select a version

The detail view shows the full modpack description and a list of available versions with their corresponding Minecraft versions. Select the version you want to install from the drop-down.

Tap Install

Tap the Install button. PojavLauncher downloads the modpack archive (.mrpack for Modrinth, .zip for CurseForge) and begins processing its manifest.

Mod files are downloaded

PojavLauncher reads the manifest, resolves every mod file, and downloads them in parallel with progress displayed in the notification bar. For CurseForge packs this means fetching each projectID/fileID pair; for Modrinth packs, each file entry’s downloads URL array is used with SHA-1 and SHA-512 integrity verification.

Profile is created automatically

Once all files are in place, the launcher installs the required mod loader (Fabric, Quilt, or Forge) and creates a new launch profile. Select that profile in the version drop-down and tap Play.

Manifest Formats

Understanding the manifest format helps if you need to troubleshoot a failed install or package a custom modpack.

CurseForge (manifest.json)
Modrinth (.mrpack)

CurseForge modpacks are distributed as a ZIP archive. PojavLauncher reads manifest.json from the root of the archive:

{
  "manifestType": "minecraftModpack",
  "manifestVersion": 1,
  "name": "My Modpack",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "author": "Author Name",
  "minecraft": {
    "version": "1.20.1",
    "modLoaders": [
      { "id": "forge-47.2.0", "primary": true }
    ]
  },
  "files": [
    { "projectID": 238222, "fileID": 4509575, "required": true },
    { "projectID": 357178, "fileID": 4540286, "required": false }
  ],
  "overrides": "overrides"
}

Key fields:

Field	Description
`manifestType`	Must be `"minecraftModpack"` — PojavLauncher validates this before proceeding
`manifestVersion`	Must be `1`
`minecraft.version`	Target Minecraft version string
`minecraft.modLoaders`	Array of mod loader entries; the entry with `"primary": true` is used
`modLoaders[].id`	Loader identifier in `<name>-<version>` format (e.g. `fabric-0.15.11`)
`files[].projectID`	CurseForge project ID
`files[].fileID`	CurseForge file ID
`files[].required`	If `true`, a download failure causes the install to abort
`overrides`	Directory inside the ZIP copied verbatim to the instance folder

Some CurseForge mods have allowModDistribution set to false. These mods cannot be downloaded automatically — the launcher will skip them and log a warning. You will need to download and add those JARs manually.

Modrinth modpacks use the .mrpack format, which is a ZIP archive containing a modrinth.index.json index file:

{
  "formatVersion": 1,
  "game": "minecraft",
  "versionId": "1.2.0",
  "name": "My Modrinth Pack",
  "summary": "A short description of the pack.",
  "dependencies": {
    "minecraft": "1.20.1",
    "fabric-loader": "0.15.11"
  },
  "files": [
    {
      "path": "mods/sodium-fabric-0.5.3.jar",
      "hashes": {
        "sha1": "ab12cd...",
        "sha512": "deadbeef..."
      },
      "downloads": [
        "https://cdn.modrinth.com/data/AANobbMI/versions/PnVA3p7m/sodium-fabric-mc1.20.1-0.5.3+mc1.20.1.jar"
      ],
      "fileSize": 874621,
      "env": {
        "client": "required",
        "server": "optional"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Key fields:

Field	Description
`game`	Always `"minecraft"`
`versionId`	The pack’s own version string
`name`	Human-readable pack name
`summary`	Short description shown in the browser
`dependencies.minecraft`	Target Minecraft version
`dependencies.fabric-loader`	Fabric Loader version (if applicable)
`dependencies.quilt-loader`	Quilt Loader version (if applicable)
`dependencies.forge`	Forge version (if applicable)
`files[].path`	Destination path relative to the instance root
`files[].hashes.sha1`	SHA-1 checksum used for integrity verification
`files[].hashes.sha512`	SHA-512 checksum
`files[].downloads`	Array of mirror URLs; the first reachable URL is used
`files[].fileSize`	Expected file size in bytes
`files[].env.client`	`required`, `optional`, or `unsupported` for client-side usage

After all index files are downloaded, PojavLauncher extracts the overrides/ and client-overrides/ directories from the archive into the instance folder.

Manual Installation

If you have already downloaded a modpack archive outside of PojavLauncher (e.g. from a PC), you can import it directly.

Transfer the archive to your device

Copy the .zip (CurseForge) or .mrpack (Modrinth) file to your device storage.

Open the file selector in PojavLauncher

In the modpack browser, tap the Import from file option (folder icon in the top-right corner), or use the main menu’s Install modpack entry.

Select the archive

Navigate to the file in the system file-picker and tap it. PojavLauncher detects the format, parses the manifest, and runs the same install pipeline as the browser method.

Troubleshooting

Some mods fail to download from CurseForge

CurseForge requires mod authors to opt in to third-party distribution. Mods that have not opted in cannot be downloaded programmatically. The launcher logs skipped mods as warnings. Download those mods manually from the CurseForge website on a PC, transfer the JARs to your device, and place them in the instance’s mods/ folder.

Modrinth install fails with a hash mismatch

A hash mismatch means the downloaded file is corrupted or a CDN served an unexpected version. Delete the partially installed instance, clear the launcher cache in Settings → Clear cache, and try again. If the error persists for a specific file, report it to the modpack author as their index JSON may reference an outdated file hash.

The modpack browser shows no results

Check that your device has an active internet connection. If you are searching CurseForge, note that results where allowModDistribution is false are automatically filtered out, which may reduce the visible result count. Try relaxing the Minecraft version filter or broadening the search term.

The game crashes immediately after launching a modpack profile

The most common causes are:

Wrong Java version for the target Minecraft version (see Managing Java Runtimes).
The mod loader version bundled in the pack is not compatible with PojavLauncher’s current Fabric/Forge installer.
One or more required mods were not downloaded (e.g. a distribution-restricted CurseForge mod).

Check the crash report in <game_home>/.minecraft/crash-reports/ for the specific error.

Where are modpack instances stored?

Each installed modpack creates its own subdirectory inside:

<game_home>/.minecraft/

Profiles are tracked in launcher_profiles.json in the same directory.

Get Started

Using the Launcher

Mod Loaders & Mods

Configuration

Advanced Topics

Install Minecraft Modpacks in PojavLauncher Android

Supported Platforms

Opening the Modpack Browser

Installing a Modpack from the Browser

Manifest Formats

Manual Installation

Troubleshooting

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Using the Launcher

Mod Loaders & Mods

Configuration

Advanced Topics

Documentation Index

​Supported Platforms

​Opening the Modpack Browser

​Installing a Modpack from the Browser

​Manifest Formats

​Manual Installation

​Troubleshooting

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Supported Platforms

Opening the Modpack Browser

Installing a Modpack from the Browser

Manifest Formats

Manual Installation

Troubleshooting