How to Create Custom Minecraft Modpacks in Twitch (Java)
Last Updated on October 12, 2019 by Michael Brockbank
There’s no denying that Minecraft is among the most popular games. Part of this popularity is the easiness of modding. And when you create custom Minecraft modpacks, you can reshape the world how you want in a variety of ways.
And perhaps one of the easiest ways to do this is through the Twitch app on PC.
While you may be limited to what you can mod through Twitch, the app is loaded with a slew of things you can quickly add to Minecraft.
Let’s Create a Custom Minecraft Modpack in Twitch
In this tutorial, we’re going to use the Twitch app available for PC users. It’s available for MAC systems, but I don’t know if the instructions are the same as I don’t own an Apple computer.
I’m fairly sure the instructions I provide will be similar, though. If you come across issues on a MAC or can verify it works perfectly, I’d welcome the comment down below.
For the rest of this tutorial, I’m going to assume you already have the Java Edition of Minecraft installed and ready to go.
Step 1: Install the Twitch App
Go to the Twitch Apps Download page and click, “Download for Windows.”
This will open the download screen where you can choose the directory. However, your browser may already download the Twitch application to your “Downloads” folder by default.
If you’re using Google Chrome, you can simply click the “TwitchSetup” file located at the bottom of your browser window.
Otherwise, open the application and install the Twitch App.
Step 1.5: Install Java
You may not have to worry about installing Java. When I tried to create custom Minecraft modpacks, it wouldn’t work unless I directly installed Java from Oracle.
However, one of my daughters didn’t have to install Java as it was already running on her laptop.
If you do need to install Java, just visit Oracle’s website and install the files.
Once clicking the “Java Download” button, the system should automatically detect your operating system and give you the correct version.
But as I said, you may not need to do this step. If you run through the tutorial and find you can’t get the Minecraft modpacks to work right, you can always come back to this point and install Java.
Step 2: Adding Minecraft to Your Twitch Profile
Once the Twitch app is installed and running, click “Mods” from the toolbar.
You will see a list of games available. If Twitch detects you have any of these titles installed, it will be highlighted. Otherwise, games will be greyed out until you install them.
Click the image for “Minecraft.”
When I was using this Twitch Minecraft modpack maker, I had an “Install” button on my screen after clicking the game’s image. At which point, I clicked the “Install” button.
Twitch will then look for the game and add it to the profile.
However, it looks like that may have changed. Instead, you may see a “Locate” button.
Depending on your situation, you need Twitch to either “Install” or “locate” your Minecraft folder.
NOTE: If you see the “Install” button, don’t worry. This isn’t going to re-install Minecraft. It simply lets Twitch “install” the game into its app control.
Step 3: Adding Your First Custom Minecraft Modpack
Once Twitch identifies your version of Minecraft, you can simply click on the image again to open it’s Mod section.
You can do this at any point if you want to make more Twitch mods in the future.
In this screen, you’ll see four controls along the top:
- My Modpacks
Shows you a list of all modpacks you installed for the specific game. In this tutorial, it’s Minecraft mods. - Browse Modpacks
This control lets you browse official modpacks released on the Twitch app. For instance, I installed Sky Factory 4 from this area. - Browse FTB Modpacks
From this section, you can browse Feed the Beast modpacks. - Create Custom Profile
Creating a custom profile means you can create custom Minecraft modpacks. This is the option we’ll be using for this tutorial.
Click, “Create Custom Profile” from the top.
A small profile window will open with a few options.
Add a profile name for the modpack. This can be anything you’d like, but I suggest making it something easy to recognize. For instance, I created a custom Minecraft modpack using Dungeons and Dragons as inspiration, so I named it “Dungeons and Dragons” so I would remember.
Now with Version and Modloader, I simply use the most current available. If you have compatibility issues when trying to run your custom Minecraft modpacks, you may want to modify the version of the game and then the modloader.
However, I have yet to need anything other than the most current versions.
Click the “Create” button.
Your modpack will then be placed at the bottom of the list.
Step 4: Customizing Your Modpack
With the profile created, now comes the fun part: adding mods to custom Minecraft modpacks.
Click the image of the modpack to open its settings. You don’t want to click the “Play” button just yet because you haven’t added mods. This will simply run the vanilla version 1.12.2 of Minecraft.
On the top right, click, “Get More Content.” This is where you browse through available mods and add them to your game.
If you know the mod you want to add, you can search for it here. Otherwise, you can scroll through the list of available files you can include.
For instance, I already know I want Just Enough Items in my modpack because of all the goodies it adds.
Hover your mouse over the mod and click, “Install.”
NOTE: You can also click the image for the mod to see its information. Sometimes, developers will put details about what the mod does for your game. You can then install the mod from this screen by clicking, “Install” on the top right.
You can add as many as you’d like, providing they are compatible with each other. The list is quite long, and you can add an incredible amount when creating a custom Minecraft modpack.
Just keep in mind the more you add, the longer it will take to launch the game when you’re ready to play.
Step 5: Play the Game!
Once you’re done adding mods, click, “My Modpacks” on the top left.
From here, you simply click the “Play” button to open Minecraft.
This will open the Minecraft Java Edition launcher. The Twitch app will load the modpack automatically for you. All you need to do is click the play button to launch the game.
Finding Mods to Add
You can find all kinds of mods through a Google search. Just note the name of the mod you want to add and search for it in the Twitch App. Of course, this doesn’t mean that every mod you find in Google will be available in Twitch.
Personally, I like to play certain Twitch modpacks that catch my eye and then browse what mods they have.
For example, what if you played Sky Factory 4 and wanted to know what mods are in the pack?
If you install a specific modpack, it is added to your “My Modpacks” section in Twitch. From here, click the image of the profile to open its folder.
In the “Installed Mods” section, you’ll see a list of the different mods the pack has available.
From here, I just write down what mod the pack is using and browse to install it.
NOTE: Adding one of these mods doesn’t necessarily mean it will work like it does in the modpack. Some packs have custom edits of the files to make them behave a specific way. You may need to fine-tune those files for specific functionality.
Sharing Minecraft Twitch Mods with Friends
Perhaps you have a house full of people and everyone wants to play your custom Minecraft modpacks. Maybe you simply want to upload the pack to your website so others can enjoy playing.
For whatever the reason, sharing your Twitch mods is quite easy.
This method also works great if you want a backup of your modpack in the event you get a new computer or if something happens to your data.
Click on the image of the modpack to open its settings.
Click the gear icon on the top right. This will open a smaller window with profile options.
Click, “Export Profile.” This will open the profile’s package settings.
In this screen, you have three available options:
- Profile Name
It’s probably a good idea to keep the name the same so it’s easy to identify, but this is up to you. - Package Version
You can change the version of the modpack to coincide with modifications you make later. For example, if you add a new mod to the pack, you could number it as version 1.1 or 2.0. This is also handy even if you make slight coding changes for functionality later. - Select files and folders to include in this package
In this area, you can remove specific files or mods in the profile to not be included in the export. This is in case you have specific elements you don’t want anyone else to have.
In most cases, I leave everything as-is and just save the file. But this is optional based on what you want to do with the modpack.
After changing the options, click the “Export” button.
You can now save the package to your computer. When I shared the package with my kids, I saved it directly to a USB drive. You can probably also just share it across your local network or through an email. It’s up to you.
How Does Someone Add the Modpack File?
To add the modpack file you just created, click “Create Custom Profile” in the Twitch app on the other computer.
Click on the “Import” link.
Then, you would add the file from its saved location. The Twitch app will do the rest.
Get More from a Custom Minecraft Modpack
This tutorial was just a basic run-through of a Twitch Minecraft modpack maker. It’s quick and easy while requiring no coding adjustments in most cases. However, there’s nothing wrong with modifying your files to get more out of the experience.
What is your favorite Minecraft mod and why? Leave it in the comments down below.
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