How to use shaders in Minecraft 1.21

Since the developers at Mojang believe that Minecraft does not need visual updates, the modding community took matters into their own hands and created mods that allow users to install external shader files and change the way the game looks. However, since shaders are external files, players who prefer the default look and feel of Minecraft are not forced to use them.

With the Minecraft 1.21 update released, players are seeking ways to enhance the game's visual quality while exploring the trial chambers and other new features. This article guides players through using shaders in Minecraft 1.21, providing detailed steps for both the Iris Shaders mod and the Optifine mod.

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Minecraft 1.21 shaders guide

The trial chambers with shaders (Image via Mojang)

Although more popular and widely used, Optifine is far behind the Iris Shaders mod when it comes to the development rate for newer versions.

The Iris Shaders mod has already been released for version 1.21, while there's no news on how long the Optifine release for the same version will take. This has led many active players to switch from the Forge-based Optifine mod to the Fabric-based Iris Shaders mod.

Iris Shaders guide

Iris Shaders mod's shader selection screen (Image via Mojang)

With the Iris Shaders mod installed, players can follow these steps to enable shaders in their game:

• Step 1: Open a browser and download a shader of choice.
• Step 2: Launch the Iris Fabric installation of Minecraft 1.21 from the official game launcher.
• Step 3: Navigate to the video settings section in the Options menu.
• Step 4: Switch to the Shader Packs tab and click on the "Open Shader Pack Folder" option.
• Step 5: Move the downloaded shader file to the shaderpacks game directory that opened up.
• Step 6: Switch back to the game, select the shader file in the shader packs section, and hit the apply button.

Players must be patient, as the game may seem frozen for a couple of seconds after this. Once the shader file has been loaded, the game will be functional again, and players can load it into their world to check out the new visuals.

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Optifine guide

Optifine mod's shader selection screen (Image via Mojang)

Optifine users can expect the usual trend of delayed releases to continue with the Tricky Trials update. However, the update is sure to be released and may even turn out to be more stable than ever.

Once the Forge-based mod has been released for version 1.21, players can follow these detailed steps to enable shaders in their game:

• Step 1: Download a shader file from the web.
• Step 2: Open the game's shaderpacks folder either by navigating to the video settings options in the game or by pressing "WIN+R" and entering "%appdata%/.minecraft/shaderpacks".
• Step 3: Move the downloaded shader to the directory opened in the previous step.
• Step 4: Launch the Minecraft Optifine installation and navigate to the video settings.
• Step 5: Switch to the shaders section and select and apply a shader.

Although the 1.21 update was released recently, players need not wait for their favorite shaders to be updated, as the older versions will most likely function in the update. However, in rare cases, an older shader may not work. In such instances, players can simply download and apply a different shader.