How to Start a New Mod Project with NeoForge

Updated

If you don't already have a mod project, the fastest path is NeoForge's Mod Generator: open the Mod Generator page, enter your new mod's settings, download the generated project, unzip it, and start editing. This route is meant for newcomers with no existing project. If you already have a mod project, skip the generator and use the MDK list instead to update your build script for NeoForge.

Start from the Mod Generator (no existing project)

The NeoForged project's own guidance for mod development splits into two cases, and this is the first one.

  1. Go to the Mod Generator page. This is where you define the settings for your new mod.
  2. Enter the settings for your new mod. The page evidence does not list the individual fields, so treat the form as the source of truth for what you need to fill in.
  3. Download the generated mod. The generator produces a ready-to-use project rather than a bare installer.
  4. Unzip it. Extract the archive to a folder you can open in your editor.
  5. Get started. From here you work inside the generated project.

The expected result is a working project skeleton for your mod, generated with the settings you chose.

Learn the framework next

Once the project is unzipped, the two resources NeoForged points to are:

  • Our Documentation — the project's own docs.
  • The Modding Wiki — a community wiki for modding.

Both are described as "great places to learn more," so use them after you have a project in hand rather than before.

If you already have a mod project

Do not use the Mod Generator in this case. Instead, refer to the MDK list, which provides examples of how to update your build script to use NeoForge. This is the documented path for migrating or adapting an existing project.

Which path applies to you

Your situation What to do Where
No current mod project Generate settings, download, unzip, start Mod Generator page
Existing mod project Update your build script using examples MDK list

Installer files are a separate thing

The page also hosts NeoForge installer files, with a direct link and selectors for Minecraft Version and NeoForge Version. That is for installing NeoForge itself, not for creating a mod project. If your goal is to set up a development project, use the Mod Generator or MDK list above; use the installer files when you need the installer.

Where to keep up with changes

NeoForged posts release and migration news that can affect a new project, including:

  • NeoForge for Minecraft 26.1 (March 24, 2026) — "all you need to know" about that version.
  • Mitigating Network Vulnerabilities (May 11, 2026) — explains NeoForge's patch for a network object allocation exploit and how modders can mitigate these issues in their own serverbound packets.
  • The Transfer Rework (September 30, 2025) — covers changes to the transfer APIs in NeoForge 21.9 and how to migrate from the old system.
  • Release posts for NeoForge 21.11 (Minecraft 1.21.11), 21.9 (1.21.9), and 21.6 (1.21.6).

If you are starting fresh, check the release notes for the Minecraft version you target before writing code, since API changes like the transfer rework can change how you build things.