What Mod Loaders and Modpack Formats Does HMCL Support?

HMCL (Hello Minecraft! Launcher) can create game instances with Fabric, Forge, LiteLoader, OptiFine, Quilt, and NeoForge, import modpacks from Curse, MultiMC, and Modrinth, and export modpacks in HMCL, MultiMC, and MCBBS formats. If your workflow depends on any of these loaders or pack formats, HMCL covers it; if you rely on a loader or format outside this list, you would need another tool.

Mod loaders HMCL can install when creating a game

When you create a new game instance, HMCL offers the following loaders as installation options:

• Fabric — lightweight, fast-updating loader common in modern modpacks
• Forge — the long-standing loader behind most large legacy and current modpacks
• LiteLoader — older lightweight loader, often paired with Forge for client-side mods
• OptiFine — performance and visual enhancement mod, installable as a loader option
• Quilt — Fabric-derived loader with its own mod ecosystem
• NeoForge — Forge fork that has become the base for many newer modpacks

The practical meaning: you do not need to manually download loader installers or patch jars. You pick the loader during instance creation, and HMCL handles the installation. This matters most for players who switch between modpacks that target different loaders, and for mod developers who need to spin up test instances on several loaders without maintaining separate manual setups.

One caveat: the list above describes which loaders HMCL can install. It does not guarantee that every loader version is available for every Minecraft version — loader availability still depends on what each loader project itself publishes.

Modpack formats HMCL can import

HMCL can import existing modpacks in these formats:

This means if you already have a pack from CurseForge, MultiMC, or Modrinth, you can bring it into HMCL instead of rebuilding it by hand. For players migrating between launchers, this removes the usual step of manually reinstalling every mod.

Modpack formats HMCL can export

HMCL can export packs in these formats:

• HMCL — HMCL's own pack format
• MultiMC — for use in the MultiMC launcher
• MCBBS — the format associated with the MCBBS community

Export matters when you want to share a configured instance, move it to another launcher, or publish it to a community that expects a specific format. A pack author can assemble and test in HMCL, then export to MultiMC or MCBBS depending on where the audience lives.

What this means for modpack players vs. mod developers

For modpack players: the import list is the more relevant half. If your packs come from CurseForge, MultiMC, or Modrinth, HMCL can take them directly. The loader list matters when you create a fresh instance and need to match the loader a pack requires.

For mod developers: the value is in creating multiple test instances across Fabric, Forge, Quilt, and NeoForge without separate manual installs, plus exporting a reproducible pack for testers or for release.

How to check whether HMCL fits your setup

1. Identify the loader your target modpack uses. If it is Fabric, Forge, LiteLoader, OptiFine, Quilt, or NeoForge, HMCL can create an instance for it.
2. Identify where your existing pack comes from. If it is Curse, MultiMC, or Modrinth, HMCL can import it.
3. Identify where you need to send a pack. If the destination expects HMCL, MultiMC, or MCBBS format, HMCL can export it.

If any of those three answers falls outside the lists above, HMCL alone will not cover that step.

HMCL is open source under GPLv3 and has been developed since 2015 with at least 110 contributors, so the supported loader and format lists are maintained by an active project rather than a single author.