Find the active game directory
Open the Minecraft Launcher installation settings for the Forge profile and inspect its Game Directory field. If a custom path is present, use that path. If it is blank, the launcher uses its normal Minecraft data directory.
Create or locate mods
Launch the Forge profile once, close Minecraft, then open the active game directory. Use the folder named mods. If Forge has not created it, confirm the profile really launches Forge before creating a simple lowercase mods folder.
Add the Java file
- Keep the .jar intact.
- Do not put it in resourcepacks, versions or saves.
- Remove duplicate releases of the same mod.
- Keep Bedrock .mcpack and .mcaddon files out of this folder.
Verify the result
Restart the same Forge profile and inspect the Mods screen. If the mod is missing, compare the Minecraft version, Forge version, filename and location, then read latest.log for the first relevant loading error.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there no mods folder?+
Forge may not have run successfully for that profile yet, or you may be viewing a different game directory.
Should I unzip the .jar?+
No. Forge mods are normally placed in the folder as intact .jar files.