Why some CurseForge mods have to be downloaded by hand
Some CurseForge authors turn off third-party downloads, so launchers can't fetch their files. Here's why, and the fastest way to get them into your pack.
By Elchi, maker of Alloy. Updated . 3 min read.
CurseForge lets mod authors turn off downloads by third-party apps. When they do, CurseForge's API gives launchers no download link for that file, so every launcher except CurseForge's own has to send you to the website for it. You download it there, and the launcher moves it into the pack.
Why launchers can't download some mods
Each CurseForge project has a setting that controls whether other apps may distribute its files. For a project with it turned off, CurseForge's API still describes the file (its name, size and hash), but leaves out the download link. This is the author's choice, often so that downloads go through CurseForge's site, where the author earns from ad revenue. Launchers that respect it, Alloy included, don't work around it.
Modrinth packs run into the same thing from the other side: they may only bundle files hosted on Modrinth, so some list the CurseForge-only files they need in config/missing_mods_checker.json, which the Missing Mods Checker mod reads.
The quickest way through it in Alloy
- After installing the pack, the instance's Content tab lists each file that has to be downloaded by hand, with a button to its download page.
- Download each file in your browser, as you normally would. Don't move or rename it.
- Alloy watches your Downloads folder and moves each file into the right folder of the pack as it arrives. Browser renames like
mod (1).jarare recognised. - Every file is checked against the size and hash CurseForge lists, so a wrong or changed file is never used.
For Modrinth packs that list CurseForge-only files, Alloy first downloads every file whose author allows it straight from CurseForge, then lists only the rest. The pack's own checker is satisfied too, because files are saved under the exact names it expects.
Doing it by hand in any launcher
- Find the mod and the exact file version the pack names; the file name usually includes it.
- Download it from the project's Files tab on CurseForge.
- Put it in the instance's
modsfolder (orresourcepacksorshaderpacks). - Make sure it's the same file the pack lists. Another version may load, or may break the pack.
Alloy does this for you. It checks every mod before Minecraft starts and offers a fix for each problem. It's free for Windows and Linux. Download Alloy