Where to Download Minecraft Mods and What Gets Checked

Published Fabric mods are most often on CurseForge or Modrinth, and some authors also post files on GitHub, GitLab or a personal site, according to the Fabric Wiki FAQ (last edited 22 July 2026). You can browse the mods we list in the Java mods listing. Modrinth describes itself as an open-source platform, and CurseForge documents how its app matches a mod to a compatible profile. No incident is on record in the sources read for this page, and no platform can promise every file is clean.

We did not scan or test any file. This page reports what the platforms publish about their own checks and what the sources say a player should do.

Where mods come from

The Fabric Wiki says published Fabric mods are "most often" on CurseForge or Modrinth. It adds that some authors use GitHub, GitLab or their own site. That makes three kinds of source: the creator's own page, CurseForge and Modrinth.

Fabric's homepage shows the same pattern for its own parts. Fabric API, which most Fabric mods need, has links to CurseForge, Modrinth and GitHub. Modrinth's front page says its open API lets launchers integrate with it, and names ATLauncher, MultiMC and Prism Launcher. The Fabric Wiki lists launchers that have built-in mod downloading and updating. A mod is also tied to one loader. Fabric mods run only on Fabric and Forge mods only on Forge, and Bedrock Edition cannot load Java mods at all. For the loader choice, see Fabric vs Forge vs NeoForge.

What the platforms say they check

Modrinth's front page calls the site an open-source platform. Its news feed lists an update from 13 August 2026 titled "New AI rules and project disclosures", described as a change to Modrinth's Content Rules plus new mandatory content disclosures. The pages we read do not describe a scan of uploaded files.

CurseForge's support article on installing mods (modified 19 August 2025) covers compatibility. It says the app detects the game version and loader of the mod you pick and sets the profile properties to match. Profiles that do not match are listed as incompatible and cannot be selected. It does not describe how uploaded files are reviewed. Each platform has its own page in this index: Is CurseForge safe and Is Modrinth safe.

What has gone wrong

The sources read for this page are Modrinth's front page, CurseForge's installation support article, the Fabric Wiki FAQ, Fabric's installation documentation and fabricmc.net. None of them records an incident, so there is no table here. The two platform pages linked above cover each platform on its own.

What the checks do not cover

CurseForge's matching checks fit, not content. It stops you adding a mod to a profile with the wrong Minecraft release or loader. It says nothing about whether the file itself is harmless.

Neither source covers files from outside the platform. A creator's own site, a GitHub page or any other host sits under that host's rules, and the Fabric Wiki names these as places mods turn up. Fabric's documentation carries a warning that puts the decision with the player.

What you can do

The sources read give no checklist for spotting a fake download page, and we will not invent one. They do give checks a player can make.

• Match the mod to the Minecraft release you play. Fabric's documentation notes that a mod built for 1.21.8 might not work on 1.21.11.
• Match the loader. The same documentation says a mod must be for Fabric and not another loader, and for Java Edition.
• Get the loader and Fabric API from fabricmc.net, whose page links to CurseForge, Modrinth and GitHub for Fabric API.
• Use a launcher with built-in mod downloading if you want it. The Fabric Wiki lists automatic dependency downloads among the advantages.
• Back up your worlds before a major update. Fabric's 26.2 post recommends it; see how to back up worlds.

When you are ready to add a file, how to install mods on Java Edition covers the steps.