Distant Horizons is client-side. It runs entirely on your own installation and caches low-detail terrain for chunks you have already explored, so it works on any Java Edition server, including ones you do not administer. Distant Horizons shaders are a separate requirement: you need Iris, a recent Distant Horizons and a shader pack built for it. Sharing the extended view distance with a whole server needs one extra piece, covered below.
Does Distant Horizons work on multiplayer servers
A client-only install still works on multiplayer servers. Distant Horizons builds its level of detail (LOD) terrain from what your own client has rendered, saving it locally between sessions. You have to explore an area normally first before it has anything to work from, and none of this needs the server's cooperation or permission.
Full server-side sharing is a separate step. When Distant Horizons is installed on the server itself, alongside the mod loader it needs, and the server's Distant Generation option is left on, LOD data is generated ahead of time and sent automatically to every connected player running Distant Horizons. Turning Distant Generation off on the server stops that sharing, even for players who still have the client mod installed. Server support arrived with Distant Horizons 2.3, and older versions need you to explore the chunks yourself.
Server owners who run a Bukkit-family server instead of the full mod loader have a second option: Distant Horizons Support, a separate plugin built for Bukkit, Paper, Spigot and Folia. It generates and sends the same kind of distant-chunk data without requiring the server to run Distant Horizons as a mod, and it can also help Distant Horizons tell backend servers apart behind a proxy. It has its own download page on the project's Modrinth listing.
Shaders that work with Distant Horizons
Distant Horizons under a shader pack needs two things to line up: Iris 1.7 or newer paired with Distant Horizons 2.1.0 or newer, and a shader pack that was built with Distant Horizons support in mind. OptiFine only works partially, through forward-rendered shaders, and Distant Horizons 2.0 or older does not work with Iris at all. If you have not set up a shader loader yet, installing Iris or OptiFine comes first.
- Fabric needs Fabric API, Sodium, Iris 1.7.0 or newer and Distant Horizons 2.1.0 or newer.
- Forge and NeoForge need Sodium (0.6.0 or newer, or a recently updated fork), Oculus 1.7.0 or newer or Iris 1.8.0 or newer, and Distant Horizons 2.1.0 or newer.
These shader packs are on the maintained compatibility list or state Distant Horizons support on their own pages.
- Photon lists Distant Horizons, alongside Voxy, in its compatibility notes.
- Solas Shader names Distant Horizons in its mod compatibility list, with Iris as its preferred loader over OptiFine.
- Complementary Reimagined appears on the compatibility list.
- Sildur's Vibrant Shaders and Sildur's Enhanced Default both state support for Distant Horizons and Voxy.
- Bloop and Pixel Perfect are also on the list, along with BSL, Bliss (2.1.0 or newer only), Noble and Shrimple.
Compatibility has to be added by the shader developer, so a pack that is not on these lists may still draw no distant terrain. Nostalgia Shader is listed as not rendering LODs at all. For a pairing that is set up for you, the Distant Horizons & Iris Shaders modpack is built for Iris and Distant Horizons compatibility on Fabric and NeoForge, and it lists the shaders it knows work. It needs the client only and asks for at least 4 GB of RAM.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Distant Horizons on the server?
No. Distant Horizons only needs to be installed on your own client to build extended terrain for areas you have explored, on any server, managed by you or not. Installing it on the server too lets LODs be sent to players who have it, provided the server's Distant Generation setting stays on. Server support arrived with version 2.3.
Which shaders work with Distant Horizons?
Packs built with Distant Horizons support, such as Photon, Solas Shader and Complementary Reimagined, work with Iris 1.7 or newer and Distant Horizons 2.1.0 or newer. Support has to come from the shader developer, so check a pack's compatibility notes before you rely on it.
What settings help Distant Horizons run smoothly?
Start by lowering the CPU load slider and the Graphics Preset in the Distant Horizons config menu, and turn off Distant Generation if you only want terrain from areas you actually visit. A concurrent garbage collector, ZGC on Java 21 and newer or Shenandoah on Java 8 through 17, plus more allocated RAM, both help stutter on lower-end hardware.
Why is Distant Horizons not working?
Check that the build matches both your mod loader and your exact Minecraft version, since Forge stops at 1.20.4 while Fabric and NeoForge continue further. If terrain is missing rather than the mod failing to load, explore the area normally first: Distant Horizons only renders LODs for chunks it has already generated or been sent. For a shader-related failure, see fixing shaders that stopped working.
Does Distant Horizons slow down shaders?
Distant Horizons is CPU-heavy while it generates terrain, and shaders add their own load on top. Lowering the CPU load and Graphics Preset in the Distant Horizons menu helps, and tuning lag and FPS covers the general settings that make a difference.
