To use Distant Horizons, install the mod for your loader, open a world, keep the normal render distance low, and let the mod draw far terrain as level-of-detail (LOD) chunks. It is a Java Edition mod only, so Bedrock cannot load it. The main costs are CPU time while distant terrain generates and extra RAM. (This is the Minecraft mod by jeseibel and team, not the travel company of the same name.)
What Distant Horizons does
Distant Horizons lets you reach extreme render distances, 256 chunks and beyond, at a low performance cost. The creator's example photo uses a vanilla render distance of 8 with a mod distance of 512. LODs are pregenerated chunks at lower quality, and they cover player-made structures too. Rendering runs on your GPU through OpenGL or Vulkan.
Whether it also needs to be on a multiplayer host is covered in Is Distant Horizons client-side or server-side, so this guide stays on setup and settings.
Install Distant Horizons
The Distant Horizons page lists builds per loader. Pick the one that matches your game version.
- Fabric, 1.16.3 to 26.3. Newest build 3.3.4-26.3.
- NeoForge, 1.20.6 to 26.3. Newest build 3.3.4-26.3.
- Forge, 1.12.2 to 1.20.4. Newest build 3.3.3-1.20.4.
The newest builds list no required dependencies. On 1.20.6 and newer, one file covers NeoForge and Fabric. On 1.20.4 and older, one file covers Forge and Fabric. Forge has no build past 1.20.4, so newer game versions need Fabric or NeoForge.
- 1.Install the loader for your game version, using How to Install Fabric on Minecraft Java or How to Install Forge and NeoForge.
- 2.Put the Distant Horizons .jar file in the mods folder inside the game directory (`.minecraft/mods` by default). The general steps are in How to Install Minecraft Mods on Java Edition.
- 3.Launch the game with the loader's profile.
Load your first world
Open any world. Distant terrain does not appear instantly, because LODs have to be generated. Generation is slow at high render distances, and the mod is very CPU bound, so a weaker processor means slower fill-in. Errors in chat about the batching world generator timing out are normal, and terrain keeps loading despite them.
Set the render distance
Keep the vanilla render distance low. Anything above 16 is not needed once Distant Horizons draws the far view. Raise the mod's own distance instead, but be careful past 320 chunks. RAM fills up and the game can stutter badly.
Quality and performance settings
All of these live in the Distant Horizons config menu.
- Graphics Preset. Lowering it is one of the listed stutter fixes.
- CPU load. For fast terrain generation, set it to the highest option (I Paid For The Whole CPU), leave the game idle, then drop it to minimal or low impact before you play.
- Distant Generation. Disabling it in the config menu is one of the listed stutter fixes.
RAM matters as much as the settings. For a 4 to 8 core CPU, try 6 to 8 GB. For 10 or more cores, try 12 to 16 GB. Steps are in How to allocate more RAM to Minecraft. A concurrent garbage collector also helps, ZGC for Java 21+ or Shenandoah for Java 8 to 17, set through your JVM arguments. For general frame-rate trouble, see How to fix Minecraft lag and boost your FPS.
How level-of-detail data is saved
With Distant Horizons installed only on your own install, LODs are saved between sessions. You still have to explore the world to load them, so a fresh world starts with an empty distant view.
Use Distant Horizons with shaders
Shaders work only in some setups. Distant Horizons 2.1.0 and newer works with Iris 1.7+, and only with shaders built with Distant Horizons support. Version 2.0 and older do not work with Iris. OptiFine partially works with forward rendered shaders. Shaders named as compatible include BSL, Complementary, Shrimple, Noble, Photon and Bliss (2.1.0+). The general steps are in How to Install Minecraft Shaders.
If you want a ready setup, the Distant Horizons & Iris Shaders modpack bundles the pieces. It needs a launcher that imports Modrinth packs, and it is client only. Replay Mod and many camera mods that alter the rendering pipeline are known to break it, which matters if you use Replay Mod.
Frequently asked questions
Does Distant Horizons work on Bedrock?
No. Distant Horizons is a Java Edition mod, and Bedrock Edition cannot load Java mods. Builds exist for Fabric, NeoForge and Forge, each installed for the matching Minecraft version. Bedrock uses a different content format from the Java mods Modrinth hosts, so the mod's .jar file has nowhere to go there. To run it, you need Java Edition.
Why does Distant Horizons stutter?
Try the fixes in order. Use a concurrent garbage collector, raise the allocated RAM, lower the CPU load in the config menu, turn off Distant Generation, then lower the Graphics Preset. The mod is CPU bound, so processor strength limits how smoothly it generates distant terrain.
How many chunks should I set Distant Horizons to?
The mod targets 256 chunks and beyond. Going past about 320 chunks is probably not a good idea, because RAM runs out and the game stutters badly. Keep the vanilla render distance at 16 or lower and raise only the mod's distance.
Does Distant Horizons work with Iris shaders?
Yes, with conditions. You need Distant Horizons 2.1.0 or newer, Iris 1.7 or newer, and a shader built with Distant Horizons support. Older 2.0 releases do not work with Iris, and not every shader supports the mod.
