Data packs can be placed in the .minecraft/saves/(world)/datapacks folder of a world. Each data pack is either a sub-folder or a .zip file within the datapacks folder. To install a datapack, first locate your Minecraft save folder. On Windows, this is typically found in AppData/Roaming/.minecraft/. On Mac, it's in Library/Application Support/minecraft/. Once you've found the correct location, navigate to the saves folder, then select your specific world folder. Inside that folder, create a "datapacks" directory if one doesn't already exist. Finally, place your downloaded datapack file into this directory. After it is in the folder, a data pack is enabled for that world when the world is reloaded or loaded.

Data packs load their data based on the load order. This order can be seen and altered by using the /datapack command and is stored in the level.dat file. The load order is important because if multiple datapacks modify the same game mechanics, the order determines which one takes priority. To check your current datapack load order, open your world and type /datapack list enabled in the chat.

The player can also select data packs at the world creation screen by clicking the Data Packs button and dragging-and-dropping their data pack folders or zip-files there. This method is particularly useful if you want to test datapacks before committing to a world.

The data pack system provides a way for players to further customize their Minecraft experience. Data packs can be used to override or add new advancements, dimensions, functions, loot tables, predicates, recipes, structures, tags, world generation settings, and biomes without any code modification. This means you can fundamentally change how Minecraft behaves and plays without needing to understand programming languages.

Datapacks use JSON files and text-based commands to define new game mechanics. They can modify existing Minecraft features or introduce entirely new gameplay elements. Some popular datapack modifications include custom crafting recipes, new dimensions to explore, unique mob behaviors, enhanced world generation with custom biomes, and special gameplay mechanics like leaf enhancements.

One of the greatest advantages of datapacks is that they work in pure vanilla Minecraft without any additional mod loaders or external software. This means you can share worlds with other players who also have datapacks installed, and the experience will be consistent across all machines.

Minimum required version: Minecraft 1.16 and above

Important: JAVA EDITION ONLY - Datapacks are not supported in Bedrock Edition, Windows 10/11 Edition, or Pocket Edition.

If you're running Minecraft Java Edition version 1.16 or newer, you can use datapacks. The latest versions of Minecraft Java Edition have the most comprehensive datapack support and access to the newest features.