NeoForge Server Download & Install Guide

The modern, community-driven continuation of the Forge modding API.

Latest stable NeoForge 26.3 Java 25 · 15 Sep 2026

What NeoForge is and who it's for

NeoForge is the community-driven continuation of Forge, started in 2023 by most of the Forge team. From Minecraft 1.20.2 onward it has become the main loader for many large content mods and modpacks, for example on 1.21.1.

Like Forge, NeoForge servers are set up with the official installer (--installServer) and started with run.sh or run.bat. MCJarHub links the newest stable NeoForge build per Minecraft version from NeoForged's official maven, or the newest beta when no stable build exists yet.

All NeoForge versions

Minecraft 26.x (5)
Version MC release Build Java Status
26.3 latest 26.3.0.99 25 —
26.2 26.2.0.93 25 —
26.1.2 26.1.2.124 25 —
26.1.1 26.1.1.15-beta 25 experimental
26.1 26.1.0.19-beta 25 experimental
Minecraft 1.21 (12)
Version MC release Build Java Status
1.21.11 21.11.48 21 —
1.21.10 21.10.64 21 —
1.21.9 21.9.16-beta 21 experimental
1.21.8 21.8.57 21 —
1.21.7 21.7.25-beta 21 experimental
1.21.6 21.6.20-beta 21 experimental
1.21.5 21.5.101 21 —
1.21.4 21.4.161 21 —
1.21.3 21.3.100 21 —
1.21.2 21.2.1-beta 21 experimental
1.21.1 21.1.265 21 —
1.21 21.0.167 21 —
Minecraft 1.20 (5)
Version MC release Build Java Status
1.20.6 20.6.144 21 —
1.20.5 20.5.21-beta 21 experimental
1.20.4 20.4.253 17 —
1.20.3 20.3.8-beta 17 experimental
1.20.2 20.2.93 17 —
Previews & experimental builds (9)
Version MC release Build Java Status
26.1 Pre-Release 3 26.1.0.0-alpha.15+pre-3 25 experimental
26.1 Snapshot 11 26.1.0.0-alpha.14+snapshot-… 25 experimental
26.1 Snapshot 10 26.1.0.0-alpha.13+snapshot-… 25 experimental
26.1 Snapshot 7 26.1.0.0-alpha.12+snapshot-7 25 experimental
26.1 Snapshot 6 26.1.0.0-alpha.9+snapshot-6 25 experimental
26.1 Snapshot 4 26.1.0.0-alpha.8+snapshot-4 25 experimental
26.1 Snapshot 3 26.1.0.0-alpha.7+snapshot-3 25 experimental
26.1 Snapshot 2 26.1.0.0-alpha.6+snapshot-2 25 experimental
26.1 Snapshot 1 26.1.0.0-alpha.4+snapshot-1 25 experimental

How to set up a NeoForge server

Steps for the latest version (26.3); every version page has its own exact commands.

  1. Install Java 25 or newer (e.g. Eclipse Temurin) and check it with java -version.
  2. Download the official installer neoforge-26.3.0.99-installer.jar into an empty folder.
  3. Run java -jar neoforge-26.3.0.99-installer.jar --installServer. It downloads the Minecraft server and libraries into the folder.
  4. Start the server with the generated run.sh (Linux/macOS) or run.bat (Windows). Set memory in user_jvm_args.txt, e.g. -Xmx6G.
  5. Accept Mojang's EULA in eula.txt (eula=true), start again, and put mods into mods/.
  6. You can delete the installer and installer.log afterwards.

NeoForge FAQ

What is the latest NeoForge version?

The newest NeoForge release on MCJarHub is 26.3, published 25 Oct 2026.

Can NeoForge load Forge mods?

Not in general. The APIs have diverged since 1.20.2; use mods built for NeoForge.

What does a NeoForge version number mean?

For 1.20.2–1.21.x the first two numbers are the Minecraft version (21.1.x = Minecraft 1.21.1). From 26.x NeoForge uses Mojang's year-based numbers.

NeoForge Java requirements

MinecraftJava
26.1 – 26.3Java 25+
1.20.5 – 1.21.11Java 21+
1.20.2 – 1.20.4Java 17+
Full Minecraft → Java table

NeoForge vs alternatives

Forge Fabric
Detailed comparison →

Official links

Grab it via API

curl https://mcjarhub.com/api/v1/latest/neoforge Full API documentation →