Your First Profile

A profile in Shard is a complete Minecraft setup: a version, optional mod loader, and your selected mods, resource packs, and shaders.

Creating a Profile

1. Click the + button in the sidebar or use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+N

2. Enter a name for your profile (e.g., “Survival World”)

3. Select a Minecraft version

4. Optionally, choose a mod loader:

   • Vanilla - No mods, just Minecraft
   • Fabric - Lightweight, fast-loading mods
   • Forge - Traditional mod ecosystem
   • NeoForge - Modern Forge fork

5. Click Create Profile

Adding Mods

1. Select your profile from the sidebar
2. Click the Store tab to browse mods
3. Search for a mod by name (e.g., “Sodium”)
4. Click Install to add it to your profile

Shard automatically:

• Downloads the correct version for your Minecraft version and loader
• Handles dependencies (e.g., Fabric API for Fabric mods)
• Stores the mod in the content-addressed store for deduplication

Launching

1. Make sure you have an account added (see Managing Accounts)
2. Click the Play button in the profile header
3. Shard will:
   • Download any missing game files
   • Materialize your instance directory
   • Launch Minecraft with your profile’s mods and settings

Profile Templates

Shard includes templates for common setups:

• Fabric + Performance - Sodium, Lithium, and other performance mods
• Fabric + Shaders - Iris Shaders with Sodium
• Vanilla - Clean Minecraft, no mods

Use templates as a starting point and customize from there.

CLI Alternative

You can also create profiles from the command line:

# Create a vanilla profile
shard profile create "My Profile" --version 1.21.4
 
# Create a Fabric profile
shard profile create "Modded" --version 1.21.4 --loader fabric

See the CLI Reference for more commands.