Turn a client modpack into a server pack

A client modpack is what a launcher plays. It is not a server. It carries the player's resource packs and shaders, mods that only work on a client, and no server software.

Checked against our installer, the CurseForge and Modrinth App support pages, and the Prism Launcher wiki and 7.0 release post, October 2026.

Route 1: export it and let the Modpacks tab do the work

If your launcher can export the pack in a format the Modpacks tab installs, use that.

• Modrinth App: open the instance, go to its Mods tab and press Export modpack. If the button is missing, unpair the instance in its settings first. Prism Launcher has exported Modrinth packs since version 7.0. The installer skips any mod the .mrpack marks as unsupported on servers.
• CurseForge app: open the profile's menu, choose Share Profile and export the zip. The installer reads the zip's mod list and downloads each mod. It leaves out resource packs and shaders. On Forge and NeoForge it also leaves out mods whose identical file Modrinth lists as client only. A mod that only CurseForge's own site may hand out is listed afterwards by the missing-mods panel on the Modpacks tab, where you can add the file.

Upload a custom modpack or server pack has the upload steps.

Route 2: copy the folders yourself

Use this when you want control over which mods go on the server.

1. Note the pack's Minecraft version and loader. In Prism Launcher, open Edit and the Version tab. In the Modrinth App, open the instance's settings and its Installation tab. In the CurseForge app, the profile's Minecraft version and modloader version are the ones chosen when it was created.
2. Match the server. In JAR Manager, pick the same loader and Minecraft version and press Apply change. A switch reinstalls the server, so take the backup the window offers. JAR Manager picks the loader build itself and does not offer a choice. For Forge it takes the version's recommended build, or the latest if there is none. A pack that needs one exact build is better installed with route 1 or route 3.
3. Find the instance folder. Prism keeps instances in an instances folder inside its data folder, which Folders and Launcher Root open. The Modrinth App shows its folder under Resource management in its settings.
4. Zip what the server needs. Put the mods folder, the config folder and any other folder the pack's author says a server needs into one zip. Leave out resourcepacks, saves, options.txt and logs, which are the player's own.
5. Take out client-only mods. A Fabric server does not load a mod whose fabric.mod.json says client. On Forge and NeoForge a mod that calls client-only game code crashes a dedicated server as soon as its class loads, so a client-only mod can stop the server starting. Modrinth records whether the client and the server support each mod, so check anything you are unsure about there.
6. Upload and extract. Open File Manager, press Upload files and add the zip. Browser uploads stop at 100 MB per file, so use SFTP for a bigger zip. Then select the zip and choose Extract here in the server's top folder. You should end up with mods and config at the top, not inside another folder.
7. Start and read the console. Press Start and watch the Console.

Route 3: let a tool build the server pack

ServerPackCreator reads a launcher instance and makes a server pack for you. Make a server pack with ServerPackCreator shows how, and then installs the result through the Modpacks tab.

If the server will not start

Check the version and loader from step 1 against JAR Manager first. Then read the crash report: Find and read a Minecraft server crash report shows where it is, and Fix Minecraft mod and plugin load errors explains the common messages.