Can you use Forge mods on Fabric (and Fabric mods on Forge)?

⚡ The short answer

Not directly. Forge, NeoForge and Fabric are different mod loaders, and every mod is built for one of them. If you drop a Forge mod into the mods folder of a Fabric server (or the other way round), the game either ignores it or crashes on startup with an error.

That said, there are three routes that do work, and it's worth trying them in this order.

🔎 1. Check whether the mod has a build for your loader

This is the most common fix and the least trouble. Many popular mods are released for several loaders at once. On the mod's CurseForge or Modrinth page, open the file list and filter by your Minecraft version and your loader (Forge, NeoForge or Fabric). If it exists, download that file and you're done: it's the same mod, built for your loader.

If it doesn't exist, look for an alternative. Almost every well-known mod has an equivalent on the other side.

🧩 2. Fabric mods on Forge or NeoForge: Sinytra Connector

Sinytra Connector is a mod that lets you load Fabric mods in a Forge or NeoForge game. Today it's available for Forge on Minecraft 1.20.1 and NeoForge on 1.21.1. You need two things in the mods folder:

• Sinytra Connector, for your Minecraft version.
• Forgified Fabric API, which replaces the regular Fabric API (don't install both).

Then you add Fabric mods like any other mod. It works with many of them, but not all: mods that change deep internals of the game can fail. Add them one at a time and start the game in between, so you know which one causes trouble.

🧪 3. Forge mods on Fabric: Kilt (experimental)

In the opposite direction things are worse. Kilt tries to load Forge mods on Fabric, but its own authors describe it as highly experimental: it's in alpha, for Minecraft 1.20.1 only, and they warn it can cause crashes and break worlds. It's fine for tinkering in a test world with a backup; for a server other people play on, we don't recommend it. If your modpack depends on Forge mods, the sensible choice is to run Forge or NeoForge.

🔀 What about NeoForge, Forge and Quilt?

• NeoForge and Forge: on Minecraft 1.20.1 most Forge mods work on NeoForge. In later versions the two split, and you need the NeoForge-specific file.
• Quilt: loads the vast majority of Fabric mods.

📋 Summary

Your server	You want to use	What to do
Fabric	A Forge mod	Find its Fabric build or an alternative. Kilt for testing only.
Forge 1.20.1	A Fabric mod	Find its Forge build, or use Sinytra Connector.
NeoForge 1.21.1	A Fabric mod	Find its NeoForge build, or use Sinytra Connector.
NeoForge 1.20.1	A Forge mod	Usually works as is.

🖥️ On a server, everyone has to match

In multiplayer, the server and the players must run the same loader and the same mods (except client-only ones, such as minimaps or shaders). If the server uses Sinytra Connector, players need it too.

If switching loader turns out to be the right call, do it carefully: take a backup first, because blocks and items from mods you remove will disappear from the world. At ZentexNode you change the server type (Forge, NeoForge or Fabric) and the version from the panel, without opening a ticket; we explain it in how to change the server version without losing data. And once you've picked a loader, here's how to install mods on Forge and Fabric.