Frequently asked questions

Microsoft accounts use the official device-code sign-in. Iris Client never renders a Microsoft login form and never sees your password - you approve the sign-in on Microsoft's own page and only the resulting session token is stored, with owner-only file permissions.

Offline accounts need no sign-in and work in single-player and on LAN. They cannot join online servers, because those verify your session with Mojang and an offline account has no session to verify.

That message means you joined with an offline account. Online servers ask Mojang to confirm the session, and only a real Microsoft sign-in produces one.

Sign in under Accounts with your Microsoft account and try again. If sign-in itself fails, the launcher will tell you which step refused and why.

Windows 10 or 11 64-bit, 4 GB of memory (8 GB is more comfortable), and about 250 MB of disk for the launcher plus whatever Minecraft itself needs.

Java is found automatically. Minecraft 1.21.1 requires Java 21; if no suitable runtime is installed the launcher says exactly which version is missing instead of failing with a stack trace.

No. Choose a version and the launcher installs the Fabric loader and Fabric API for you, then keeps the Iris mod matched to the launcher version.

Yes. Iris Client can register an Iris Client profile in the official Minecraft launcher pointing at the same Fabric install. Press Play there and you get the in-game HUD with the official launcher's own sign-in.

Your existing launcher_profiles.json is backed up before anything is written to it.

Modrinth. You can search the whole catalogue inside the launcher, install with one press, and required dependencies come along automatically.

Disabling a mod renames it to .jar.disabled, which is the loader's own convention - so a mod you disable in Iris is also disabled for any other launcher pointed at the same folder.

Yes, through the Iris Shaders mod running on Sodium - both installed with one press. They are separate projects from this launcher; the name overlap is a coincidence.

The launcher deliberately picks a Sodium build that the Iris Shaders release pins, rather than the newest of each, because the newest of each is frequently an incompatible pair.

The mod only draws. It does not change movement, reach, hit timing or anything a server would treat as a modification of play. The reach readout measures a hit the game has already decided to send.

Server rules still vary, so check the rules of whichever network you play on.

The builds are not code-signed yet, so SmartScreen shows an "unrecognised app" warning. Choose More info then Run anyway. A signing certificate is planned.

The launcher checks shortly after start-up and every six hours. Downloads happen in the background, but installing always waits for you - an update that restarts the launcher in the middle of a session is a good way to lose a game.

The in-game mod is bundled with each release and reinstalled whenever the launcher updates, so the two halves never drift apart.

Right Shift opens the Iris menu. C zooms while held. F6 hides the HUD. All of them can be rebound from Minecraft's own controls screen.