Where is the shaderpacks folder in Horizon?

Inside the game folder, beside options.txt: ~/.local/share/horizon/shaderpacks on Linux, ~/Library/Application Support/horizon/shaderpacks on macOS and %APPDATA%\horizon\shaderpacks on Windows. Open Pack Folder on the Shader Packs screen opens it.

Do Iris and OptiFine shader packs work in Horizon?

Yes, through a separate loader written from a description of the pack format. Put the .zip in shaderpacks and pick it. Not every pack looks exactly as it does on Iris yet.

Why does my pack get refused?

Horizon checks a pack before it runs it. If the check fails, the pack is refused and the problems are printed in chat. Some packs also need a recent Nightly; their pages say which.

How to Install Shaders in Horizon (Step by Step)

To install a shader pack in Horizon, put it in the shaderpacks folder of the game folder (the same folder that holds options.txt), then pick it on the Shader Packs screen in the game’s options. Horizon’s own .hshader packs can also be installed from the launcher’s Mods page, which puts them in that folder for you. Classic Iris/OptiFine .zip packs load from the same folder through a separate loader.

Two kinds of shader pack

Horizon reads two formats, and it helps to know which one you’re holding.

	Horizon packs	Iris/OptiFine packs
File	`.hshader` (or a folder with `horizon-shaders.toml`)	`.zip` with a `shaders/` folder inside
Written in	WGSL, against stages of Horizon’s renderer	GLSL, for Iris/OptiFine
Where to get them	Launcher Mods page → Shader packs tab, or our shader list	The usual shader sites
Checked before running	Yes, by the game, the launcher and the registry	Loaded through Horizon’s separate loader
How faithful	Made for Horizon	Not every pack looks as it does on Iris yet

Horizon packs plug into specific stages (sky, block surfaces, weather, full-screen post passes), so Horizon’s own culling, batching and distant terrain stay in charge and the pack only changes how things look. The shader API is version 0.1 and marked experimental, so expect packs to need updates now and then.

Some history explains the second column. On 24 October 2026 Horizon removed its shader pack code after a developer of Iris showed it had been written from Iris’s source. Since then the project only allows code written from Minecraft itself and public documentation, and the Iris-format loader is being rebuilt from a description of the format. That’s why support for those packs is still catching up.

Both routes end in the same folder. The game lists Horizon packs marked (Horizon) next to Iris-format ones.

Step by step: install a Horizon (.hshader) pack from the launcher

Open the launcher and go to the Mods page, then the Shader packs tab.
Pick a pack and install it. The launcher checks it and puts it in shaderpacks/.
Start the game and open the Shader Packs screen. The user docs place it at Options → Horizon Settings → Shader Packs; newer builds keep it on the graphics screen as Options → Video Settings → Shaders → Shader Packs…. Either way you land on the same list.
Click the pack. Horizon packs are marked (Horizon). One pack runs at a time, and clicking the active pack again turns shaders off.

Step by step: install a pack by hand

Find the game folder: ~/.local/share/horizon on Linux, ~/Library/Application Support/horizon on macOS, %APPDATA%\horizon on Windows. On the Shader Packs screen, Open Pack Folder opens shaderpacks/ directly.
Drop the .hshader file (or the unpacked pack folder) or the Iris/OptiFine .zip in there. Don’t unzip an Iris pack: the loader expects the .zip with its shaders/ folder inside.
Go back to the Shader Packs screen and pick it.

Changing a pack’s settings

A pack with options gets a Shader Options… button on the Shader Packs page. Sliders, toggles and choice buttons work as you’d expect; Shift-click resets one, and Reset puts them all back. Options are saved to shaderpacks/<pack>.txt. A Horizon pack applies changes within about half a second; an Iris-format pack reloads with them when you press Apply or leave the screen.

Most packs let you change the shadow map, and the docs are clear that shadows are most of what a pack costs. If frames drop, start there.

Where to pick a pack

The official registry lists nine Horizon-format packs as of 9 November 2026, from light to heavy. The ports of Wisdom Shaders V3 lead on downloads, with a Lite version for weaker GPUs; Daybreak is built to cost as little GPU time as possible; Pastel Mystic was tested on Intel Iris Xe. Iris and OptiFine packs aren’t listed in the registry at all. Our comparison of all nine is in best Horizon shaders, and each has its own page, for example Daybreak or Wisdom Shaders V3 Lite.

When shaders don’t work

The pack is refused. The game checks a Horizon pack before it runs it and prints the problems in chat. While you’re already using a pack, a broken update keeps the last good version drawing.

It needs a newer Horizon. Several packs say so on their pages: Daybreak and Lumen need a build from 3 November 2026 or newer, Montarc from 4 November. The launcher keeps you on the current Nightly by default, so this mostly bites people who pinned an older version.

Clouds look doubled. Lumina asks you to set vanilla Clouds to OFF so its own 3D clouds render properly.

Held torches don’t light anything. Several packs light terrain from what you hold only when Horizon’s Dynamic lights extra is on (Options → Horizon Settings → Extras).

Mobs and chests look unshaded. Expected for now: the material stage covers terrain only, and there is no stage for entities, block entities or particles yet. Some packs relight mobs with a post pass to hide it.

Frame rate tanks. Press F3: while it is open, Horizon times each pass and shows the pack’s total GPU time and its costliest passes. Lower shadow quality or turn shadows off, and see how to get more FPS in Horizon for the rest. Some extras switch off under a shader pack, such as TAA and frame generation, because the pack does its own.

How to install shaders in Horizon