Pack format list and pack.mcmeta generator for resource packs and data packs
Every Java version's resource pack and data pack format in one searchable table, a pack.mcmeta for one version or a range, and an empty starter pack.
Every resource pack and data pack starts with a small file called pack.mcmeta. It tells the game the pack's description and which versions it was made for, by their pack format number. Get the number wrong and the game marks the pack as made for an older or newer version. This page lists every format and writes the file for you, and it can hand you an empty pack with the right folders to start from.
How to use it
- Choose a resource pack (textures, models, sounds, language files) or a data pack (functions, recipes, loot tables, advancements).
- Pick the Java version the pack is for, or a range of versions if it should work in several.
- Write the description. Add a color code if you like: §6 is gold, §7 is gray, and the list shows all sixteen.
- Copy the pack.mcmeta text, or download the starter pack: a zip with pack.mcmeta, the folder skeleton and, if you chose a picture, a pack.png icon.
What the numbers mean
The pack format goes up whenever a version changes what packs may contain, so several versions can share one number and a small update can bring a new one. Resource packs and data packs have separate numbers. Since Java 1.21.9 the formats have a minor part, like 97.1: a minor step only adds things, so a pack for 97.0 still works in 97.1.
The file changed with the numbers. Up to 1.21.8 a pack names its format with pack_format, and from 1.20.2 it can add supported_formats for a range. From 1.21.9 it names the oldest and newest format it supports with min_format and max_format instead. A pack that should also load in versions before 1.21.9 needs both kinds of fields, which this generator writes for you when your range needs them.
Installing a resource pack
- In the game, open Options, then Resource Packs, then Open Pack Folder.
- Put the zip (or the unzipped folder) in that resourcepacks folder.
- Back in the game, the pack appears under Available. Click its arrow to move it to Selected, then press Done. Packs higher in the Selected list win over the ones below.
Installing a data pack
- For a new world: on Create New World, open the More tab, press Data Packs and drag the zip into the window, then move it to Selected.
- For an existing world: put the zip in the world's datapacks folder (saves, then the world's name, then datapacks), then run /reload or open the world again.
- Check it with /datapack list. A pack's functions run with /function namespace:name, and the load function this page adds runs by itself.
Bedrock Edition
Bedrock Edition packs do not use pack.mcmeta. A Bedrock resource pack or behavior pack (its version of a data pack) has a manifest.json with a name, a description, unique ids (UUIDs), a version and the lowest game version it needs, plus a pack_icon.png. They are shared as .mcpack files, which the game imports when you open them. The formats on this page are for Java Edition.
Questions
Why does the game say the pack was made for an older or newer version?
Its pack format does not match the version you play. Pick your version here, copy the new pack.mcmeta over the old one, and the warning goes away. A resource pack with an old number often still works, because the game loads it after you confirm; whatever changed since then may look wrong.
Can one pack work in many versions?
Yes, as long as what it changes exists in all of them: choose A range of versions. When files themselves differ between versions, packs can also carry overlays, folders that apply only for some formats, listed in pack.mcmeta; add those by hand once the pack grows.
What should pack.png look like?
A square PNG. The game shows it small, so a simple, bold picture reads best; 128 × 128 stays sharp at large interface sizes, and 64 × 64 suits pixel art. Give this page any picture and it uses the middle square at the size you choose.
Everything happens in this page: nothing is uploaded, and your last settings are remembered in this browser. To fill a resource pack with your own textures, try Block Texture Studio (in English), which builds the pack for you. See also the guides and all tools.