Better Crafts - old versions

Name: Better Crafts - old versions
Author: Nat's Projects

Better Crafts - old versions is a Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt mod that adds extra crafting recipes to Minecraft 1.16 – 1.21.1 worlds, delivered as a datapack or a mod file.

FabricForgeNeoForgeQuiltServer required, client optionalCreative Commons Attribution 4.01.16 – 26.2

What it does

The mod adds many recipes that improve on vanilla crafting and introduces some brand-new crafts, aimed at players who want quality-of-life changes in older worlds. It is published as a datapack that can be dropped into a world's datapacks folder, and as a mod file for each loader. A world that already has the datapack can pick up the change by reloading it with the reload command, so no new world is needed.

The server must run the mod, while players may leave it out. Players who join a server that has it installed do not need anything extra, and a client that has it gets the same recipes. The mod is published for 39 release versions, 1.16 – 26.2, with the latest files for 1.21.11. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license and is not open source.

Public links exist for an issue tracker and a wiki, which cover the recipe list and bug reports. The project was first published on 2026-07-21 and last updated on 2026-10-10, and the same version number is used for every loader.

Key features

Improved vanilla recipes
Existing crafting recipes are adjusted so common items take fewer steps to make in survival play.
New crafts
Brand-new recipes add items that vanilla Minecraft does not craft, widening what a player can make.
Datapack delivery
The recipes can be added as a datapack, so a world can use them without installing a mod on the server.
Reload without a new world
Dropping the zip into the datapacks folder and running reload applies the recipes to an existing world.

Compatibility

Latest build for each game version and loader.

Version

26.x4 of 4 versions with builds

26.21.2.0+mod1.2.0+mod1.2.0+mod1.2.0+mod

26.1.21.2.0+mod1.2.0+mod1.2.0+mod1.2.0+mod

26.1.11.2.0+mod1.2.0+mod1.2.0+mod1.2.0+mod

26.11.2.0+mod1.2.0+mod1.2.0+mod1.2.0+mod

1.21.x12 of 12 versions with builds

1.21.111.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod

1.21.101.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod

1.21.91.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod

1.21.81.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod

1.21.71.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod

1.21.61.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod

1.21.51.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod

1.21.41.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod

1.21.31.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod

1.21.21.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod

1.21.11.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod

1.211.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod1.3.0+mod

1.20.x7 of 7 versions with builds

1.19.x5 of 5 versions with builds

1.18.x3 of 3 versions with builds

1.17.x2 of 2 versions with builds

1.16.x6 of 6 versions with builds

ReleaseBetaAlphaNot available

Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.

Use cases

Who it’s for: Players and server owners who keep older Minecraft versions and want extra crafting recipes in existing worlds.

How it compares

Full comparison

Simple Name Tag shares the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license with this mod, covering 1.16 – 1.21.11 across all four loaders, and it is not open source. Simple Leads also uses that license, but its files reach only 1.15 – 1.21.5. Better Block Sounds is client-side only, open source under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 only, and limited to Fabric, Forge and Quilt for 1.18.2 – 1.20.1.

Mod	Loaders	Game versions	Environment	Updated
Better Crafts - old versions	Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt	1.16 – 26.2	Server required, client optional	2026-10-10
Simple Name Tag	Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt	1.16 – 1.21.11	Server required, client optional	2026-09-26
Simple Leads	Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt	1.15 – 1.21.5	Server required, client optional	2026-09-26
Better Block Sounds	Fabric, Forge and Quilt	1.18.2 – 1.20.1	Client-side only	2023-07-29

Questions

Does Better Crafts - old versions need to be installed on the client?

No. Players may skip it, since only the server has to run the mod.

Can the recipes be added to an existing world?

Yes. Drop the datapack zip into the world's datapacks folder and run the reload command.

Which loader should a server use?

Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt builds all exist. The latest file for each loader is 1.3.0 for 1.21.11.

In the catalog

Better Crafts - old versions is one of 19,031 Adventure mods on ModsFinder, and one of 10,052 Adventure mods for Fabric. 13,894 mods support Minecraft 26.2.