Lock & Key
Lock & Key lets a player lock a chest, barrel or other container so only the holder of a matching key can open it.
What it does
The mod builds on the vanilla tile entity locking system and extends it, so lockable blocks that usually hold inventories can be secured with a single key. A key is used to lock and close a container, and a key made for one lock does not open another. Keys appear in the recipe book once a player obtains a golden ingot or a golden nugget, and they can be crafted from there.
A key is bound to its owner, and the mod makes a lock harder to bypass by others, which helps protect valuable items kept at home in survival play. Keys follow the same rules as compasses in one respect: an enchanted key with the Curse of Vanishing disappears when it dies. Lock & Key runs on client and server, so the server and every player need the mod. It is published for Forge and NeoForge across four game versions, 1.19.4 – 26.1.2, and all rights are reserved, so it is not open source.
Key features
Single-key locks
Each lock is opened by one key, so a container can be secured without sharing access with every player.
Vanilla lock extension
The mod extends the vanilla lockable tile entity system instead of replacing it, keeping existing locking behavior intact.
Key recipes
Keys appear in the recipe book after a player obtains a golden ingot or a golden nugget.
Curse of Vanishing handling
An enchanted key carrying the Curse of Vanishing disappears on death, as with other enchanted items.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Protecting a home base
Players store precious items in a locked chest that only the key holder can open.
Shared servers
Server owners who want private storage on multiplayer servers can give each player their own keys.
Who it’s for: Survival players who want their storage containers protected, and server owners who want private storage for each player on a multiplayer server.
How it compares
Infinite Trading is server-side only, not open source, and published for Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt across 1.16.5 – 26.3, so it covers a different function on a different side. View Lock is a client-side mod released under the MIT License, with files for 1.8.9 – 1.21.4 on Fabric and Forge. Carry On is open source under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 only, runs as client and server and supports 1.12.2 – 26.3 on Fabric, Forge and NeoForge.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lock & Key | Forge and NeoForge | 1.19.4 – 26.1.2 | Client and server | 2026-04-29 |
| Infinite Trading | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.16.5 – 26.3 | Server-side only | 2026-10-02 |
| View Lock | Fabric and Forge | 1.8.9 – 1.21.4 | Client-side only | 2024-12-12 |
| Carry On | Fabric, Forge and NeoForge | 1.12.2 – 26.3 | Client and server | 2026-09-27 |
Questions
Does Lock & Key need to be installed on the server?
Which loaders does Lock & Key support?
Can a lost key be replaced?
In the catalog
Lock & Key is one of 29,952 Game mechanics mods on ModsFinder, and one of 13,316 Game mechanics mods for Forge. 15,189 mods support Minecraft 26.1.2.
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What the author says
A mod that takes advantage of the vanilla tile entity locking system, making it accessable to survival players. This mod takes advantage of vanilla's tile entity locking system, reworking it to only work with a single key. This key can be used to lock, and unlock any lockable tile entity (usually ones with…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/lock-and-key
- Owner
- Modding Legacy
- Published
- 2023-05-22
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-04-29
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15