Shader Reload
by 5uso
With Shader Reload, a player can reload vanilla shaders with F3+R on Fabric without restarting the game or waiting through two loading screens.
What it does
Shader Reload lets the vanilla shader pipeline be reloaded with the F3+R key combination on the Fabric loader. Reloading is much quicker than the F3+T resource reload, especially when a large resource pack is active. A resource pack that throws an exception while loading is kept in place rather than removed, and shader parse errors are printed in chat so the game logs do not have to be checked constantly. Linker errors are handled in the same way compile errors already are.
The mod is aimed at people developing resource packs that use vanilla shaders, where repeated reloads are part of the work. It runs on the client alone, so servers do not need it, and it requires Fabric API. Files exist for Fabric across 15 release versions, 1.17.1 – 1.21.1, and the latest file, 1.12, targets 1.21.1 and dates from 2024-07-08. The code is open source under the MIT License.
Key features
Vanilla shader reload
Pressing F3+R reloads the vanilla shaders on their own, without a full resource reload.
Faster resource reload
Reloads finish much faster than F3+T, which matters with large resource packs installed.
Shader error messages in chat
Shader parse exceptions are shown in chat, so they are visible without opening the game logs.
Resource pack kept on failure
A resource pack that fails to load is not removed, so the work in progress stays installed.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
1.21.x2 of 2 versions with builds
1.20.x4 of 4 versions with builds
1.19.x5 of 5 versions with builds
1.18.x3 of 3 versions with builds
1.17.x1 of 1 version with builds
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Requirements
Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.
Required 1
Use cases
Resource pack development
Authors who edit vanilla shader files can test each change with F3+R instead of restarting the client.
Who it’s for: Resource pack authors and players who edit vanilla shaders and want quicker feedback when a shader fails to compile or link.
How it compares
Stop Unloading My Resourcepacks is a client-side mod for Fabric and NeoForge that covers 1.21.6 – 26.3 under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 license, and it is not open source. Hot-Reload Resource Packs is client-side as well, with Fabric and NeoForge files for 1.18 – 26.1.2, and it is open source under the CC0 1.0 Universal license.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shader Reload | Fabric | 1.17.1 – 1.21.1 | Client-side only | 2024-07-08 |
| Stop Unloading My Resourcepacks [SUMR] | Fabric and NeoForge | 1.21.6 – 26.3 | Client-side only | 2026-09-17 |
| Hot-Reload Resource Packs | Fabric and NeoForge | 1.18 – 26.1.2 | Client-side only | 2026-06-02 |
Questions
Does Shader Reload need Fabric API?
Which loader does Shader Reload support?
Does a server need Shader Reload?
In the catalog
Shader Reload is one of 36,990 Utility mods on ModsFinder, and one of 25,772 Utility mods for Fabric. 32,366 mods support Minecraft 1.21.1.
More from 5uso
Similar mods
What the author says
A mod that allows vanilla shader reloading with F3+R, made for fabric loader. Gone are the days of waiting for two loading screens before having to navigate the options menu for the fifth time in a row!
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/shader-reload
- Owner
- 5uso
- Published
- 2022-05-05
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2024-07-08
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15