How to keep previous versions of Minecraft & mods

Update: v1.2.1 allows adding JARs as mods. No need to rename the JAR to ZIP.

One annoying thing about mods is that if there is an update to Minecraft, it’s highly likely to break your favourite mod. Rather than wait it out for an update on the mods you are using, there is a way to keep playing with the older version of Minecraft.

Prepare beforehand

If you’ve already updated, then you’re out of luck. So it’s crucial that if your world is sensitive to your mods breaking, then make a backup of minecraft.jar now! You should preferably name it with the version number in the file name somewhere, like minecraft.1.2.6.jar. You should probably do this regardless if you use Minecrafter or not, if you use mods that add/modify blocks or items.

Add older JAR as a mod

Then just open your mod package and add the JAR “mod”, making sure you order this JAR right above minecraft.jar.

In the example above, I’ve got 303’s mods setup with a copy of minecraft.jar @ version 1.2.6. Although at the time of writing the latest version of Minecraft is 1.2.6, if an update ever occurs, this mod package will still work, and so will my world with 303’s arrows in my inventory.

If you keep in a habit of backing up minecraft.jars, you’ll never be without your mods! When you mods have updated to the latest version, create a new mod package for that, and be relieved that you always have a working set of mods.