How to install OptiFine 1.20.5 for Java Minecraft

OptiFine 1.20.5 is a client-sided modification which enhances the visual elements and optimizes the backend performance of Minecraft for smoother experience.  It’s developed by sp614x, he has been working on it for a long time and he’s keen on providing regular updates.

What exactly is OptiFine? Do I really need it?

OptiFine gives a performance edge to the user, forces Minecraft Java Edition to deliver significantly higher frame rates on both Older and higher end PCs. Higher FPS means smoother and lag free gameplay. Vanilla Minecraft uses Java Runtime Environment which is known for eating up resources, it’s like Google Chrome eating up the gigabytes of RAM.  Also, OptiFine adds plethora of video related options such as Anti-aliasing,

From Minecraft v1.8.8 onward, OptiFine by default comes with support for Shaders (formerly known as GLSL Shaders by Karyonix) . Now you will ask what are shaders?  They are basically lighting effects which add more depth to the game making it more realistic. However, to enable these eye candy effects, you must have a decent Graphics Card (GPU).  For example; Nvidia GTX 980

OptiFine Download Links for different versions of Minecraft

These are the working downloads for the mod, they are regularly updated to match with the newer versions of game.

Installation Video:

• Opti-fine-1.20.1.jar

Download OptiFine 1.19.4 Mod:

• Opti-fine-1.19.4.jar

Download OptiFine 1.19.3 Mod:

• Opti-fine-1.19.3.jar

Download OptiFine 1.18.2 Mod:

• Opti-fine-1.18.2.jar

Download OptiFine 1.18 Mod:

• Opti-fine-1.18.jar

Download OptiFine 1.17.1 Mod:

• Opti-fine-1.17.1.jar

Download OptiFine 1.17 Mod:

• Opti-fine-1.17.jar

Download OptiFine 1.16.5 Mod:

• Opti-fine-1.16.5.jar

Download OptiFine 1.16.4 Mod:

• Opti-fine-1.16.4.jar

Download OptiFine 1.16.3 Mod:

• Opti-fine-1.16.3.jar

Download OptiFine 1.16.2 Mod:

• Opti-fine-1.16.2.jar

Download OptiFine 1.16.1 Mod:

• Opti-fine-1.16.1.jar

OptiFine 1.16.1_HD_U_G2_pre2
 - not working: antialiasing, anisotropic filtering and render regions
 - added Entity Distance in performance options (#4206)
 - fixed white hotbar with shaders and FXAA (#4201)
 - updated to 1.16.1
 - compatible with Forge 32.0.25
(3rd July 2020)

Download OptiFine 1.15.2 Mod:

• Opti-fine-1.15.2.jar

Download OptiFine 1.14.4 Mod:

• Opti-fine-1.14.4.jar

Download OptiFine 1.13.2 Mod:

• Opti-fine-1.13.2.jar

Download OptiFine 1.12.2 Mod:

• Opti-fine-1.12.2.jar

Download OptiFine 1.12.1 Mod:

• Opti-fine 1.12.jar 

Download OptiFine 1.11.2 Mod:

• Optifine-1.11.2.jar 

Download OptiFine 1.11 Mod:

• Opti-fine 1.11.jar 

Download OptiFine 1.10.2 Mod:

• Opti-Fine_1.10.2_HD_U_D2.jar 

Download OptiFine 1.9.4  Mod:

• Opti-Fine_1.9.4_HD_U_B6.jar 

Download OptiFine 1.8.9 H4 Mod

• Opti-Fine_1.8.9_HD_U_H4.jar

Installation Instructions:

• Download the mod file with Java extension (.jar) according to your supported game version

• Run Minecraft Launcher and play (start) the game once so it downloads the necessary game files.

• Now Double-click the OptiFine installer and click “Install” button, it will create a new profile in Launcher

• Go back to the Launcher and select the newly created profile and click ‘Play’

Note: Some versions of OptiFine are compatible with Minecraft Forge. In such cases the (.jar) extension file has to be placed inside the %appdata%/.minecraft/mods folder. There’s also a mod called OptiForge which does the same, however some advanced configuration is required.

Keep in mind that this modification is released with 3 different variants, the codes are written in the file names so you can identify each.

Ultra (U)  – It is recommended for high definition PC’s that are equipped with fast multi-core processors and 2+ GB of RAM.

Standard (SD) – It is for those Computers which have single-core processor and 1 GB of Ram

Light (L) – This version gives old branded (Pentium 4) Computers/Mac’s ability to run Minecraft without any lag.

In-game screenshots of OptiFine and Video Settings:

Recommended Settings for Most users

Toggle the following options in the Video settings after installing the mod. Remember that even users who have expensive Computers cant run the game on high settings with render distance set to higher chunks.

Quality Settings

• Graphics: Fast
• Better Grass: OFF
• Clear Water: OFF
• Custom fonts: OFF
• Connected textures: Fancy
• Swamp colors: OFF
• Dynamic lights: OFF
• Custom Sky: OFF
• Anti-aliasing setting should be always OFF
• Better Snow: OFF
• Random Mobs: ON
• Smooth Biomes: ON
• Custom Colors: ON
• Custom Items: ON
• Natural Textures: OFF

On Video Settings > Performance Section

• Smooth FPS: ON
• Fast Rendering: ON
• Update of chunks: 1
• Lazy Chunk Loading: OFF
• Fast Math: OFF
• Dynamic updates: OFF

And finally turn off the animations in Details Tab and you are good to play!

Additional Features

• Increase frames per second (FPS) rate
• Support for high-definition textures/resource packs.
• Minecraft Forge compatibility
• Comes with Installer.
• Improved Graphics
• Multi-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux), thanks to Java
• Ability to handle high resolution Resource packs.
• Increased compatibility with other mods
• Minecraft Realms support.
• Compatible with Optifabric and Fastcraft

Source: MinecraftYard

I hope that you face no issues or errors running this mod, if you do so, please make sure you are running latest version of Java.