How to get Minecraft skins and capes using mods

Skins and capes are pretty common in Minecraft. Most gamers don't use the standard Alex or Steve skin that the game provides. Rather, they use either a custom skin or a purchased one, sometimes even editing skins and adding capes, hats and other cosmetics to them. This is more frequent on Java Edition, though, as editing and downloading custom skins is much easier there.

Custom skin sites and cape downloads exist and that's primarily where many players go for their cosmetics. However, there are also mods that introduce those cosmetics, some of which can be pretty rare.

This isn't the most common method of getting capes, though they are found infrequently on Java Edition. Either way, here's how mods can be used to get special skins and other cosmetics.

---

A complete guide to get cosmetics through Minecraft mods

The first step is to find a mod that works. There are tons of skin and cape variants available through CurseForge, one of the most prominent mod download sites out there.

Cape mods have lots of options (Image via CurseForge)

Many players use CurseForge exclusively for all the mods they use, from OptiFine to Biomes O'Plenty. Here are some of the top choices for cosmetics found on CurseForge:

• CustomSkinLoader
• Re:Skin
• OfflineSkins
• Skin Swapper
• Show Me Your Skin!
• Blinking Skin
• MinecraftCapes
• Fabric Capes
• Icarus
• Wavey Capes
• Cosmetica
• OptiFine Capes
• Custom Friends Capes
• OF Capes

Once players have found their desired mod, there is one thing that needs to be done prior to downloading: the Forge Installer needs to be downloaded and ready to go. Many gamers have that already, but if not, here are the steps:

1. Download Minecraft Forge.
2. Run the java file and install it locally.
3. Open the Minecraft Launcher.
4. Click Installations.
5. Hover over Forge and click the three dots.
6. Navigate to Edit.
7. Select More Options.
8. Find "-Xmx2G -XX...." under JVM Arguments.
9. Modify "2G" to half of the device's memory.
10. Click Save.
11. Hover over Forge and select Play.
12. Start up a single player game, load into the game, then quit it.
13. Close the application.

Next, players can download the mod and install it through the installer. Here's how to do that:

1. Download the chosen mod from the CurseForge website.
2. Files should be saved to a known and accessible location.
3. Open File Explorer.
4. Navigate to: "%appdata%\.minecraft\mods\mods." This is the standard mod location.
5. Copy and Paste or move the mod from the original location to this folder.
6. Open the Minecraft Launcher.
7. Select Installations.
8. Hover over Forge and select Play.

After that, the mod will be installed and active. This is the standard process for any mod that is available on CurseForge, so it will work for other, non-cosmetic variants as well.

Once Minecraft players are in the game, they can access all that the mods have to offer, which in this case includes different cape styles, skins, and more.

Almost all mods have a detailed biography on CurseForge so that gamers know what they're getting and how to properly access it.

If a mod doesn't work for some reason, restarting the device or trying a different selection may be in order.