Minecraft pack.mcmeta Generator

The pack.mcmeta file is required for every Minecraft resource pack and data pack. It tells the game the pack format version and provides a description shown in the pack selection screen.

Resource Packs and Data Packs use different pack_format numbers even for the same Minecraft version. For example:

• 1.21.4 - Data Pack: 61, Resource Pack: 46
• 1.21 - Data Pack: 48, Resource Pack: 34
• 1.20.3 - Data Pack: 26, Resource Pack: 22

Always select the correct pack type before choosing your version.

Overlays (introduced in 1.20.2) allow you to include version-specific assets in a single pack. Create subdirectories with overlay content, then specify which pack format range each overlay applies to.

Example structure:

• assets/ - Base pack assets
• overlay_1_20/assets/ - Assets for 1.20.x
• overlay_1_19/assets/ - Assets for 1.19.x

Filters let you exclude files from lower-priority packs (like vanilla Minecraft). Use regex patterns to match:

• namespace - The namespace to filter (e.g., "minecraft")
• path - Path pattern (e.g., "textures/entity/.*" to exclude all entity textures)

Feature flags enable experimental gameplay changes. Current experimental features:

• minecraft:trade_rebalance - Overhauled villager trades
• minecraft:redstone_experiments - Tweaks to redstone circuit behavior
• minecraft:minecart_improvements - Faster and smoother minecart movement

Note: Bundles were experimental but are now part of the base game in 1.21.2+.

Place pack.mcmeta in the root folder of your pack:

Resource Pack:

.minecraft/resourcepacks/MyPack/pack.mcmeta

Data Pack:

.minecraft/saves/WorldName/datapacks/MyPack/pack.mcmeta

Starting with Minecraft 1.21.9, the pack format structure changed:

• New required fields: min_format and max_format (integers or [major, minor] arrays)
• pack_format: Only needed for backwards compatibility with older versions

Backwards compatibility thresholds:

• Data packs: Add pack_format if min_format < 82
• Resource packs: Add pack_format if min_format < 65

The description field supports Minecraft's text component format for rich formatting:

• Simple: {"text":"My Pack","color":"gold"}
• With formatting: {"text":"Bold Pack","bold":true,"color":"red"}
• Multiple parts: [{"text":"My ","color":"white"},{"text":"Pack","color":"gold"}]

Enable "Use text component" checkbox and enter valid JSON in the description field.