Bedrock Add-ons
Console, mobile and Windows Bedrock - what customization actually looks like.
Quick answer: Bedrock does not support Java mods. It supports add-ons (.mcaddon files) that add blocks, items, mobs and recipes through the official API - install by opening the file, then activate it in your world's behavior/resource pack settings.
What add-ons can and cannot do
- Can: add new blocks, items, mobs, recipes, structures and scripted behaviors via the official API. Modern add-ons are surprisingly capable.
- Cannot: change the engine - no performance mods like Sodium, no shader packs like Iris, no deep mechanics changes like Create. That ceiling is what separates add-ons from Java mods.
- Add-ons are world-scoped: you activate them per world, and achievements are disabled in worlds with behavior packs (unless the add-on is from the Marketplace and marked achievement-safe).
How to install an add-on
- Get the .mcaddon (or .mcpack) file from a source you trust.
- Open it - Minecraft launches and imports it automatically (on mobile, use "Open with Minecraft").
- Create or edit a world → Behavior Packs and Resource Packs → activate the add-on, then enable the experiment toggles it asks for.
- Enter the world. Removing the add-on later removes its content from that world.
Marketplace vs free add-ons
- The Marketplace sells curated worlds, packs and add-ons for Minecoins (real money). Quality control is high and everything works on every device - but it is paid.
- Free add-ons live on community sites and creator Discords. Stick to well-known creators and check comments and update dates; skip any site that wraps downloads in ad-link chains or asks for your Microsoft login - that is the classic account-theft trap.
- Never install "free Minecoins" or "free Marketplace unlocker" anything. It is a scam, every time.