How to Adjust Iris Shader Pack Options and Reset Them to Defaults

Iris Shaders exposes its options through an on-screen interface rather than through crafting or items. This guide covers changing shader pack options such as shadow distance and color space, and returning options to their default values.

Opening the Shader Pack Screens

The Shaderpack Selection Screen is where you choose and manage packs. From there you can reach Shader Pack Settings..., which holds the adjustable options for the pack you are running, and Shader Pack List... for managing what is available. Refresh Shader Packs re-scans for packs, and Open Shader Pack Folder... opens the folder that holds them.

To add packs, drag and drop shader pack files onto the interface. A pack that is accepted produces an Added Shader Pack confirmation. Files that are not valid packs are rejected with a message saying they were not valid Shader Packs, and a single invalid file is reported as not being a valid Shader Pack. If a pack cannot be copied in, you get a copy error; if it is already present, you are told it is already in your Shader Packs folder. If no packs are available at all, the screen reports Shaders: No Packs Present.

Adjusting Shadow Distance

Max Shadow Distance controls how far shadows reach. Terrain and entities past that distance do not cast shadows, and lowering the value can raise performance considerably.

This option is not always editable. If the current pack has already defined its own shadow render distance, the control is disabled and tells you that you cannot change it. When the option is available, the shadow render distance is still limited by your View Distance setting, so raising it beyond that ceiling has no effect. On Sodium-based setups the same control carries a longer explanation of how shadow render distance affects the shadow pass and frame rates.

Color Space

Color space determines which color space the screen is transformed into. It operates on top of the shader pack rather than replacing the pack's own handling. If you are not sure which to pick, SRGB is the safe choice.

Resetting Options

Individual options can be returned to their default value. Selecting that action asks you to confirm with Set option to default value? before it applies.

There is also a reset for everything at once. That action asks Reset ALL options and apply? before proceeding, so nothing changes until you confirm.

Importing and Exporting Settings

Settings can be moved in and out of the pack as files. Import settings from file brings a saved configuration in, and a successful import reports which file the settings came from. Export applied settings to file writes out the settings currently in use. Importing is limited to one settings file at a time; trying to bring in several at once is refused with a message that multiple Shader Settings files cannot be imported. A file that fails to import is reported by name.

Toggling and Reloading Shaders

Shaders can be switched on and off. The toggle action has a corresponding hotkey, which you assign yourself in the controls menu. If the toggle does not succeed, an error is shown along with the reason. Reloading shaders works the same way: a failed reload reports its reason.

When a Pack Will Not Load

A pack that fails to load produces a message asking you to report the error to the pack's developer. A more general failure asks you to report it to the Iris developers instead. A pack may also be flagged as incompatible if it uses features that are not supported, in which case you are advised to try a different pack. If a pack asks for a specific feature your GPU does not support, you are warned that it may not work correctly. macOS is noted as having known issues with many shader packs.

Debugging Messages

Enabling debugging makes logging more verbose, and disabling it returns logging to normal. If your machine cannot support debug features, you are told that client debugging cannot be enabled. Some setups require a restart before OpenGL client debugging can be turned on. On NeoForge, OpenGL debugging is unsupported even though shader debugging can be enabled.