First Launch
From the installer to your first world: signing in, picking a profile, the welcome tour, and the three choices it asks you to make.
Before you start
You need a Microsoft account that owns Minecraft: Java Edition and a 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 PC. You do not need to install Java: the launcher brings its own.
- Download
SourClient-Setup.exefrom the download page and run it. A blue Windows protected your PC box is normal for an installer without a paid certificate: press More info, then Run anyway. Why that box appears. - Open Sour Client from the Start menu. A Microsoft sign-in window opens. Sign in with the account that owns the game; you sign in on Microsoft's own page, so your password never reaches Sour Client.
- Pick a profile in the bottom bar, beside the Play button. A 1.8.9 Forge profile is the one most players use for PvP.
- Press Play. The first launch downloads the game and Forge, which takes a minute or two. The bottom-left of the launcher walks through each step. After that, launches take seconds.
The welcome tour
The first time the game opens you get a short guided tour on the title screen. You can leave at any point, and if you skip it, it never asks again. It starts with three quick choices. Each one applies the moment you pick it, so the menu behind the card shows you what you chose.
| Choice | What it sets | Change it later |
|---|---|---|
| Performance mode | How hard the client works for frames: Quality keeps every effect, Balanced trims overlays and far-away detail (the default), Extreme makes every cut for low-end PCs and ranked play. | Settings, FPS Performance Mode |
| Menu size | How big Sour's own menus and the HUD editor are drawn: Auto, Small, Normal, Large or Huge. | Settings, Menu Scale |
| Menu font | Sour Client's own typeface everywhere, a mix (Minecraft's font in lists, Sour's in headings and controls), or Minecraft's font for all menu text. | Settings, UI Font |
Then it walks you through the title screen's buttons and what is inside each one: Cosmetics, Friends and chat, the Sour Client menu (mods), the HUD editor, profiles and Settings.
Want it again? Settings, Interface, switch on Replay Welcome Tour. It switches itself back off as the tour opens.
What to set up next
- Turn on the mods you want: Keystrokes, CPS, FPS and Armour Status are the usual first picks.
- Place them with the HUD editor (Right Shift).
- Check the default keys: Zoom is on C and the macros are on V, B and N.
- Pick a cloak. Cloaks are free for everyone and other Sour Client players see yours.
- Have OptiFine? Add it once in the launcher and every profile gets it.