Profiles

Each launcher profile is its own game folder. How to make one, set its version and memory, add mods, import from Lunar or Badlion, and more.

PagesProfiles
The Profiles page: your profiles on the left, the selected one's mods in the middle, and its version, memory, JVM arguments and Java options on the right.
The Profiles page: your profiles on the left, the selected one's mods in the middle, and its version, memory, JVM arguments and Java options on the right.

A launcher profile is a separate game folder with its own version, mods, settings, worlds and resource packs. These are different from the in-game HUD profiles, which live inside one game folder.

Making one

  1. Open Profiles and press New profile.
  2. Click the pencil beside its name to rename it, and the picture to give it one (or remove it).
  3. Set Version to 1.8.9 and Loader to Forge.
  4. Press Save in the bar at the bottom. Saving a different version swaps Sour Client Core to that version's build; your other mods stay, but may not load on the new version.

Profile options

OptionWhat it does
Memory allocationHow much RAM the game gets: 2, 3, 4, 6 or 8 GB, or Custom (1 to 32). 4 GB is plenty for 1.8.9 with OptiFine and a normal resource pack. More is not faster and can make memory clean-ups longer.
Extra JVM argsExtra Java options, for people who know they need them. Leave it empty if you are unsure.
Launch fullscreenStarts this profile fullscreen.
Run on Java 21Experimental. Fewer stutters and more frames. Java 21 downloads the first time you play; if anything goes wrong it starts on Java 8 as usual. More.

Mods in a profile

  • Sour Client Core is marked Required: it is the client itself and cannot be switched off.
  • Your own mods are listed with a switch and a menu. OptiFine goes here too.
  • Drop .jar files onto the list (or click it to browse) and they go straight into that profile's mods folder. The Modrinth and CurseForge buttons open those sites to find more.
  • Search filters the list. The refresh button rescans the mods folder if you added files by hand.
  • A mod's menu removes it from the profile.
Only add mods made for Forge 1.8.9. A mod for another version or loader will stop the game starting, and that is the most common crash we see.

Importing from Lunar or Badlion

The bottom bar on Profiles has Import…. It finds the other clients on your PC; tick a client, pick which of its profiles to bring, and each becomes its own Sour Client profile with its HUD layout. You can also bring across game settings and keybinds, OptiFine settings, the server list, mod settings and which mods were on.

Deleting

Delete profile in the bottom bar removes it (you always keep at least one). It asks first.