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Set up mods and voice chat

APRP needs three mods, chief among them proximity voice chat — so you can actually talk to the people standing next to you. This guide installs all three with Prism Launcher, which handles the modding parts for you — no prior experience needed.

Needed to join The server turns away clients without them, so this is the one thing to do before your first login.
Nothing gets replaced Prism installs alongside the normal launcher. Your account, worlds and skins are untouched.
Easy to undo Don't like it? Delete the instance, or just go back to the launcher you were using before.
Done once After setup you double-click the instance and play.
Why not the normal Minecraft launcher?

You can still use it — those instructions are further down, unchanged. But that route is where nearly every setup problem comes from: the Fabric profile not showing up, the installer refusing to open, mods landing in the wrong folder, or the launcher quietly resetting the version. Prism keeps the modded game in its own box, installs Fabric itself, downloads Java if you need it, and picks mod versions that actually match. It is free, open source, and signs in with the same Microsoft account.

Time
About 5 minutes
You need
Minecraft: Java Edition 26.2
Downloads
Prism Launcher, then three mods

The three required mods

The server checks for these as you connect, so a plain vanilla client gets turned away at the server list. All three are free, and the steps below install them for you.

Easy Anvils and Visual Workbench each need Puzzles Lib and Forge Config API Port underneath them. Prism offers to add those on its own — say yes.

  1. Install Prism Launcher

    Pick your system, then install it like any other program.

    Prism Launcher

    A free, open-source launcher for Minecraft: Java Edition. It sits next to your current launcher rather than replacing it.

    Windows macOS Linux On Windows take the Installer (.exe); on macOS the Universal (.zip), then drag it to Applications.

    The first time it opens, a short setup wizard asks about language, where to keep its files, and whether to send anonymous statistics. The defaults are fine — click through it.

    Then sign in:

    1. Top right of the window, click Profiles (the little Steve head).
    2. Choose Manage Accounts, then Add Microsoft.
    3. A small window gives you a code and a button that opens the Microsoft sign-in page. Paste the code there and sign in with the same Microsoft account you always use for Minecraft.

    Package manager person? winget install PrismLauncher.PrismLauncher on Windows, brew install --cask prismlauncher on macOS.

    Prism is open, and your Minecraft username shows in the top-right corner.

  2. Create a Fabric instance

    An instance is one self-contained copy of the game. This one will hold the voice chat mod and nothing else.

    1. Click Add Instance, top left.
    2. Give it a name — Voice Chat works.
    3. In the version list, select 26.2.
    4. In the Mod Loader list underneath, click Fabric. Leave the loader version on the one marked with a star.
    5. Click OK.
    Pick the Minecraft version, then Fabric in the Mod Loader list. Prism installs the loader for you.

    That is Fabric done — no separate installer to download, nothing to point at a folder. Older versions of Prism put the mod loaders in the left-hand sidebar instead of underneath the list; it is the same choice.

    A new tile named Voice Chat appears in the main window.

  3. Add the three required mods

    Prism has a mod browser built in, so you never have to work out which file you need.

    1. Click your instance once, then Edit on the right.
    2. Choose Mods in the sidebar, then Download mods.
    3. Search for Simple Voice Chat and click the result by henkelmax.
    4. Press Select mod for download.
    5. Do the same for Easy Anvils and Visual Workbench, both by Fuzs — then press OK to download all three at once.
    The built-in browser only offers builds that fit this instance, so the version can't come out wrong.

    Prefer to do it by hand? Each mod's Modrinth page has a Versions tab — take the newest build marked for 26.2 on Fabric and use Add file on the same Mods screen. Don't unzip or rename it — the .jar already is the mod.

    Prism will offer to bring in Puzzles Lib and Forge Config API Port alongside the two by Fuzs — say yes, they need them. Simple Voice Chat carries everything it needs on its own.

    Simple Voice Chat, Easy Anvils and Visual Workbench are all listed on the Mods screen with their boxes ticked.

  4. Launch it

    Close the edit window, select your instance and press Launch — or just double-click the tile.

    The first launch takes a little longer: Prism downloads the game files, and if your computer has no suitable Java it offers to fetch that too. Say yes and let it finish. This only happens once.

    Select the instance, press Launch. Every other instance you make stays completely separate from this one.

    The game starts up and reaches the main menu as normal.

  5. Set up your microphone

    The first time you launch with the mod, a short setup guide appears on its own. It asks four easy questions — just follow it through.

    1. Pick your microphone.
    2. Pick your speakers or headset.
    3. Choose Push to Talk (hold a key to speak) or Voice Activation (it opens when you talk). Push to Talk is the safer choice on a noisy setup.
    4. If you chose Push to Talk, press the key you want to use. There is no key set by default, so this part matters.
    The built-in setup guide, step by step. You can reopen all of these settings later from the voice chat menu.

    Now add the server as usual — Multiplayer → Add Server, address minecraft.aaronperkel.com. Once you are in, these keys are yours:

    Key What it does
    V Open the voice chat menu — volumes, groups, and all the settings (change any of this any time)
    M Mute your microphone
    N Turn voice chat off entirely
    H Hide the voice chat icons from your screen

    Voice is positional: you hear people up to about 48 blocks away and they get quieter with distance. Whispering carries about half that. You can also make a private group from the V menu and talk to just those people, wherever they are.

    You are on the server and pressing V opens the voice chat menu. That is everything.

Rather stick with the official Minecraft launcher? The original walkthrough — Fabric installer, mods folder and all. Open this only if you don't want Prism.

These four steps replace steps 1–4 above. When you have finished them, carry on from step 5 to set up your microphone — that part is identical either way.

  1. Download two files

    Put both somewhere you can find again — your Downloads folder is fine.

    Fabric Installer

    Fabric is the loader that lets Minecraft run mods at all. This little program sets it up for you.

    Windows (.exe) macOS & Linux (.jar) or from fabricmc.net

    Simple Voice Chat 2.6.22

    The mod itself. The version has to match what the server runs, so use this exact link rather than searching for it.

    Download the mod or from Modrinth

    That is the complete list. Simple Voice Chat carries everything else it needs inside that one file, so there is no Fabric API or second mod to hunt down.

    Two files downloaded: the Fabric installer, and voicechat-fabric-2.6.22+26.2.jar.

  2. Run the Fabric installer

    Close Minecraft and the Minecraft launcher first. Then open the installer you just downloaded.

    1. Leave the tab on Client.
    2. Check that Minecraft Version reads 26.2. If it shows something else, open the dropdown and pick it.
    3. Leave Loader Version, Install Location and Create profile exactly as they are.
    4. Click Install and wait for it to say it finished. Then close the installer.
    The Fabric installer: confirm the Minecraft version, then press Install and wait for “Completed”.

    Nothing opens when you double-click it? The installer is a Java program, so it needs Java on your computer — see Troubleshooting. The game itself does not; the launcher handles that part on its own.

    The installer reported that it completed successfully.

  3. Drop the mod into your mods folder

    First open your Minecraft folder. Copy the line for your system:

    Windows %appdata%\.minecraft
    macOS ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft
    Linux ~/.minecraft
    1. Windows: press Win + R, paste, press Enter.
      macOS: in Finder press ⌘ + ⇧ + G, paste, press Enter.
    2. Open the folder called mods inside it. If there isn't one, make a new folder and name it exactly mods, all lowercase.
    3. Move voicechat-fabric-2.6.22+26.2.jar into that folder.
    The mod file goes straight into the mods folder, as-is.

    Do not unzip or rename it. A .jar file already is the mod — it belongs in the folder exactly as it downloaded.

    The other two required mods go in the same folder the same way: download Easy Anvils and Visual Workbench, plus Puzzles Lib and Forge Config API Port, which those two need underneath them. Take the Fabric build for your version from each page's Versions tab. This is the part Prism does for you, and the reason it is worth the install.

    Your mods folder contains five files, each ending in .jar.

  4. Start the game on the Fabric profile

    Open the Minecraft launcher again. On the Play tab there is a version dropdown next to the big green button.

    1. Open that dropdown.
    2. Choose the entry beginning with fabric-loader — it will look like fabric-loader-0.19.3-26.2.
    3. Press Play.
    Pick the fabric-loader entry in the version dropdown, then press Play. The launcher remembers your choice next time.

    This is also how you go back: choose Latest release in the same dropdown and you are on plain vanilla Minecraft again.

    The game starts up and reaches the main menu as normal.

Done? Head back up to step 5 for the microphone setup.

Worth adding

Not required, and nobody else can tell whether you run them. Both are client-side comfort, and they go in the same way as the three above.

If something goes wrong

macOS won't open Prism — “unidentified developer”

Right-click (or Control-click) Prism Launcher in your Applications folder and choose Open, then confirm. macOS only asks this the first time.

If there is no Open option, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click Open Anyway next to the message about Prism.

Prism says it can't find Java

Let it download one — Prism installs and manages Java itself, and the prompt that appears when you launch does the whole job.

If you dismissed that prompt, open Settings → Java and use the auto-detect / download button there.

The Microsoft sign-in code doesn't work

The codes expire after a few minutes. Close the window, click Add Microsoft again and use the fresh code straight away.

Make sure you are signing in with the Microsoft account that actually owns Minecraft: Java Edition — not a different one you happen to be logged into in that browser.

“Your voice chat client version is not compatible”

Your mod file is a different version from the server's. In Prism, open Edit → Mods, remove Simple Voice Chat, and add it again through Download mods — it will fetch the build that matches this instance.

Also check the instance is on the same Minecraft version as the server (26.2).

The game crashes or won't load

Almost always one of three things: a mod built for a different Minecraft version, a file that got unzipped instead of left as a .jar, or another mod in the folder that does not get along.

Easiest fix: open Edit → Mods, untick everything except Simple Voice Chat, and launch again. On the official launcher, empty the mods folder and put back only voicechat-fabric-2.6.22+26.2.jar.

Nobody can hear me, or I can't hear anyone

Press V and open the settings from that menu. Check the microphone and speaker are the devices you actually use, and that your microphone is not muted.

On macOS, the system asks once for microphone permission. If you dismissed it, enable Minecraft, Prism or Java under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone, then restart the game.

If you use Push to Talk, make sure a key is actually assigned — there is none by default.

Everything looks fine but voice never connects

Voice audio travels separately from the game, over UDP port 24454. Some university, office and guest networks block that while letting the game itself through.

A quick way to tell: try again on a different network, such as a phone hotspot. If it works there, the first network is filtering it and there is nothing to fix on your end.

The Fabric installer won't open official launcher

The installer is a Java program and needs Java installed on your computer. Grab the free Temurin JRE, install it, then run the Fabric installer again.

Or skip the problem entirely and use Prism, which brings its own Java.

There's no fabric-loader option in the launcher official launcher

The launcher only reads the list of profiles when it starts. Quit it completely — on Windows also check the system tray — then open it again.

Still missing? Run the Fabric installer once more, making sure Create profile is ticked and the install location points at your .minecraft folder. If it keeps vanishing, that is exactly the glitch Prism avoids.

I'd rather not do any of this

Then don't — the server does not require voice chat, and you can play exactly as before.

If it is the number of steps putting you off, the Modrinth App is another free launcher that installs Fabric and mods in a couple of clicks, much like Prism.

That's it — come say hello

minecraft.aaronperkel.com