Players are being turned away for not running the server’s mod loader
What it looks like in your log
Incompatible client! Please use NeoForge 21.1.72
What causes it
Every join is rejected during the handshake because the client is not running the modded setup this server runs.
How to fix it
Players must launch the same mod loader and version the server runs, on the same Minecraft version. Installing the pack from its CurseForge or Modrinth page sets the loader version for them.
Why it happens
A modded server checks more than the game version: the client must run the same mod loader, and usually the same mods with matching versions. A vanilla client, or a client on Fabric joining a NeoForge server, is refused during the handshake with the loader and version the server wants. The number in the message is what the server runs right now, whatever the pack page says.
Fix it step by step
- 1Install the loader the message namesNeoForge, Forge, Fabric or Quilt, on the exact Minecraft version the server runs. The loader installer creates a launcher profile for it.
- 2Install the pack, not just the loaderIf this is a modpack, install the pack from its CurseForge or Modrinth page at the same version as the server. That pins the loader and the mods together.
- 3Check the server if the version looks wrongIf the kick names a NeoForge build nobody expected, the server is running that build. Ask the owner what the server actually has installed; the message is always right.
- 4Match the modsLoader matched and still kicked: a mod list mismatch, which the client log reports with the mods that are missing or extra. Reinstall the pack cleanly.
If that didn't work
If the message names only a Minecraft version with no loader, the game versions differ and the loader may be fine. That is the version mismatch page.
Not sure this is your problem? Paste your log and Roastd will tell you which of these it actually matched, and what else it found.
Check your own log