OptiFine capes vs official Minecraft capes: what other players see

Several systems put a cape on your back, but only one is official. The difference matters as soon as you play with others.

	Official cape	OptiFine cape	Mod cape
Given by	Mojang	OptiFine, after a donation	The mod's own service
Who sees it	Every player	Players running OptiFine	Players running the same mod
Cost	Free with promotions and events	A donation to OptiFine	Usually free
Design	Fixed by Mojang	Customizable	Uploaded or chosen in the mod
Edition	Java, often Bedrock too	Java only	Java only

An official cape is stored on your account by Mojang, so every player on a normal online server sees it, with or without mods. It also changes the look of your elytra. See the full list of official capes.

OptiFine gives a cape to players who donate to the project, and you can change its design afterwards. It only appears for players who also run OptiFine and have Show Capes enabled in Video Settings, then Details. Install OptiFine first: how to install OptiFine.

Some mods let you upload any image as a cape. They are free, but the cape exists only inside the mod: players without it see your official cape, or nothing.

• You want everyone to see it: equip an official cape, starting with the free Pan Cape.
• You play with friends who all use OptiFine: an OptiFine cape lets you pick your own design.
• You only want a custom look in single player: a cape mod is enough.

To see which cape the official servers send for your account, use the checker in cape not showing.