Uploading mods and updates
Upload a new mod to ModBarn, add screenshots, publish it, post and publish updates with the same file name and a changelog, and hide or delete a mod.
On this page
- Before you start
- File name rules
- Upload a new mod
- Screenshots
- Post an update
- Changelogs
- Pause or delete a mod
- Uploads and scanning
- How the upload works
- What the automatic check looks at
- Unsafe files
- Troubleshooting
- It says the file name is already used by another mod
- It says to upload with the same file name as before
- "Checking the file is taking longer than usual"
- It says to tell players what's new
- "Mod uploads are unavailable right now"
- I can't find the update box
- Staff hid my mod
- Related
Once you're an approved modder, you upload your mods from the Modder pages. Your zip goes straight to our download servers with a progress bar and is checked for viruses and problems. Nothing goes public until you press Publish: there's no staff testing, so you decide when a mod or update is ready, and you're responsible for what you publish. Staff look into mods that players report.
Before you start#
- You need Modder access. See Becoming a ModBarn modder.
- You need a team. Every mod belongs to a modding team. Create one on Modder › My Teams.
- Only upload your own work, or mods you have written permission to share, and follow the ModBarn Modding Guidelines.
File name rules#
The upload box checks your file before it sends anything:
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
Starts with FS25_ or FS22_ | FS25_MyTractor.zip |
| Only letters, numbers and underscores (no spaces, dashes or dots) | FS25_My_Tractor_Pack.zip, not FS25 My-Tractor.zip |
Ends in .zip | |
| Smaller than 2 GB | |
| Not already used by another mod (new mods only) |
The FS25_ or FS22_ at the start sets which game the mod is listed under.
Upload a new mod#
Each mod has one Edit Mod page with tabs: Details, Screenshots, File & updates, Team notes, Reports (players' reports) and, for the team leader, Danger zone. Along the top, a row of steps ticks off what's done, and a box tells you what to do next.
Open Modder › My Mods. Next to your team's name, press New mod, then Create mod to confirm. The new mod's Edit Mod page opens on File & updates.
Under Upload the mod file, choose your .zip and press Upload. A progress bar shows how much has been sent. Keep the page open until it's done.
When the upload finishes, the file is scanned for viruses and checked for problems. Big files can take a few minutes. When it passes, the page reloads with your mod's name, description, version and icon filled in from modDesc.xml.
In Details, choose a Category and Manufacturer (use None if there isn't one) and add any Additional information.
In Screenshots, drop in up to 6 images (see Screenshots). Optional, but players decide on them.
Make sure the mod works in game (singleplayer and multiplayer if it supports both). Then, back in Details, press Save and publish mod. It goes public on ModBarn straight away and is announced in the ModBarn Discord.
Until you publish, the mod shows as Not published yet in My Mods and players can't see or download it. Found a problem before publishing? Upload the fixed zip under Replace the file in File & updates (same file name).
After publishing you can take the mod down for a while with Pause mod at the top of Edit Mod, and bring it back with Resume mod. If staff pause a mod, it shows as Paused by staff and only staff can resume it; open a ticket if you have questions.
Screenshots#
Open the Screenshots tab on Edit Mod (or the pictures button in My Mods).
- Add: drag images onto the box, or click it to choose. JPG, PNG or GIF under 8 MB (at most 40 megapixels), up to 6 per mod. Big images are resized to fit 1600×900.
- Main screenshot: the first one you add is the main one; it leads the gallery on the mod page. Press the star on another screenshot to make it the main one.
- Order: use the arrows to move a screenshot earlier or later.
- Delete: press the bin. If you delete the main screenshot, the next one takes its place.
Changes save straight away; there's no Save button.
The square icon comes from your mod itself (iconFilename in modDesc.xml) and is read when
you upload. To change it, change the icon in your mod and upload an update. Screenshots are
separate pictures you add on the website.
Post an update#
Change the version in your modDesc.xml first. Don't post updates for very small changes.
Modder › My Mods, then the edit (pencil) button on the mod, then File & updates.
Under Upload an update, fill in What's new in this version (see Changelogs). You can't upload an update without it.
Choose the zip and press Upload. Use exactly the same file name as the mod: the page shows it under the box.
When the upload is done, File & updates shows the new version and its changelog. Check them, then press Publish update. Players keep downloading the current version until you do.
_updateUpdates no longer use a separate name like FS25_MyTractor_update.zip. Upload
FS25_MyTractor.zip again. The game uses the file name to recognise the mod in savegames, so
a different name would break players' saves. The upload is refused if the name doesn't match.
Uploaded the wrong file, or spotted a bug before publishing? Open Upload it again under the Publish update button and upload the fixed zip; it replaces the waiting update. While an update waits, My Mods shows Update ready to publish.
Changelogs#
Every update needs a short changelog that says what changed, for example:
- Fixed the front loader attachment on the 8R
- Added two new colour options
- Lowered the price to 245,000- Up to 2,000 characters of plain text. Line breaks are kept; formatting and links aren't.
- Once the update is live, its changelog is part of the mod's history.
When the update goes live:
- the mod page shows it under What's new, and every released version with its date and changelog under Version history;
- players who favorite the mod get a notification with the start of the changelog;
- the ModBarn update post on Discord includes it (shortened if it's long).
Version history starts with the version players had before your first update with a changelog, so older versions show "No changelog for this version".
Pause or delete a mod#
- Pause it: press Pause mod at the top of Edit Mod. Players can't see or download it until you press Resume mod. A mod staff paused stays paused until staff resume it.
- Delete it: the team leader opens Danger zone, types the mod's file name and presses Delete mod. This removes the file (and any update) from our servers, its screenshots and its page for good. Players who downloaded it keep their copy.
Uploads and scanning#
How the upload works#
Your zip goes straight from your browser to our download servers in small pieces. If your connection drops, the upload box waits and tries again, carrying on from where it stopped instead of starting over. If it still can't get through after a few tries, it stops and shows an error, and you can press Upload again.
Leaving or refreshing the page stops the upload, so keep the tab open until you see the success message.
Under the progress bar the upload box lists each step and ticks it off: Getting ready, Uploading (with how much has been sent), Virus scan, Reading your mod (modDesc.xml and the files in your zip) and Saving. If the file is turned down, the step it failed on is marked with a red cross and the reason is shown below it.
An upload that never finished (the tab was closed, or the connection was lost) shows as not finished under Recent uploads in File & updates. Press Cancel next to it if it's stopping you from starting a new one: you can have 3 unfinished uploads at a time.
What the automatic check looks at#
Every file is virus-scanned and checked before it's saved. A file is refused when, for example:
- it has no mod icon,
- its
modDesc.xmlis missing or broken, or has no version, - it isn't a real mod zip (a damaged zip, a pack of several mods, a savegame or a copy),
- it contains files the game doesn't use. A mod may only contain
.png,.dds,.i3d,.shapes,.lua,.gdm,.cache,.xml,.grle,.pdf,.txt,.gls,.animand.oggfiles, so leave source files such as.psd,.blendor.jpgout of the zip, - it contains programs or scripts such as
.exeor.batfiles, files known to be harmful, or appears to be cracked paid DLC.
A refused file is deleted from our servers. The upload box says why under What to fix, naming the files involved, and the same list stays under Recent uploads in File & updates. Some problems don't stop the upload but are worth fixing in your next version, such as an icon that couldn't be read, file names with spaces or very large textures; they show under Worth fixing.
Unsafe files#
Files flagged as unsafe (harmful files, programs or scripts, or cracked DLC) count against your modding account. The mod is taken off the site and the upload is logged. Too many unsafe uploads put your account under review: the Modder tools are locked and every mod from your teams is hidden until staff have looked into it.
Passing the automatic check only means the file is safe to keep. It doesn't play the mod, so test your mod in game yourself before you publish it.
Troubleshooting#
It says the file name is already used by another mod#
Another mod already has that file name. Rename your zip and upload again.
It says to upload with the same file name as before#
Updates and fixes must use the mod's existing file name, shown under the upload box. Rename your zip to match.
"Checking the file is taking longer than usual"#
The upload got through, but the check hasn't finished yet. Refresh the Edit Mod page in a few minutes to see the result.
It says to tell players what's new#
Updates need a changelog. Fill in What's new in this version above the file box, then press Upload again.
"Mod uploads are unavailable right now"#
The download servers aren't taking uploads at the moment. Try again later.
I can't find the update box#
A new mod gets updates once it's published; before that, use Replace the file. While an uploaded update is waiting, File & updates shows Publish update instead; open Upload it again under it to replace the waiting file.
Staff hid my mod#
Open a ticket from Modder › Tickets to find out why and what to fix.