Is the FTB App safe? Yes, as long as it comes from feed-the-beast.com. It's Feed The Beast's own modpack launcher, the code is public on GitHub, and you sign in to Microsoft on Microsoft's own page, not inside the app. The things to know about are the ads, the Overwolf build on Windows, and the antivirus warnings people reported on FTB's forum back in 2020 and 2021.
If you're a parent, the short version: the app is a normal, ad-supported game launcher. Download it from the official page, and the thing to watch isn't the app so much as the sketchy "free modpack" sites around it.
What the FTB App is
FTB's own page calls it "the official Feed the Beast desktop app" for finding, downloading and managing FTB modpacks. People still say "the FTB launcher", and that's the same thing. It also installs CurseForge modpacks, works with NeoForge, Fabric and Forge, lets you build your own packs, and lets you pick the Java version and RAM for each instance. It can install server files too.
FTB says it's the only place to get their pack releases and updates the moment they land. Updates install in the background or when you restart the app.
It's open source too. The code lives at FTBTeam/FTB-App on GitHub under the LGPL-2.1 licence, so anyone can read what it does. Public code means it's auditable, not that anyone has audited it, but it still beats a closed download. If you're comparing launchers, my roundup of the best Minecraft launchers covers the rest.
Where to download it
One rule covers most of the risk: get it from feed-the-beast.com/ftb-app and nowhere else. As of November 2026 (version 1.30.1), the page lists:
| Platform | What's offered |
|---|---|
| Windows | A standalone .exe, plus an Overwolf installer |
| macOS | .dmg for Intel and for Apple Silicon |
| Linux | Flatpak (Flathub), AppImage, Debian and RPM packages, including ARM builds |
The installers are hosted on FTB's own domain, piston.feed-the-beast.com. The Overwolf build points to download.overwolf.com, and the Flatpak is on flathub.org. If a site hands you an "FTB launcher" from anywhere else, close the tab. A moderator on FTB's old forum put it plainly in 2021: there's no virus or malware in the app if you downloaded it from the official website. Another user in that thread said the launcher's fine and it's the sketchy modpack-download sites you need to avoid.
Overwolf and the ads
This is the part people find odd. FTB's docs say that on Windows the app has been powered by Overwolf, a platform for in-game apps, and that Mac and Linux use Electron and need no Overwolf. Windows now has two builds. The Overwolf one installs the Overwolf client with it, which the Overwolf listing says outright. The standalone build doesn't need the Overwolf platform, but FTB's docs say it still uses Overwolf's ad service.
The GitHub readme says the app moved onto Electron as of 1.25.0 and that they're phasing the Overwolf version out, partly because of community feedback about Overwolf. They want to stay ad-supported, and Electron lets them. FTB's page is upfront about the ads too: using the app supports FTB, and they know the ads are "a bit annoying".
Overwolf's listing for the app says it's free, contains ads, and that you aren't required to sign in to Overwolf apps and can opt out of data collection. My pick on Windows is the standalone build: same app, no extra client to install.
The Microsoft login
To play, the app needs you to log in with the Microsoft account that owns Minecraft: Java Edition. You can install modpacks and extra mods without logging in, so if the login makes you uneasy, that's an option.
The login got a GitHub discussion in February 2025 (#1250, now locked). A user said the "click a link" button instead of a normal Microsoft sign-in box looked fishy and untrustworthy, and that they'd stop using FTB until it changed. A maintainer replied that this is how most launchers work: the app sends you straight to Microsoft, you log in there, the app finds the result by polling Microsoft's API, and your credentials are stored on your own system. A second maintainer called it the OAuth 2.0 device authorization flow, and said you authenticate against Microsoft. When the thread closed, the maintainer listed FTB, ATLauncher, Modrinth, CurseForge (when you opt in), Prism Launcher and MultiMC as following it.
That's the maintainers describing their own app, so take it as their account, backed by public code. What I'd do regardless: when the browser opens, check the address is a real Microsoft login page before you type a password. You never type that password into the FTB App itself. Prism, one of the launchers on that list, gets its own look in my Prism Launcher safety check.
If login fails, the docs suggest checking you're on the right Microsoft account, since your browser may sign you into the last one you used. They also say to confirm on minecraft.net that the account owns Java Edition.
Antivirus warnings and false positives
This is the "ftb app virus" search. In a 2020 thread on FTB's forum (now a read-only archive), one player said McAfee reported the launcher as infected, and another saw an Avast "IDE.Generic" detection. Replies called them heuristic detections and suggested checking the file on VirusTotal and downloading only from the official site. The thread is from 2020 and 2021 and refers to older builds, so it tells you the history, not what your antivirus will say today.
FTB's docs also say a modpack that won't install is normally a firewall or antivirus blocking the app's downloads, and recommend adding an exception. Do that only for the copy you got from feed-the-beast.com. If you got it anywhere else, delete it and start over.
Are FTB modpacks safe?
FTB's docs recommend starting with the packs FTB makes, which they say they aim to keep stable and supported. But the app also installs any CurseForge pack, and those mods come from third parties. Mods are programs, so the same rules apply as anywhere: stick to well-known packs and read whether Minecraft mods are safe. For the CurseForge side, there's a separate look at whether CurseForge is safe. If you want somewhere to start, try my picks in the best Minecraft modpacks, or the best skyblock modpacks if islands are your thing.
So, is the FTB App safe?
Short version
Yes, from feed-the-beast.com. It's the official launcher for FTB's packs, the code is public, and the Microsoft login happens on Microsoft's own page. Expect ads, skip the Overwolf build on Windows if you'd rather not install it, and add an antivirus exception only for the official download. Anything that calls itself the FTB launcher from another site isn't worth the risk.