Cull Leaves Mod Wiki › FAQ
Cull Leaves Mod FAQ
10 questions players actually ask, answered.
What does Cull Leaves actually do?
It removes the hidden interior faces of leaf blocks that you can never see, so the game renders fewer polygons. This is the same idea as OptiFine's Smart Leaves, but it works as a standalone mod.
How do I turn leaf culling on or off?
Culling is active by default once the mod is installed. To change it, open the mod's config file or its in-game config screen and toggle the culling option, then reload your world or restart the game.
Do I need to configure anything for it to work?
No. Install it and the optimization applies automatically to vanilla and modded leaves. You only need to touch the config if you want to disable culling or tweak how it behaves.
Why do my leaves look see-through or like they're missing faces?
Culling hides faces between adjacent leaf blocks, so leaves can look thinner than vanilla, especially with fancy graphics. If it bothers you, disable culling in the config or use a resource pack like Better Leaves that fills in the gaps visually.
Does Cull Leaves work with Sodium, Canvas, or other performance mods?
Yes, it's designed to be compatible with Sodium, Canvas, and similar rendering mods. Just make sure you're not running OptiFine at the same time, since OptiFine has its own Smart Leaves handling that can conflict.
Can I use it together with OptiFine?
It's not recommended. OptiFine already has Smart Leaves, so running both is redundant and can cause rendering conflicts or crashes. Pick one leaf-culling method.
Will it work with mods that add new trees, like Terrestria, Traverse, or BetterEnd?
Yes, Cull Leaves has broad compatibility with mods that add new tree types, including Terrestria, Traverse, BetterEnd, Croptopia, and Quark. Their leaves get culled the same way vanilla leaves do.
How much FPS does it actually give me?
The gain depends on how many leaves are on screen, so it's biggest in dense forests and jungles and minimal in open areas. You won't see a number in the config; just compare your frame rate in a leafy area before and after.
Does Cull Leaves change how leaves look with a resource pack?
It only removes hidden faces, so visible leaf textures stay the same. For a fuller look, pair it with the Better Leaves resource pack, which is a common combination.
My leaves look wrong after installing it — how do I fix it?
First check whether OptiFine or another leaf-culling mod is also installed, since that's the usual cause of conflicts. If nothing conflicts, disable culling in the config or switch your graphics setting, then reload the world.