How to Fix Minecraft Won’t Launch on Windows | SoftwareKeep

Minecraft is a popular video game for all groups and ages, but sometimes players can experience issues when trying to launch the game. One of these problems is that Minecraft won't launch on Windows 10 or 11 devices. This article will show you how to fix this issue and get your favorite video game running again!

Minecraft Won’t Launch on Windows? Here’s How To Fix It!

Minecraft has been around for years and went through many changes. Minecraft can be played on Windows 10 and Windows 11, but there are times when Minecraft won't launch even if your system is compatible. If Minecraft isn't opening, you might have a problem on your computer which prevents it from running.

In this article, we will talk about how to fix Minecraft if it won't start! These are the steps you need to follow. Then, you can play Minecraft again!

Why is Minecraft not opening? Possible causes

There are many reasons why Minecraft may not be launching on Windows. Here is a list of some possible errors and why they might happen on your PC or laptop:

The Minecraft process is already running. If you already started Minecraft but the launcher got stuck, it might not be able to open again. All you have to do is terminate the running processes and try again.
An application is blocking Minecraft. There’s a possibility that an application installed on your computer is blocking Minecraft from opening.
Your Minecraft installation is corrupt. Over time, your installation of Minecraft may become corrupt. To fix this, you can reinstall the game — after saving your worlds, of course!
You don’t have the latest version of Java. If you’re running the Java edition of Minecraft, you need to install the required Java files on your device before you can play the game. If you have missing or outdated Java, Minecraft may not open.
Minecraft thinks your system is not compatible. Even if your configuration meets the minimum requirements to run Minecraft, it may think otherwise. This is a common problem for people with AMD graphics cards.
You have mods installed. Mods are code written by third parties that modify Minecraft directly. If you’re playing with mods, it’s possible that they’re not compatible with your game and cause it to not be able to launch.

If you suspect any of these could have caused Minecraft to not launch on your device, continue reading to find out how to fix these issues! You’ll get right back on track to play this amazing video game again.

How to fix Minecraft not launching on Windows

Method 1. End all Minecraft processes in the background

The first thing you can try is to end all currently running Minecraft processes on your computer. If your Minecraft game won’t launch, it may be stuck in the background of Windows with no way for you to get back into it!

Don’t worry though – we have a simple solution that will work every time. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to fix Minecraft not launching if there are Minecraft processes running in the background:

Right-click on an empty space in your taskbar and choose Task Manager from the context menu.
Stay on the Processes tab. Scroll down until you see any Minecraft processes in the active list, and then select it by clicking on it once.
After selecting the Minecraft process, click on the End task button. This is going to quit the process entirely. Make sure to repeat these steps for all running Minecraft processes.
After closing all Minecraft processes, try to launch the game again.

Method 2. Update your video card driver

Your drivers keep your hardware working. If drivers are not updated, it’s possible that your applications will malfunction. This could be the reason behind Minecraft not opening. Here’s how to update your graphics card driver:

Option 1. Update display adapter driver manually

Check the type of graphics card you’re using:
1. Press the Windows + R keys. Type in “dxdiag” and press the OK button. This is the shortcut to reach the DirectX Diagnostics tool.
2. Switch to the Display tab. Under Device, take note of the name and manufacturer of your graphics card.
Go to the manufacturer’s website, and then navigate to their download page. Here are some of the most common manufacturers’ web pages where you can find driver downloads:
- Intel Drivers & Software page
- NVIDIA Driver download page
- AMD Drivers and support page
Find your graphics card model using the provided search tools, and download its newest driver.
Download and install the latest driver by double-clicking on the downloaded file and following the on-screen instructions. You might be prompted to restart your device.

Note: Always make sure that you’re always downloading and installing the correct driver that matches your graphics card. If you’re uncertain, try searching on Google, or contact the customer service of your manufacturer.

Option 2. Update display adapter driver automatically

Press the Windows + R keys. Type in “devmgmt.msc” without the quotation marks, and press the OK button. This will take you to the Device Manager window.
Expand the Display adapters section by clicking on the arrow icon to the left. Right-click on your current driver, and then select the Update driver option.
Click on Search automatically for updated driver software to allow Windows 10 to automatically update your driver. When you’re done, feel free to exit out of the Device Manager and restart your computer.

Option 3. Update your drivers with a third-party app

While it’s not necessary to use a third-party app for driver updates, it’s an option that is available to all Windows 10 users. You can also find and download third-party updater tools such as Driver Booster, DriverHub, or DriverPack Solution to automatically update drivers.

Most of these tools are free and easy to use. If you’re not satisfied with the service, we recommend searching the internet for more advanced apps.

Always make sure that the app you’re using is trustworthy. Some applications that offer to fix or update your drivers contain malware, adware, or spyware. We recommend searching the name of the product and reading reviews made by real users before downloading any software.

Method 3. Remove any mods

If you use mods for Minecraft, there’s a high possibility that they’re the reason behind the game not opening. Many mods directly edit the code of Minecraft and leave a lot of room for errors especially if the mod hasn’t been updated in a long time. Here’s how to remove your mods on Minecraft:

Press the Windows + R keys. Type in “%appdata%” without the quotation marks, and press the OK button. This will launch a File Explorer window with the AppData folder open.
Double-click on the folder named .minecraft to open it. You can find most Minecraft game files in this folder, including your saved worlds, player data, and possible mods.
Right-click on the folder named “mods” if you can see it in the list of files. From the context menu, click on the Delete option.
After deleting the mods folder, open the Minecraft launcher. Make sure to select an unmodified, official installation of Minecraft, such as the Latest release (1.17.1).
Click Play and see if you’re able to open the game. If it still won’t launch, try the next tip!

Method 4. Launch Minecraft as administrator

Many players have reported that running Minecraft with administrator permissions fixes the issue of it not launching. Here’s how you can do it.

Open the search bar in your taskbar by clicking on the magnifying glass icon. You can also bring it up with the Windows + S keyboard shortcut.
Type Minecraft in the search box. When you see it in the results, right-click on it and choose Run as Administrator. If you're using a local account that doesn't have administrator permissions, click here first.
When prompted by the User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to allow the game to launch with administrative permissions.
See if you’re able to launch Minecraft.

Method 5. Temporarily disable your antivirus

Sometimes, your antivirus app can detect other apps as “false positives”, which means that it falsely detects a harmless program as malware. In this case, you need to temporarily turn off your antivirus app, and then try to launch Minecraft.

Right-click on an empty space in your taskbar and choose Task Manager from the context menu.
Switch to the Start-up tab using the header menu located at the top of the window. Here, find your antivirus application from the list and select it by clicking on it once.
Click on the Disable button now visible in the bottom-right of the window. This will disable the application from launching when you start your device.
Restart your computer and see if you’re able to play Minecraft after making this change. Don’t forget to turn your antivirus app back on afterwards!

Method 6. Run Minecraft in compatibility mode

There’s a possibility that setting Minecraft to run in compatibility mode will fix the issue with it not launching. You can easily change the compatibility by following this guide.

Right-click on the Minecraft icon on your desktop. From the context menu, click on Properties.
Switch to the Compatibility tab using the menu in the header area. Next, make sure that the Run this program in compatibility mode for option is checked. This will make the drop-down menu available.
Select either Windows 8 or Windows 7 from the available options, and then click Apply.
Check if you’re able to play Minecraft after applying this change. If the game still won’t launch, there are some more things you can try!

Method 7. Delete the roaming Minecraft folder (Reinstall Minecraft)

If nothing has worked in restoring Minecraft so far, you may need to reinstall the game. This can be done after uninstalling it first and then re-downloading the launcher from the official website. Make sure that you know your login information before attempting this method! You will need it to authorize your account and download Minecraft again.

Most of your Minecraft installation can be found in one folder. If you delete this folder and its contents, the Minecraft Launcher will need to re-download the correct files. This can fix corrupted or missing game files and allows you to launch Minecraft.

Note: If you have already played Minecraft before and want to save your played worlds, make sure to make a backup folder and place your saved files in it! Don’t know how to back up your Minecraft worlds? Click here!

Press the Windows + R keys. Type in “%appdata%” without the quotation marks, and press the OK button. This will launch a File Explorer window with the AppData folder open.
Right-click on the folder named .minecraft to open its context menu. Select the Delete option from the available choices. A final word of warning: make sure to back up any player data, saved worlds, resource packs or mods you want to keep!
After deleting the folder, open the Minecraft Launcher (preferably as an administrator) and wait for it to download the necessary files. Once the process is done, click the Play button and see if you’re able to launch Minecraft.

Method 8. Quit problematic applications

Some apps interfere with Minecraft and may cause it to not launch. You can exit out of these apps using the Task Manager (steps can be found in Method 1.) and then try to open the game again.

We’ve found a lot of software that could lead to this error. These applications have been reported to cause problems with Minecraft not launching:

Discord, including the public beta test version
PCKeeper
Covenant Eyes
Qustodio
D3DGear
GeForce Experience
Razer Synapse and Razer Cortex
Hola Unblocker
Third-party antivirus applications such as AVG Antivirus, BitDefender, ESET Antivirus etc.

Method 9. Try using the MultiMC launcher

While MultiMC is a third-party launcher, it allows you to better manage your Minecraft installations. Many users have confirmed that they were able to launch Minecraft through the MultiMC launcher as opposed to using the official one. Here’s how to download and install the MultiMC launcher:

Open the MultiMC download page in any web browser of your choice. Click on the Download & Install page from the menu in the left-side pane.
Click on the button that corresponds to your operating system, and wait for the installer to download. This may take several minutes depending on your internet connection.
Navigate to the location you saved the installer to. By default, this should be your Downloads folder. Right-click on the installer (typically named something like mmc-stable-win32.zip) and choose Extract All.
Click Extract and wait for your system to extract the contents of the file. When it’s done, navigate to MultiMC > MultiMC.exe and launch the application. You should be able to play the game through this launcher from now on!

Watch: Playing Minecraft on Windows XP in 2023?!

Final thoughts

We hope this helped you restore Minecraft and you can play now! If the game is still not launching, we recommend getting in touch with Mojang or Microsoft support for personal help! Make sure to have your purchase receipt and account information so they can assist you in getting Minecraft to launch.

If you still have questions about how to fix other issues with Windows or are looking for more technical articles on a variety of topics, please check out our Blog and Help Center!

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Minecraft Won’t Launch on Windows? Here’s How To Fix It!

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