Minecraft is one of the most popular games, but it has its share of issues. A common problem is that the Launcher won’t open. Double-clicking the program doesn’t seem to do anything. So, how do you overcome this obstacle?
You’ll find out in this article. We’ll show you how to troubleshoot when your Minecraft launcher doesn’t respond.
Minecraft Launcher Won’t Open in Windows 11
The Minecraft Launcher may not open on Windows 11 due to certain mods and privilege issues. The program requires administrative permission to access system resources.
The solution is simple.
- Right-click the Launcher shortcut and press “Properties.”
- Choose “Compatibility.”
- Select the prompt that tells you to run the program as the administrator.
- Hit “Apply,” followed by “OK” to leave “Properties.”
- Run Minecraft to see if it works fine.
An outdated graphics driver might also be the culprit. Here’s how to resolve the issue:
- Strike the Windows and X keys simultaneously and select “Device Manager.”
- Press “Display adapters.”
- Right-click the graphics card and pick “Update driver.”
- Click the prompt that lets you search for drivers automatically.
- Let the process complete and open Minecraft to see if this has solved the problem.
Minecraft Launcher Won’t Open in Windows 10
There are several reasons why your Minecraft Launcher doesn’t work on Windows 10. For instance, you might be dealing with conflicting programs. These third-party applications, background services, and antivirus utilities can interfere with Minecraft Properties, keeping the Launcher from opening.
The easiest solution is to reinstall Minecraft. If this doesn’t do the trick, you can reset your Microsoft Store.
- Press the “Windows key + R” combination.
- Navigate to the new window.
- Enter “WSReset.”
- Hit the enter button, and wait for the process to finish.
- Run Minecraft.
Another way to address conflicting programs is to repair and reset your Launcher.
- Navigate to your Start Menu.
- Right-click the Launcher.
- Press “App Settings.”
- Browse the settings and hit “Repair,” followed by “Reset.”
- Let the Launcher restore to its previous settings and try to launch Minecraft.
If mods are interfering with the Launcher, you can delete them by following these steps:
- Strike the “Windows + R” shortcut to open Run.
- Enter this line:
%Appdata%
.
- Choose “OK” to bring up your roaming folder.
- Open the Minecraft subfolder and head to the mods subfolder.
- Press “Ctrl + A” to choose all files in the folder.
- Click “Delete” in the command bar. Alternatively, right-click your bin directory and press “Delete” to remove the mods.
Another potential culprit is a corrupted profile file. Erasing it should make the program work normally.
- Press the Windows button and type in “Run” in the box in the lower part of your screen.
- Hit Enter and paste the following line into the window:
%Appdata%
.
- Click “OK” and head to your Minecraft subfolder.
- Locate this file: launcher-profiles.json.
- Erase the file by right-clicking it and pressing the “Delete” button or selecting the trash can symbol.
Minecraft Launcher Won’t Open on a Mac
Mac users face similar problems as Windows PC gamers. For example, your Minecraft Launcher might not initiate due to startup issues caused by incompatible software. Here’s how to tackle this setback:
- Open your browser and go to this website. It lists programs incompatible with Minecraft.
- Go to your “Applications.”
- See if your computer contains any incompatible software. If so, select it and click the “Uninstall” button.
- Restart your machine to apply the changes.
- Try to open Minecraft Launcher.
In addition to removing programs, you can redownload your Minecraft Launcher to overcome startup problems.
- If your Launcher is incomplete or corrupted, download a proper version on this page. The file you need is in the fourth row.
- Install the file by double-clicking the downloaded entry and dragging your Minecraft icon to your “Applications” folder.
- Disregard any warnings about an outdated Java version.
- Once the Launcher installs, open the program to see if it works.
If you download the Legacy Launcher, but it still doesn’t open, you can use the application with the “Bootstrap.jar” file.
- Double-click Minecraft and press “Show package contents.”
- Go to “Contents,” followed by “Resources”.
- Click “Java”.
- Open the “Bootstrap.jar” file, and your Launcher should work correctly.
Minecraft Launcher Won’t Open Chromebook
The Minecraft Launcher can malfunction on your Chromebook too. Regardless of the culprit, the following method works great in most cases.
- Select your Chromebook Launcher in the lower-left part of the screen.
- Type in “
Terminal
” and press enter to start your Linux terminal.
- While the terminal is open, enter this command and strike the enter button to install the “libsecret” directory:
sudo apt install libsecret-1.0
- Reboot your Linux configuration using the following line:
sudo reboot
.
- Press enter again and launch Minecraft.
Minecraft Launcher Won’t Open in Linux
The solution for your Linux Minecraft Launcher is the same.
- Go to the lower-left section of the display and open your Chromebook Launcher.
- Bring up the Linux terminal by typing in “Terminal” and pressing enter.
- Insert the following command:
sudo apt install libsecret-1.0
- Hit the enter button, paste this line, and press enter once again:
sudo reboot
- The Minecraft Launcher should now be responsive.
Minecraft Launcher Won’t Open Java
Your Minecraft Launcher can crash upon startup if your Java installation is outdated. The game requires Java 8 to work properly. Here’s how you can check your version on a Windows PC:
- Open the Start Menu.
- Go to “Apps & Features” and find Java.
- Click the “Configure Java” button to access the program’s Control Panel.
- Click the “About” tab in the “General” window. You should now see a dialog box displaying your Java version.
- If you need to update the program, download and install it from this website.
The process is similar for Mac users.
- Go to the top-left section of your display and hit the Apple icon.
- Select “System Preferences.”
- Click Java, followed by “About.”
- If necessary, download Java 8 or higher from this web page.
While installing the correct Java version should resolve the issue, it may not always fix your Launcher. Namely, you might be running multiple Java versions conflicting with your game. If so, you need to set the right path for the program to prevent confusion.
- Access Java from your “Apps & Features” or “System Preferences,” depending on whether you have a Windows or Mac computer.
- Click your “Java” tab and choose the “View” button.
- Highlight and copy the text under the “Path” section. The installation path should contain the following line: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home/bin/java
- Open your Minecraft Launcher and press “Launch Options.”
- Click the game version you wish to run.
- Toggle the “Java Executable” feature.
- Paste the copied path into the tab.
- Leave the window.
- Reopen Minecraft.
Launcher Malfunctions Are History
Minecraft offers endless thrills, but Launcher complications can often spoil the fun. It may take time to restore normal settings through trial and error using the above methods. However, it’ll be well worth it if you can open your favorite game without a hitch.
Are you familiar with any other way of repairing the Minecraft Launcher? Which method works best for you? Share your experiences in the comments section below.