Minecraft won't open/launch in Windows 10/11 [Fixed Now]

Some Minecraft players have posted on Microsoft’s forum about startup issues for that game.

These users can’t play Minecraft when it doesn’t launch as expected. In one Microsoft forum post, a user stated:

I bought Minecraft Java a while ago. Two days ago I updated my PC to the new Windows. After doing this, I can no longer open the Minecraft Java launcher. So I am not able to play.

We discuss some of the best ways to deal with this issue once and for all, so make sure to read through this guide.

How do I fix Minecraft not opening on Windows 10?

1. Update your graphic card’s driver

You can check if your graphics card’s driver needs updating with specialized driver updating software.

These powerful tools allow you to run an in-depth scan of your computer, identify the needed driver and allow you to quickly download and install them.

2. Run Minecraft in compatibility mode (and as an administrator)

1. Click the button for File Explorer on Windows 10’s taskbar.
2. Open your Minecraft folder in File Explorer.
3. Click the Game subfolder in your Minecraft folder.
4. Right-click Launcher.jar and select Properties.
5. Select the Compatibility tab shown in the snapshot directly below.
   
6. Select the Run this program in compatibility mode option.
7. Select Windows 7 on the Compatibility mode drop-down menu.
8. Then click the Run this program as an administrator checkbox to select that option.
9. Click the Apply option to save the new settings.
10. Click OK to leave the window.

Note: If you can’t find a Launcher.jar file, apply the above resolution to your Minecraft Launcher.exe file.

3. Delete Minecraft mods

1. Click the Type here to search button on your Windows 10 taskbar to open a search utility.
2. Input the keyword %appdata% in the search box.
3. Next, click %appdata% to open the folder in the screenshot directly below.
   
4. Click the .minecraft folder to open it.
5. Then open the mods subfolder.
6. Press the Ctrl + A hotkey to select all the Minecraft mods in the folder.
7. Click the Home tab shown directly below.
   
8. Then click the Delete button to erase the selected mod files.

4. Turn off third-party antivirus software

Try disabling any third-party antivirus utility you have installed by right-clicking its system tray icon.

That will open a context menu for the software that will probably include a disable setting of some kind you can select to temporarily disable the antivirus utility.

Then try playing Minecraft with your antivirus software disabled.

5. Reinstall Minecraft

1. Press the Windows and X keys at the same time to open the Win + X menu.
2. Click Run on the Win + X menu to open that accessory.
3. Type appwiz.cpl in the text box and press Enter to open Windows 10’s uninstaller utility. 
   
4. Select Minecraft within the Programs and Features Control Panel applet.
5. Click Uninstall (and Yes on any confirmation prompts) to remove Minecraft.
6. After uninstalling Minecraft, open the search box in Windows 10.
7. Enter %appdata% in the search box, and click %appdata% to open that folder.
8. Right-click the .minecraft folder and select Delete.
9. Then open the Minecraft website in a browser.
   
10. Download the latest Minecraft version from there.
11. Open Minecraft’s installer to reinstall the game.

Those are some of the more probable fixes for kick-starting a Minecraft game that doesn’t launch.

Players with the MS Store Minecraft app can also try running the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter and resetting MS Store (with the wsreset.exe Run command).