Fix: Minecraft Won’t Launch On Windows 10/11

Even in 2022, there are many players who are complaining that Minecraft won’t launch on Windows PC. The problem of not launching may arise on startup where instead of Mojan Screen all you see is a white or black screen with no visuals but sound.

I was having an issue where I would try to load Minecraft. I would hit “PLAY” on the launcher, the bar would load, the launcher would close but Minecraft would never open. So I tried using my version without optifine, and now the game would load, but the game would be in its red loading screen, the bar would almost reach the end, and they would say not responding. I tried deleting my optifine and shaders but still no luck. I uninstalled and reinstalled Minecraft and still have the same issue. I’ve even reinstalled my drivers. What can I do to troubleshoot this?

I decided to come back to Minecraft after not playing for a few years. I downloaded the Java version launcher but it won’t start. How can I fix this?

If you are also dealing with Minecraft won’t launch problem on Windows 10 or Windows 11, then you can apply the below-mentioned solutions to fix this issue.

We have already explained solutions to fix Minecraft crashing on PC, you can read this article as well.

Why won’t my Minecraft launch on Windows 10/11

There are multiple causes depending upon the hardware that you have in your PC. However, here are a few of the most common reasons why Minecraft is not responding or launching:

• The game gets updated by the game developers on a regular basis via the official launcher. Sometimes, after an update, the Minecraft launcher won’t open, thereby ruining the game.
• Otherwise, if the computer on which the Minecraft game is installed is not fulfilling Minecraft system requirements.
• If the graphics card driver of your Windows 10 computer is outdated.
• If gamers have installed too many mods, then also it could be that Minecraft won’t load.
• 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.
• There’s a possibility that an application installed on your computer is blocking Minecraft from opening.
• 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 If you have missing or outdated Java, Minecraft may not open.

How to fix Minecraft won’t launch issue on Windows

Before applying the fixes you need to check whether your computer is powerful enough to run the game which is a possible reason for this issue, you can check Minecraft system requirements first.

Fix 1. End all Minecraft processes in the background

Sometimes the Minecraft game won’t launch, because it got stuck in the background of Windows. When this issue occurs you will see that there are two MinecraftLauncher.exe. You need to end both tasks and reboot the game

Open task manager and close all the processes related to Minecraft and then play the game.

• Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc key together on your keyboard to open the Task Manager.
  In the Processes tab, right-click on the Minecraft and choose End task.
• Launch Minecraft again to check if it’s working properly.

Fix 2. Update your graphics card driver

Another reason why Minecraft won’t launch problem occurs on Windows 10 and 11 PC is the outdated or corrupted graphics drivers. To improve gaming performance you need to update the graphics driver. There are two methods to update graphics cards i.e. Manual and Automatic.

In the manual method, you need to visit NVIDIA/AMD sites and search for the latest compatible drivers and download them on your PC. If you don’t have relevant skills then there are chances that you might install the wrong drivers.

So we suggest you adopt an automatic method in which you need to download Driver Easy on your PC. This tool will automatically scan your PC for outdated graphics drivers and update it instantly.

Fix 3. Run Minecraft as administrator

There are certain Windows privileges that apps require to run properly. You need to run Minecraft as an administrator to fix not launching issues.

• Right-click on Minecraft and choose Run as administrator.
• Launch Minecraft and check to see if it’s working properly.

Fix 4. Delete Launcher Profiles

Minecraft launcher saves its profiles on your system that are loaded whenever you open up the launcher. Sometimes the profiles in the launcher get corrupted causing Minecraft won’t launch issue.

You need to delete the launcher profile from your system, follow these steps:

• First of all, open up the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R combination.
  In the Run dialog box, type in %AppData% and then hit Enter.
• This will open a File Explorer window. There, look for the .minecraft folder and open it up.
• Inside the .minecraft folder, delete the launcher_profiles.json file. You can also choose to just move from that directory to somewhere else if you don’t want to delete it.
• Once you have done that, open up the launcher again to see if it works.

Fix 5. End incompatible software

Multiple apps running in the background puts more load on the PC causing conflicts with the game. If you are also running unnecessary programs or antivirus software then close them and then run the game.

Discord, AVG Antivirus, BitDefender and etc. are on the list. So disabling your antiviruses and firewalls, shutting down your Discord, and run Minecraft.

Fix 6. Remove Mods

If the modded Minecraft won’t launch then there is a simple solution that is to remove mods. Various Mods are available for Minecraft and it’s normal to use mods when playing Minecraft.

However, mods sometimes change your game’s behavior and may cause unknown problems. So if you use mods while playing Minecraft, remove all mods you’ve installed.

Fix 7. Use the Compatibility mode

Some games are created for earlier Windows versions so these can work in the recent version of Windows 10. But there are chances that it won’t launch at all or properly. Compatibility mode allows games to use settings from an earlier version of Windows which can help you solve the Minecraft won’t launch issue.

• Right-click on your Minecraft and choose Properties.
• In the Compatibility tab check the box Run this program in compatibility mode for.
• Choose the operating system on the drop-down menu.
• Click Apply > OK.

Fix 8. Perform a Clean Boot

Running the PC in a clean boot state means that no other services will run except game services. When you turn on PC multiple services start running with it causing conflict. Simply close all these services and then play the game.

Follow these steps:

• First of all, open up the Start Menu and type in msconfig. This will show System Configuration in the results. Open it up.
• On the System Configuration window, switch to the Services tab.
• There, click the Hide all Microsoft services tickbox at the bottom-right corner. This will hide all the essential Microsoft services from the list shown.
• Then, click on the Disable all button to disable all the third-party background services
• Once you have done that, switch to the Startup tab. There, click on the Open Task Manager option.
• This will bring up a Task Manager window. Here, select an app and then click the Disable button. Do this for all the apps shown on the list.
• Once you have disabled all the apps, close the Task Manager window and then click OK on the System Configuration window.
• Now, go ahead and restart your system. Once your system boots up, open up the Minecraft launcher again to see if it works.

Fix 9. Reset Windows Store

In order to get rid of the Minecraft not launching issue, you can also consider resetting the Windows Store. Many Minecraft players claimed that this has worked for them. Follow the steps below to execute this tactic:

• Launch the Run Dialog box by pressing the Windows logo + R keyboard buttons at the same time.
• Then, write the text wsreset.exe inside it and press the Enter keyboard button.
• Wait for the command to execute.

Fix 10. 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!