Minecraft runs fine on Linux, but it probably isn’t available for easy installation in your Linux distribution’s package manager. How to prepare your Linux system for Minecraft.
We used Ubuntu 20.04.4 for this process, and that’s where our specific examples come from. But the process will be almost the same on any Linux distribution.
Install proprietary graphics drivers
Minecraft is a 3D application and therefore benefits from having good 3D drivers installed. If you have Intel graphics, you’re good to go – Intel graphics aren’t as powerful as NVIDIA or AMD graphics, but they work well with the standard, open-source graphics drivers provided by your Linux distribution.
If you have NVIDIA or AMD graphics, you should probably install the closed source NVIDIA or AMD graphics drivers. On Ubuntu, you can open the Dash to search for programs (just tap the “Super” key – on most keyboards, this is the key with a Windows logo on it). Type “drivers” to search for the appropriate panel and click the “Additional Drivers” link. In the Software & Updates window that appears, select the NVIDIA or AMD binary driver if it is not already selected and install it.
If you have another Linux distribution, do a web search to find the easiest way to install the NVIDIA or AMD binary drivers. You can run Minecraft with the standard open source drivers, but the proprietary drivers improve Minecraft’s performance.
Choose and install a Java Runtime Environment
Most Linux distributions don’t come with Java, so you’ll need to install it. You have two options here. There is an open-source version of Java known as OpenJDK that is available for easy installation in the software repositories of most Linux distributions. There is also Oracle’s own Java Runtime Environment. The OpenJDK and Oracle Java Runtime Environments are almost identical, but the Oracle Java Runtime Environment contains some closed source code that could improve graphics performance.
Many people report success with OpenJDK and Minecraft on Linux – it worked for us – but the Minecraft project still recommends using Oracle’s Java Runtime Environment. OpenJDK and the official Oracle Java Runtime Environment are getting closer, but you might still want the Oracle Runtime Environment for now.
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If you want to try the OpenJDK runtime, this package should be in your Linux distribution’s software repositories. You can just open your desktop’s software management tool and install it. On Ubuntu, click the shopping bag icon in the Dock to open the Ubuntu Software Center and search for “OpenJDK”. Install the latest version of the OpenJDK runtime. The process is the same for other Linux distributions – open the software management tool, search for OpenJDK and install the latest runtime.
If you want Oracle’s Java Runtime Environment, you can download it from Java.com. But you probably don’t want that.
In the past, Oracle has provided easy-to-install Java packages for Ubuntu and other Linux distributions, but they’ve largely stopped doing so in favor of promoting OpenJDK. You’ll probably want to use Oracle Java packages provided by other Linux users for easier installation. For Ubuntu users, there is a PPA with a Java installer package that will download Oracle’s Java files and install them properly.
To use the PPA, open up a terminal (click the Dash icon, search for Terminal and click the Terminal shortcut) and run the following commands, hitting Enter after each one:
sudo apt-add-repository ppa:linuxuprising/java -y
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install oracle-java17-installer oracle-java17-set-default
Agree to the prompts and accept the Oracle Java License Agreement when prompted.
Tip: Use the Tab key to select “Ok” in the terminal and then press Enter. Use the arrow keys to toggle between “Yes” and “No” if necessary.
Download and run Minecraft on Ubuntu or Debian
Next, download Minecraft. Go to The official Minecraft download page and click on the link titled “Debian or Debian-based distributions” if you are using Ubuntu or others Debian based Distribution.
Double-click the downloaded DEB file to install the Minecraft launcher.
Start the launcher like any other program on your system. Minecraft Launcher will be downloading and installing some of the game assets at this point, so give yourself a minute. Once that’s done, you’ll be prompted to sign in with a Microsoft or Mojang account.
Note: Microsoft forces legacy Mojang accounts to migrate to Microsoft accounts. As of March 2022, the Mojang account option was still there, but will likely be removed soon.
If you own the game, click the Play button and the launcher will take care of everything else, automatically downloading and launching the Minecraft game files. The launcher also handles updating Minecraft. Otherwise you can try the demo.
If you play Minecraft on another platform – for example on Windows – you can move your Minecraft saves to your Linux system.
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