What Java To Use

With the release of Minecraft 1.18 we now have 3 different versions of Java that we need to have installed if we want to access all that Minecraft currently has to offer.

In short, you need the following versions of Java for the related versions of Minecraft. Please note that downloading from the Oracle Archive you’ll need to sign up for an Oracle Account.

Java Development Kit vs Runtime Environment

When possible you should try downloading the runtime environment as it’s typically lighter. However, if there’s only Development Kit builds available this is perfectly fine to download and use as they include the JRE (Java Runtime environment) as well.

Which Version Do I Download

Windows

By far most of our users are Windows-based users and this means they are using Windows 7, 8, 10, or 11 (or various versions in between). Most of these users should be running on a 64bit system and with the growing needs RAM wise of Minecraft we recommend the Windows x64 installer.

Mac

Mac (macOS) users can download the macOS Installer and be good to go.

Linux

Should you be using Linux you’re best off installing packages for your Distro directly, which is beyond the scope of this guide.

Minecraft is loading the wrong Java

This is typical, and you will need to set your current Java per each instance of Minecraft that users anything beyond your default Java version. Typically, the default version is the first or last version installed depending on your setup. Please check out our Launcher Guides for help on how to edit your instance. We highly recommend you duplicate or create a backup first.