Minecraft is an immensely popular game that allows players to create and explore virtual worlds. However, encountering a crash on startup can be a frustrating experience for players. Fortunately, there are several solutions to fix this issue in Windows 10. In this article, we will provide a guide to help you troubleshoot and fix the Minecraft crash on startup issue. We will provide step-by-step instructions and valuable tips to make sure that you can get back to playing Minecraft without any further interruptions.

Update Graphics Card Driver

There are several reasons why the Minecraft crash on startup problem is happening to you, such as corrupted game files, your antivirus blocking parts of the software, outdated graphics drivers, or simply using the wrong settings. Let’s start by making sure that your graphics driver is up to date. If you’re using an NVIDIA GPU, I suggest using the GeForce Experience application, but you can also use the AMD driver suite.

Navigate to the Drivers tab and click Download, and the application will automatically download and install the latest driver. You can also access some in-game settings in the Home section when selecting Details for Minecraft. In case you’re using a low to mid-end PC, click on the wrench icon and use the slider to increase your game’s overall performance.

Update Operating System

Search for Update to open up your Check for updates system settings window. Click on Check for updates, and after downloading the latest OS update, restart your PC.

Update Java on your Windows PC

Click here to get to the official Java download page. The free 64-bit Java update should be installed on your system when trying to play the Minecraft Java edition.

Close Minecraft & 3rd-Party Applications

After ensuring that everything is up to date and the issue persists, the problem might be related to software running in the background. Right-click your taskbar to open up your Task Manager. In the Processes tab, close all instances of Minecraft that are still running in the background, such as the Minecraft launcher. In addition, end the processes and applications from running, which could show an overlay while playing the game, such as the GeForce experience application, Steam, Discord or your browser.

Allow Minecraft to Bypass the Firewall

Search for Firewall to open your Firewall & Network Protection System settings window.

Windows Defender Firewall > Allow an app through Firewall

Navigate to Allow an app through firewall. Click on Change Settings, and then you should be able to find Minecraft in this program list. Simply uncheck the box to allow it to communicate through your firewall.

Adjust the Minecraft Compatibility Settings

Search for Minecraft, right-click the Minecraft Launcher, and select to open up the file location. This should open up your File Explorer containing the Minecraft launcher shortcut. Right-click the shortcut and select Properties. In the compatibility tab, make sure to Disable Fullscreen Optimizations, and in your Change High DPI settings, select to Override high DPI scaling behavior.

minecraft launcher properties.jpg — Minecraft Properties > Compatibility

Delete the Windows Temporary Files

You can now close these windows, search for %temp% and hit enter. This folder contains all of your temporary files, which are saved by your programs and should be deleted. You can safely delete everything in this folder. Some files might remain, so leave them there.

Delete the content of your %temp% folder

Fix Corrupted Minecraft Install Files

If the crash issue persists, the problem should be related to your game files. Again, in your taskbar search, enter %AppData% and hit enter. Navigate to your Minecraft folder, and make sure to back up your saves. This folder contains all of your saved games. You should then delete the Minecraft folder. The next time you open up the Minecraft Launcher, it will re-download all of the assets you need to play the game. You can then drag and drop your saved games into the Minecraft folder. This will, in addition take care of any mods which could be hindering you from playing the game properly.