I recently built a new computer and wanted to install the Minecraft launcher. I went directly to the downloads section of Minecraft.net and grabbed the installer for Windows 10/11. Easy peasy, I thought to myself. At first the installer ran, but soon it became apparent that process froze.
I closed the installer since it had not moved for over 15 minutes and decided to try again, only this time I got an error message.
Sighing, I decided to try getting the app directly from the Microsoft App store. This time it installed but clicking on the launcher did absolutely nothing. The game never launched, and no tasks created inside Task Manager. So back into the app store I went, finding the launcher and clicking play. Then a new error message popped up.
Clearly, I was not meant to use this version of the Minecraft launcher. I was also not alone, with hundreds of reviewers having the same exact problems and rating the app with one star. Even the few 5 stars I found still noted the same issues, and in some cases, just left a bad review while giving it a 5-star rating.
Overall, the score at the time of this writing remains at 2.2 stars.
So, what is the solution? Well, first I uninstalled the app from Settings -> Apps. Next, I went to the Minecraft download page and downloaded the Windows 7/8 package. Then I installed it and was brought to the all too familiar launch page, where I was able to finally sign in and play the game. Though, humorously, it prompted me to try the new and improved launcher… from the App store. No thank you, Microsoft.
