[Updated May 2023] MineCraft Keeps Crashing – Repair Guide

When your Minecraft game crashes, it would typically closes out the game and show you an error report highlighting the cause of the crash. There are several reasons why this happens, a corrupt game file, an outdated driver for your graphics card, and a lot more may cause it.

Today, we will discuss the possible fixes if you encounter your Minecraft game crashing when you try to launch it.

Common Reasons Why Minecraft Keeps Crashing

In this section, we will discuss some of the most common reasons why Minecraft keeps crashing. Understanding these reasons can help you identify the root cause of the problem and apply the appropriate troubleshooting steps mentioned in this article.

1. Outdated or Incompatible Mods: One of the primary reasons why Minecraft crashes is due to outdated or incompatible mods. When Minecraft updates, the mods you installed might not be compatible with the new version. To fix this issue, make sure to update your mods or remove them entirely if they are no longer supported.
2. Insufficient System Resources: Minecraft can be resource-intensive, especially when running on lower-end systems. If your computer doesn’t meet the minimum system requirements, the game may crash or not run smoothly. Make sure your computer has the necessary resources to run Minecraft, such as RAM, CPU, and GPU.
3. Outdated Graphics Drivers: As mentioned earlier in this article, outdated graphics drivers can cause Minecraft to crash. Always make sure your graphics drivers are up-to-date to avoid any compatibility issues with the game.
4. Corrupted Game Files: Sometimes, Minecraft game files can become corrupted, causing the game to crash. This may happen due to various reasons, such as a sudden power outage, system crash, or problems with your hard drive. In such cases, reinstalling the game or repairing the game files can resolve the issue.
5. Conflicting Software: Certain software programs, such as antivirus and other security tools, can conflict with Minecraft and cause it to crash. Temporarily disabling these programs or adding Minecraft to their exceptions list can help fix the problem.
6. Overheating Hardware: Minecraft can cause your computer’s hardware to heat up, especially if you’re running the game for an extended period. Overheating can lead to crashes and even damage your hardware components. Make sure your computer is well-ventilated and consider using a cooling pad for laptops or additional cooling solutions for desktops.

By understanding these common reasons for Minecraft crashes, you can effectively troubleshoot and resolve the problem to enjoy a seamless gaming experience.

First Method – Restart Your Computer

Just like any other computer-related problem, simply restarting your computer may work like a charm. Restarting your computer is an easy and quick troubleshooting method to perform. Before you restart your computer, make sure that you properly close all the running applications and restart your computer. Once your computer is back on, open Minecraft and see if that fixed your problem.

Second Method – Update Your Minecraft Client

When it comes to games, most of the reasons they crash are because of bugs, which is why game developers religiously roll out new updates or patches to fix game-crashing bugs. In Minecraft’s case, the Mojang developers will automatically update at the game’s first launch. In this case, ensure you have a stable connection and do not interrupt the update.

If Minecraft still crashes after you update your client, continue with our troubleshooting methods.

Third Method – Manually Update Your Display Graphics Drivers

Outdated graphics drivers may also cause your games to crash. If this is the case, you should try updating the drivers for your graphics card.

1. Hold down the “Windows” and “R” keys and type in “devmgmt.msc” in the run command line, and press enter.

2. In the list of devices in the Device Manager, look for “Display Adapters,” right-click on your Graphics Card, and Click on “Update driver.”

3. In the next window, click “Search Automatically for Drivers” and wait for the download to complete and run the installation.

4. Once the driver has been installed successfully, restart your computer and check if Minecraft is working correctly.

Fourth Method – Disable Windows Defender Temporarily

There are instances when Windows Defender would put harmless files in quarantine. These are what you call “false positive” files. If a file from Minecraft has been detected as a false positive, this may cause the program not to work correctly, causing it to crash. To determine if it’s a problem with Windows Defender, you should temporarily disable it.

1. Open Windows Defender by clicking on the Windows button, type “Windows Security,” and press “enter.”

2. Click on “Virus & Threat Protection” on the Windows Security homepage.

3. Under Virus & Threat Protection Settings, click “Manage Settings” and disable the following options:

• Real-time Protection
• Cloud-delivered Protection
• Automatic Sample Submission
• Tamper Protection

4. Once all the options have been disabled, open Minecraft and check if the issue has been fixed. 

Fifth Method – Exclude Minecraft From Windows Defender

If Minecraft now works after you have disabled Windows Defender, it means blocking or putting Minecraft files in quarantine. You will now have to put the whole Minecraft folder in the allowlist or exception folder of Windows Defender. This means Windows Defender will not quarantine or block old or incoming files going to the Minecraft folder.

1. Open Windows Defender by clicking on the Windows button, type “Windows Security,” and press “enter.”

2. Under the “Virus & Threat Protection Settings,” click on “Manage Settings.”

3. Click on “Add or Remove Exclusions” under Exclusions.

4. Click on “Add an exclusion” and select “Folder.” Choose the “Minecraft Launcher” folder and click “select folder.”

5. You can now enable Windows Defender and open Minecraft to check if the issue has been fixed.

Sixth Method – Reinstall Minecraft

If none of the above-given fixes works for you, you need to reinstall the game. Note: doing this may erase the User data, so make sure to back up save game files or copy the user’s data from the game’s directory to another location.

1. Press the Windows key + R to open up a Run dialogue box.
2. Type “appwiz.cpl” and press Enter.

3. In the Programs and Features window, look for the “Minecraft Launcher” and click “Uninstall/Change.” Follow the on-screen instructions and restart your computer to complete the uninstallation process of Minecraft from your computer entirely.
4. Now, you have to download a fresh copy of Minecraft. Using your preferred browser, go to their official website, download the latest installer file, and install it as usual.
5. Once you have successfully installed Minecraft, launch the game and confirm if the issue has already been fixed.

Final Thoughts

Minecraft is one of the most famous games today. Yes, it has a considerable following, but it does not mean it is perfect. It may show some bugs and errors every once in a while, but most of the time, it can easily be fixed; you have to perform the correct troubleshooting steps.

Frequently Asked Questions About Minecraft Crashing Issues