How do I access the (original?) Minecraft launcher?

SwankyJay42 · May 17, 2022

Long before Microsoft was involved with Mojang and Minecraft, I bought 2 copies of Minecraft for PC. Now with the integration into GamePass my daughter is no longer able to play her copy on her PC. It just constantly redirects us to purchasing it again, purchasing GamePass, or playing the demo. I have GamePass Ultimate. We also game share. However, it won't let her access it on her own profile. She has to log in as me, on my email, on my pc in order to play it at all. Previously it was simple. Download the launcher from Mojang, enter 1 of the 2 emails associated with Minecraft accounts, and done. Microsoft support has been less than useless on this, and just keeps suggesting that I "follow the instructions" on the Minecraft screen. which is buy it again. I have bought it 2x for PC, 2x for xbox, 1 time on disc, 1 time on switch. NONE of those accounts are allowing her to play on her PC without "buying it" again. Where can I just get a launcher that allows me to put her email address in, and she can just play? It shouldn't be this hard.

:)

Ricardo Lechuga

Hi SwankyJay42! My name is Ricardo an independent advisor ready to help you with this situation!

All launchers allow you to use the email account to log in, you did the purchase trough a Microsoft account or with a Mojang account?

If was with a Mojang account, have you already migrated the account?

Only the account that has the purchase of the game can play the full edition of the game, the older launcher is no longer available for download

hellothere111111111

How do minecraft.net and launcher have anything similar? What I said is, I can't get access to the minecraft.net page as it says I haven't bought Minecraft even though I have and my Minecraft launcher has everything ok, except for the part that I can't login into my Mojang account because I think it was deleted

Coherantgull64

I just accessed it with the old launcher and it was able to recognize that I own Minecraft Java Edition. However, I cannot access Minecraft for Windows with that launcher and thus I cannot play Windows Edition.

ChrisDelta

Update: I don't know why, I don't know how, but for some bizzare reason that I couldn't WISH to explain I somehow logged into the Minecraft launcher with my microsoft account WITHOUT KNOWING ANY CREDENTIALS AT ALL!!!

I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS HAPPENED

I now have access to my Minecraft (NOT Microsoft) account without knowing the email or the password.
What do I do now???

Lumie Helps

Hi there Hayden Y.

I am Lumie and I would love to assist you today.

I am so sorry you are having issues logging into your account.

Clear Cached Credentials

Clearing the cached credentials can stop the automatic sign-in process.

Windows:

Open Credential Manager:

Press Windows Key + S and type "Credential Manager".
Open Credential Manager.

Remove Minecraft Credentials:

Select "Windows Credentials".
Look for any entries related to Minecraft or the Minecraft Launcher.
Click on them and select "Remove".

MacOS:

Open Keychain Access:

Use Spotlight (Command + Space) and type "Keychain Access".
Open Keychain Access.
Delete Minecraft Entries:

In the left pane, select "Login" and "All Items".
Search for any entries related to Minecraft or the Minecraft Launcher.
Right-click and delete them.

Reset Minecraft Launcher
Resetting the Minecraft Launcher can sometimes clear out any problematic settings or cached data.

Windows:
Reset Minecraft Launcher:
Press Windows Key + I to open Settings.
Go to "Apps" and find Minecraft Launcher.
Click on it and select "Advanced options".
Scroll down and click "Reset".

MacOS:
Delete Preference Files:
Open Finder and press Command + Shift + G.
Type ~/Library/Application Support and press Enter.
Find the Minecraft folder and delete it or move it to a backup location.

Modify the Launcher Profile Manually
Manually editing or deleting the profile used by the launcher might force it to prompt for new credentials.

Windows:

Access Minecraft Directory:

Press Windows Key + R, type %appdata%\.minecraft, and press Enter.
Edit or Delete Profiles:

Find the launcher_profiles.json file.
Open it with a text editor like Notepad.
Look for the account details and either modify or delete the relevant sections.
Alternatively, you can delete the entire launcher_profiles.json file (the launcher will recreate it).

MacOS:
Access Minecraft Directory:

Open Finder, press Command + Shift + G, and go to ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft.

Edit or Delete Profiles:

Locate the launcher_profiles.json file.
Open it with a text editor.
Modify or delete the relevant account sections.
Or delete the launcher_profiles.json file.

Reinstall Minecraft Launcher
If the above steps do not work, reinstalling the Minecraft Launcher can resolve many issues.

Windows:
Uninstall Minecraft Launcher:

Press Windows Key + I to open Settings.
Go to "Apps" and uninstall Minecraft Launcher.
Reinstall Minecraft Launcher:

Download the latest version of the Minecraft Launcher from the official Minecraft website and install it.
MacOS:
Uninstall Minecraft Launcher:

Open Finder, go to Applications, and drag the Minecraft Launcher to the Trash.
Empty the Trash.

Reinstall Minecraft Launcher:

Download the latest version of the Minecraft Launcher from the official Minecraft website and install it.

Create a New Windows User Profile
Sometimes, user-specific data can cause issues. Creating a new Windows user profile can help bypass these problems.

Windows:
Create a New User:

Press Windows Key + I to open Settings.
Go to "Accounts" > "Family & other users".
Click "Add someone else to this PC".
Follow the prompts to create a new user.
Log in with the New User:

Log out of your current account and log in with the new user account.
Install and run the Minecraft Launcher from the new account.

I hope this helps!

Let me know if I can be of any further assistance. -Lumie

How do I access the (original?) Minecraft launcher?