How to download and install Minecraft on Mac
On a Mac, Minecraft runs through the Minecraft Launcher, a free app from minecraft.net that signs you in with a Microsoft account and downloads the game. Here is what you need before you start, how to install the launcher and where your worlds end up.
Minecraft
- macOS 12 or later
- Apple Silicon and Intel
- The game is paid. Microsoft account needed
Or the installer straight from the developer’s server:
The links go to the developer’s website (minecraft.net, launcher.mojang.com). MacWashing is not affiliated with the developer and keeps no installers.
Open Terminal (Applications › Utilities) and run:
brew install --cask minecraftHomebrew downloads the app from the developer’s server, checks the file and puts the app in Applications.
No Homebrew yet? How to install Homebrew: one command from brew.sh.
Before you download
The launcher is free, but to play you need Minecraft: Java & Bedrock Edition for PC, bought on minecraft.net, and a Microsoft account. On a Mac you play Java Edition: Bedrock Edition from the same purchase is for Windows, consoles and phones.
Minecraft lists macOS 12 or later as its minimum and macOS 14 or later as recommended. One launcher file works on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
Download the launcher only from minecraft.net. «Free Minecraft» downloads and mod sites are a common way to spread malware and steal accounts.
How to install Minecraft
- Open
Minecraft.dmgin your Downloads folder. - Drag Minecraft to the Applications folder.
- Eject the Minecraft disk: click the eject button next to it in the Finder sidebar.
- Open Minecraft from Applications and click Open when macOS asks about an app downloaded from the internet.
- Sign in with your Microsoft account, choose Minecraft: Java Edition and click Play: the launcher downloads the game first.
If macOS offers to install Rosetta on a Mac with Apple Silicon, click Install, then open the launcher again.
What to set up after the first launch
- Where your worlds are. The game, its settings and your worlds live in
~/Library/Application Support/minecraft. Worlds are in thesavesfolder. Copy that folder now and then: it is your backup. - Game versions. Each version you play, snapshots and modded installations included, is downloaded separately and adds hundreds of megabytes. Remove the installations you no longer use in the launcher’s Installations tab.
- Screenshots and mods. Screenshots, mods and resource packs go to the
screenshots,modsandresourcepacksfolders of the same game folder and grow over time. - The installer. Move
Minecraft.dmgfrom Downloads to the Trash once the launcher runs.
If Minecraft won’t install or start
- «Minecraft is damaged and can’t be opened». The download was incomplete. Delete it and download it again from minecraft.net.
- The game is slow or won’t start on an older Mac. Check your macOS version in About This Mac: Minecraft needs macOS 12 or later, and older Intel Macs may be below its minimum hardware.
- The launcher is broken after an update. Back up your
savesfolder, remove Minecraft completely and install it again: see how to uninstall Minecraft on Mac.
Alternatives to Minecraft
Keep your Mac tidy
System Junk in MacWashing finds the caches apps build up over time and shows how much space they take. And if you stop playing, the Uninstaller removes the Minecraft Launcher with its files.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Questions and answers
Is Minecraft for Mac free?
The launcher is free, the game is not: you buy Minecraft: Java & Bedrock Edition for PC once on minecraft.net. Without it, the launcher offers only the free demo.
Is Minecraft in the Mac App Store?
No. Minecraft for Mac comes only from minecraft.net, and you sign in to the launcher with a Microsoft account.
Can I play Bedrock Edition on a Mac?
No. On a Mac you play Java Edition, so you can join Java servers and play with friends on Java Edition on Windows, Mac and Linux.