6 Ways to Fix the Minecraft Launcher Not Working on a Windows PC

The launcher app for starting Minecraft doesn’t open when it’s not working. This is a common issue one player described on Reddit as follows: “Every day when I want to play Minecraft, the launcher won’t open. The PC registers my click on the launcher, but it’s like the launcher won’t even try to start.” The Minecraft Launcher often doesn’t show any error message when it fails to open. Users can’t play Minecraft when they can’t access its launcher. This is how you can fix the Minecraft Launcher not working on a Windows 11/10 PC.

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Run the Minecraft Launcher With Admin Rights

First, try applying the simpler potential fixes for the Minecraft Launcher not working, such as starting the app with elevated privileges. Right-click on your Minecraft Launcher desktop shortcut to select Run as administrator. Alternatively, input the Minecraft Launcher keyword into the Windows search box, right-click the matching result, and select Run as administrator.

The Run as administrator option

Repair the Minecraft Launcher and Gaming Services Apps

Selecting to repair the Minecraft Launcher and Gaming Services MS Store apps is a widely confirmed way to fix this gaming issue. You can apply this potential resolution by utilizing the Windows Repair option for all MS Store apps. This is how you can repair those apps in Windows 11/10.

1. First, press the key with the Windows logo along with S to activate a search box.
2. Enter Apps & features and select to open that part of Settings by clicking the search result for the keyword.
3. Select the Minecraft Launcher app and click Advanced options. In Windows 11, click the three-dot menu button for that launcher app and select Advanced options from there.
4. Press Repair to (hopefully) fix the Minecraft Launcher.
   
   

   The Repair option for Minecraft Launcher

5. Repeat steps three and four to select Advanced options and Repair for the Gaming Services app.

Delete the Launcher_profiles.json File

Launcher_profile.json is a profile data file for the Minecraft Launcher. A corrupted launcher_profile.json file is often the cause for the Minecraft Launcher not working on Windows PCs. You can repair a corrupted launcher_profile.json file by deleting it (the file regenerates after erasure). These are the steps for erasing the launcher_profile.json file.

1. Open Run with its handy Windows logo button + R key combination.
2. Input %AppData% inside the Run dialog box and select OK.
3. Open the .minecraft folder from the Roaming subfolder.
4. Scroll down to the launcher_profiles.json file in the .minecraft folder.
   
   

   The launcher_profiles.json file

5. Right-click the launcher_profiles.json file to select Delete.

Erase the Mods Folder

Do you have any Minecraft mods? If you do, some problematic mods could be causing issues for the Minecraft Launcher. Try removing those game mods by deleting the folder for them like this.

1. Open the .minecraft folder as instructed in the first three steps of the previous resolution.
2. Click the mods folder once to select that directory rather than open it.
3. To erase the selected mods folder, click Delete on Explorer’s command bar or Home tab.

Configure Windows 11/10 to Clean Boot

There’s quite a big list of apps known to have compatibility issues with Minecraft, which you can view on this MinecraftHopper page. To minimize potential software conflicts with Minecraft, set Windows to clean boot. This means disabling all the third-party apps and services enabled to start with Windows and restarting your PC. Check out the Microsoft clean-boot page for details about how to apply this potential fix for the Minecraft Launcher not working.

The Services tab in MSConfig

Reinstall Minecraft Launcher

Reinstalling the Minecraft Launcher will likely fix any corrupted files for that app. I recommend trying other potential fixes first, such as repairing the app. However, reinstall as a last resort to fix the Minecraft Launcher not working. These are the steps for reinstalling the launcher.

1. Go through steps one and two of this guide’s first resolution to bring up Apps & features.
2. Select Minecraft Launcher and click its Uninstall option. Or click the menu button for the app and select Uninstall from there.
3. Click Uninstall a second time to confirm.
   
   

   The Uninstall option for Minecraft Launcher

4. Next, download and reinstall Minecraft Launcher by clicking Get or Install on its MS Store page. Alternatively, you can download the launcher from the Minecraft site.

Other Possible Ways to Fix the Minecraft Launcher Not Working

The potential solutions above will usually fix the Minecraft Launcher not working. However, you can also try applying these extra potential resolutions if necessary.

1. Temporarily disable antivirus shields before you try to start the Minecraft Launcher.
2. Open Task Manager and disable all Minecraft game and launcher processes in the Processes tab if you see any.
3. Download and install the latest driver for your PC’s graphical processing unit (GPU).
4. Click Check for updates on the Windows Update tab in Settings to update your Windows 11/10 platform.

Players widely confirm the resolutions covered here fix the Minecraft Launcher not working. You can also ask the Minecraft technical support service for further potential fixes by submitting a support ticket from this help center page. However, try applying most of the suggested troubleshooting methods above first.