How to download free Minecraft for PC

After seeing it in a lot of videos on YouTube, have you decided to try Minecraft too but you don’t know how to install it on your PC? Would you like to download the game for free, to check it works and see if it is really for you, but you don’t know where to get it legally? Maybe I can help you find what you are looking for.

I’m sorry to inform you that the PC version of Minecraft is not free, it costs 23.95 euros, but by connecting to the official website of the game and creating an account on it, you can get a trial that works for free for 100 minutes (5 days per game world) and then allows you to switch to the full version of the game while keeping all the progress recorded on your profile. Alternatively, you could try playing the free version available via a web browser.

It seems to me an excellent solution to test the game and find out if it is really for you. Do you agree? Well, then I would say not to waste any more time and see now how to download Minecraft for free for PC . Follow the directions I am about to give you carefully and you shouldn’t encounter any difficulty in playing the game. I bet you will love it!

Index

• How to download Minecraft Java Edition for free
  • System requirements
  • Install Java
  • Create a Mojang account
  • Download the game
• How to download Minecraft Windows 10 Edition for free
  • Preliminary operations
  • Download the game
• Play Minecraft Classic from a browser

How to download Minecraft Java Edition for free

If you want to download Minecraft Java Edition for free on your Windows or macOS PC , the procedure to follow is simple and I will describe it to you in the following chapters.

System requirements

Before explaining how to install Minecraft Java Edition on your PC, it is important to indicate the minimum or recommended requirements that your computer must meet, in order for this video game to run correctly.

Minimum system requirements (Java Edition)

• CPU: Intel Core i3-3210 3.2 GHz / AMD A8-7600 APU 3.1 GHz or equivalent.
• RAM: 2GB.
• Integrated video card: Intel HD Graphics 4000 (Ivy Bridge) or AMD Radeon R5 series (Kaveri line) with support for OpenGL 4.4.
• Dedicated video card: Nvidia GeForce 400 series or AMD Radeon HD 7000 series with support for OpenGL 4.4.
• HDD: at least 1GB of free space.
• Operating system: Windows 7 and later, macOS 10.9 Mavericks and later, Linux (distributions starting from 2014).
• Internet connection to download game files and play online.
• Latest version of  Java

Recommended system requirements (Java Edition)

• CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz / AMD A10-7800 APU 3.5 GHz or equivalent.
• RAM: 4GB.
• Video card: GeForce 700 series or AMD Radeon Rx 200 series with OpenGL 4.5 support.
• HDD: 4GB (SSD recommended).
• Operating system (64bit recommended): Windows 10, macOS 10.12 Sierra, Linux (distributions starting from 2014).
• Latest version of  Java.

In case your computer meets the above requirements, but you are not sure if Java is installed on your PC, I recommend that you read the next chapter carefully.

Install Java

Minecraft Java Edition is a version of Minecraft compatible with Windows, macOS and Linux. For it to run correctly, the Java Runtime Environment must be installed on the PC. So connect to the Java website and click first on the Free Java Download button and then on  Accept and start the free download.

At the end of the download, open the .exe file you just downloaded (eg  JavaSetupxx.exe  or chrome install-xx.exe ) and click first on  Yes, in the box that is shown to you, and then on  Install, in the installation screen. Therefore, wait for all the files necessary to install Java to be downloaded from the Internet and, if you are asked to install additional components, refuse them and press the Close button.

If obsolete Java installations are found on the PC, in the screen that is shown to you, put a checkmark on the corresponding items relating to these old versions and click on the Uninstall buttons and then click  Next. If you are not asked to uninstall any version of Java, but you suspect that there are other older software versions on your PC to remove, try following the directions in my guide on how to uninstall Java.

Alternatively, you can completely skip the installation of Java on your PC, using the procedure indicated in the lines above, as during the installation of Minecraft all the additional components necessary for the correct functioning of this video game will be downloaded, including Java.

Create a Mojang account

To download Minecraft on your PC you need to create a free account on the video game website. Then connected to Minecraft.net, click on the Login item, which is located at the top right, and then press on the wording Register one here. Therefore, fill out the form that is proposed to you with all the requested information.

In the E-mail address and Repeat e-mail address fields you must enter your e-mail address, in Password you must type the password you intend to use to access your Mojang account (and therefore Minecraft), while in the drop-down menu Date of birth you must indicate your date of birth.

Once you have completed all the fields of the form, put a checkmark in the box I accept the collection of usage data and presses the Create account button. Then, type in the text field the verification code you should have arrived by email and click ‘ Verify, to complete the account registration Mojang.

At this point, you will be asked if you want to buy the full version of the game (which costs 23.95 euros): if you agree, provide the data of a valid payment method and complete the transaction to download the package immediately. game installation. Otherwise, go back to the Minecraft.net home page and follow the instructions you find in the next chapter.

Download the game

Now that you have a Mojang account, you can download Minecraft for free for PC, using the procedure that I will show you in the next lines. On the homepage of the Minecraft.net site, press the ☰ icon, located at the top right and, in the box you see, press the Try and download item. At this point, in the new screen, press the Download button to download the .msi file on Windows or .dmg on macOS.

When the download is complete, on Windows, double-click on the file you just downloaded and first click on Next for two consecutive times and then on Install, Yes and Finish, to complete the installation process and start Minecraft. Before the game’s home screen appears, some files necessary for the game to work may have started to download.

On macOS, double-click the .dmg file you downloaded and, in the screen that is shown to you, drag the Minecraft icon to the macOS Applications folder. At this point, at the end of the installation procedure, right-click on its icon and then press Open twice in a row, in order to bypass the macOS restrictions.

On the Minecraft launcher screen, type the email address and password you chose when registering on the Mojang site and press Login, to view the main Minecraft menu.

At this point, click on the Play demo button, wait for some files to be downloaded from the Internet, press Play in the demo world and the game should start automatically within a few seconds. If you need help understanding how to play Minecraft, check out my guide on the subject!

How to download Minecraft Windows 10 Edition for free

If you have a computer with Windows 10, through the Microsoft Store, you can download Minecraft Windows 10 Edition, a version of this video game that, unlike the Java one, which I told you about in this chapter, supports crossplay with other platforms ( smartphone, tablet and console).

If you are interested in downloading this version of Minecraft, what you need to do is follow the procedures that I will show you in the next chapters.

Preliminary operations

To download Minecraft Windows 10 Edition, it is important that you have a Microsoft account, to be associated with the Microsoft Store. To do this, I recommend that you consult my guide on how to create a Microsoft account.

Also, you need to know that there are hardware and software requirements for this version of Minecraft to work properly on your Windows 10 PC. In the next few lines, I will tell you the minimum and recommended requirements to run Minecraft Windows 10 Edition on your computer.

Minimum system requirements (Windows 10 Edition)

• CPU: Intel i5-4690 / AMD A10-7800 or equivalent.
• RAM: 4GB.
• Video card: Intel HD Graphics 4000 or AMD Radeon R5.
• Operating system: Windows 10 version 14393.0 or later.
• Internet connection to download game files and play online.

Recommended system requirements (Windows 10 Edition)

• CPU: Intel i7-6500U / AMD A8-6600Ko equivalent.
• RAM: 4GB.
• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce 940M or AMD Radeon HD 8570D.
• Operating system: Windows 10 version 14393.0 or later.
• Internet connection to download game files and play online.

Download the game

Now that you know the requirements to be able to play the evaluation version of Minecraft Windows 10 Edition, it’s time to download it from the Windows 10 Microsoft Store. To do this, start the latter and click on the Search button, at the top right. At this point, type in the terms minecraft for windows 10 and click on the corresponding search result.

In the tab of this video game on the Microsoft Store, press the icon (…) on the right and select the item Install evaluation version. In case you have not yet associated a Microsoft account with the Windows 10 store, you will be shown a screen, through which you can enter your credentials. At the end of the download and installation procedure, press the Play button to start.

Play Minecraft Classic from a browser

If you want to play Minecraft for free, without having to install any client, what I recommend is to try Minecraft Classic, usable through any web browser.

This edition does not represent the current Minecraft gaming experience, as it is the first published version of this video game. In fact, you will not be able to explore the world or go around in search of adventures, but you can only destroy or build, within a limited area, using the 32 blocks available.

The positive note, however, is that you can play together with your friends (up to nine), in a very simple way: you just need to share the link that is generated when the game world is created, using the appropriate Copy button, present on the main Minecraft Classic web page.

Through this main screen, you can set your nickname and, by pressing the Start button, you can start playing.