Tutorials/Update Java

What is Java?
Java is a programming language runtime library. Minecraft is written in Java, and uses it for all game logic.

Currently the latest stable Java version is Java 7 update 21, and the latest development build is Java 8 build 86.

Why update?

 * Minecraft will not update Java.
 * Minecraft will not run without Java.
 * It may sometimes crash without the latest version of java.
 * Updating will fix lots of problems and bugs.
 * Some users report a performance increase upon updating.
 * This can also potentially fix some other issues.
 * Mojang will be dropping support for Java 5 from Minecraft 1.6 onwards.

Where to download
Obtain the latest stable Java update here.

You can also obtain the latest development build here. Please note that development versions of Java are unstable and may cause unexpected issues and crashes.

Note

 * If you have a 64-bit machine, it is advised to install the 64-bit version for optimum performance.
 * The browser version of Minecraft on most occasions requires the 32-bit version of Java.
 * It is advisable to uninstall all versions of Java on the machine before attempting to update.