Java Edition version history/Development versions

Starting in the period between Beta 1.7.3 and Beta 1.8, Mojang began to publicly release testing versions of full updates in order to get major feedback, especially for bug reporting, so that the official update is considerably more stable. While these versions were public, they were not auto-installed by the game and are completely optional.

In Beta, these versions went under the tag of "Pre-Release", candidates subject to release for 1.0.0 as "RC#", and post-1.0.0 were given a name under a special syntax (see below).

To install a development version, simply download the minecraft.jar file, place "minecraft.jar" in your .minecraft/bin/ directory and run Minecraft as usual. For GNU/Linux, some extra work needs to be done to get the 1.3 snapshots going.

Note: This is not a page for reporting bugs; they should be posted on the relevant Known bugs page instead.

Weekly Snapshots
The format for the snapshots is YYwWWx.

YY is the two-digit year, WW is the two-digit week number within the year, and x is a unique identifier, starting with "a", in case there is more than one release per week, and "w" simply stands for "week".

Minecraft 1.4 (The Pretty Scary Update) Snapshots & Pre-releases
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%" !width="75"|Version !width="90"|Date of Addition !Additions Summary !width="80"|Download Client Server (or .exe) Client Server (or .exe)
 * 12w39a
 * September 21, 2012
 * Lighting system overhauled.
 * Lots of blocks interact correctly with lighting now (stairs, slabs)
 * Few sound tweaks
 * When you place glass, ice etc it won't sound like you break it anymore
 * Fixed witch being white for some
 * More bugfixes & slight tweaks.
 * When you place glass, ice etc it won't sound like you break it anymore
 * Fixed witch being white for some
 * More bugfixes & slight tweaks.
 * 12w38b
 * September 21, 2012
 * Updated sound engine and fixed wrong sounds
 * Added minecart sounds
 * Changed level-up sound
 * Changed fall-damage sound
 * Changed the new block placing sounds (implemented in 12w38a) back to original sounds
 * New cave sound
 * The fire charge makes the same sound as flint and steel when used
 * A few tweaks to the witch mob.
 * Can't hurt themselves now.
 * Texture changed slightly.
 * New drops
 * Misc potion ingredients
 * Sticks
 * Chance to drop what they're holding at the time of death
 * New creeper fall mechanics
 * Creepers will explode if they fall on you from a certain height.
 * Chance to drop what they're holding at the time of death
 * New creeper fall mechanics
 * Creepers will explode if they fall on you from a certain height.
 * 12w38a
 * September 20, 2012
 * The Nether loads faster when going through a portal
 * In Creative mode, teleportation is instantaneous
 * The water overlay is more saturated blue.
 * Updated and added new sounds by C418
 * New footstep sounds: sand, gravel, soul sand, grass block, ladders, snow, and stone
 * New block-placing sounds: wood, stone, plants, sand, gravel and torch. New sounds are unintended and are the same as in the Pocket Edition
 * New block breaking sounds: wood, snow, glass
 * New mob sounds: cow, chickens, pigs, Enderman (watched/observed, attacked, etc.), zombie, spiders, skeleton, and slime
 * New tool sounds: flint and steel, shears (when shearing sheep) and hoe when you till dirt
 * Lava and flowing water now have constant noise
 * Added level up sound, but will be changed later for a shorter one
 * Added sound when Withers break blocks.
 * Added a passive mob (bat)
 * Spawns in dark caves
 * Spawns in Peaceful mode
 * Sleeps during the day
 * Hangs on the ceiling when idle, starts flying when players come near
 * Added a hostile mob (witch)
 * Their nose slowly bobs up and down when not hostile.
 * Throws splash potions of poison, slowness, weakness and instant damage at you
 * Regenerate health over time
 * Hold an empty bottle and raise their noses when attacking
 * Drink potions of instant health and fire resistance to defend themselves in combat
 * Rarely drop potions of instant health and fire resistance
 * Is immune to some splash potions
 * Does not spawn naturally (yet), but a spawn egg exists for it in Creative mode
 * Command block target parameters have been upgraded
 * Beacon artwork was changed
 * The beam of light was changed
 * The texture of bedrock under the beacon is removed.
 * Wood blocks have a different rotation algorithm. Instead of using the player’s position, they rotate based on the face they are placed upon, like a lever (this is mainly a test).
 * Stone monster egg blocks (which spawn Silverfish) will rarely generate underground in Extreme Hills biomes.
 * The texture of bedrock under the beacon is removed.
 * Wood blocks have a different rotation algorithm. Instead of using the player’s position, they rotate based on the face they are placed upon, like a lever (this is mainly a test).
 * Stone monster egg blocks (which spawn Silverfish) will rarely generate underground in Extreme Hills biomes.

Client Server (or .exe) Client Server (or .exe)
 * 12w37a
 * September 13, 2012
 * Tweaks to the Wither.
 * It creates an explosion around itself once it is done regenerating from spawning.
 * The Wither now will randomly shoot slow blue-colored versions of wither skull projectiles when idle.
 * Added "Re-Create" option to the World selection menu.
 * Allows you to create a new world as a copy of an existing save, defaulting all of the world options and the world seed to match the original.
 * 'Carrots' are now singularly 'Carrot'.
 * Added pumpkin pie.
 * Tweaks to a couple of item sprites.
 * Bread, raw chicken, cooked chicken, raw beef, steak, raw porkchop, cooked porkchop, red apple, and Nether Star no longer have a dark outline.
 * Carrots changed to match their singular title.
 * Golden Carrot sprite changed to match new carrot sprite.
 * Heads are now correctly centered.
 * Baked potates do not have steam above the main texture anymore.
 * Leather armor now has a non-dyed layer.
 * Time of the redstone signal of the wooden/stone button extended from 9 to 12 redstone ticks
 * Superflat customization GUI:
 * Comes with 7 presets: Classic Flat, Tunnelers' Dream, Water World, Overworld, Snowy Kingdom, Bottomless Pit (Broken), and Desert.
 * Custom starts off with Classic Flat with three options: Add Layer, Edit Layer, Remove Layer. Adding and editing are not yet included.
 * You can customize superflat without add/edit layer option using the "seed" in the preset list.
 * Fishing now gives the player XP.
 * Pigs are now able to jump when players ride on them.
 * Pigs will cease to move when ridden in water. (player weight or bug?)
 * Added  command to empty the inventory.
 * Hostile mobs are now a little bit more fearless in hard difficulty.
 * Mobs will risk taking fall damage to reach the player, provided it will not be deadly to themselves.
 * Seems to be more Wither skeletons in Nether Fortresses.
 * Heads can now be customized to be player heads using an NBT tag
 * Mobs will risk taking fall damage to reach the player, provided it will not be deadly to themselves.
 * Seems to be more Wither skeletons in Nether Fortresses.
 * Heads can now be customized to be player heads using an NBT tag
 * 12w36a
 * September 6, 2012
 * Updated Wither
 * Place 4 pieces of Soul Sand in a vertical T-shape and place 3 Wither Skeleton Skulls on top to create it.
 * Drops one Nether Star upon death.
 * When spawned in the Overworld, the sky will get darker.
 * Gives players "Wither II" effect when hitting them.
 * Its name is now displayed correctly above its HP bar.
 * Added Wither Skeleton mob which only shows up in the Nether.
 * Gives players "Wither" effect when hitting them.
 * Carry and rarely drop stone swords when killed by players.
 * Drops bones and coal.
 * Has a high chance to spawn from an skeleton egg if the player is in the Nether
 * Wither skeletons can replace skeletons on spider jockeys.
 * Spawned by using a spider spawn egg in the Nether.
 * First mob to be exclusive to Creative mode.
 * Added one new painting depicting the creation of a Wither.
 * Added Carrot on a Stick.
 * Used to maneuver pigs.
 * Pigs follow the player when holding carrots
 * Can also attract pigs similarly to wheat.
 * Main purpose is to control saddled pigs while ridden.
 * Added Nether Star
 * Used as a crafting ingredient for the Beacon block
 * Added heads
 * Five types in this version:
 * Skeleton Skull
 * Wither Skeleton Skull
 * Zombie head
 * Creeper head
 * Human head
 * Wither Skeleton Skulls are dropped very rarely by Wither Skeletons.
 * Other heads are only available via the creative inventory.
 * Can be used as hats
 * Updated the Beacon block, now shows up as Beacon.
 * New model and textures.
 * Can now be crafted by surrounding a Nether Star with 3 blocks of obsidian on the bottom and 5 blocks of glass around the top
 * Retextured the Golden Carrot.
 * Chickens now use seeds instead of wheat to breed.
 * Chickens now follow the player when a seed is in hand.
 * Pigs can be bred with carrots.
 * Zombies and skeletons that pick up items will now always drop them after dying.
 * Saddled pigs will now always drop saddles on death.
 * Minor changes to dyeing.
 * Leather armor now uses two overlayed textures, one being the color.
 * Minor changes to the leather dyeing - the colors will attempt to maintain intensity and not dilute as much
 * Carrots and potatoes can now be found in either Villages or growing in Jungle biomes.
 * The zombie and Zombie Pigman models and textures have changed.
 * No visual difference, except that it breaks old texture packs.
 * Carrots and potatoes can now be found in either Villages or growing in Jungle biomes.
 * The zombie and Zombie Pigman models and textures have changed.
 * No visual difference, except that it breaks old texture packs.

Client Server (or .exe) Server (or .exe) Server (or .exe)
 * 12w34b
 * August 24, 2012
 * Changed recipes for buttons. They now require 1 stone block/wooden plank to craft.
 * Leather and diamond armor textures slightly changed:
 * Leather armor sleeves are extended by one pixel.
 * Their item texture has been changed to match the new texture.
 * Diamond armor sleeves now have a notch on the inner side.
 * Removed "map_#/#" on the map and added "Map #" in the tool tip
 * Added boss names above boss health.
 * When taken down to half health, Withers will gain Wither armor, making them immune to arrows.
 * Occasionally, zombies, skeletons, and zombie pigmen will spawn with the ability to pick up items on the ground.
 * Armor will automatically equip. Items will instantly be held, which is not exclusive to weapons. This means these zombies can be found holding items they have come across, such as rotten flesh.
 * This will cause zombie pigmen to drop their sword.
 * This will cause skeleton to drop their bow.
 * The attribute applied to allow them to pick up items is called CanPickUpLoot.
 * Arrows caught on fire (or by enchantments) are able to ignite TNT when on contact.
 * In the Overworld, Zombie Pigmen are eager to get back in the Nether Portal (e.g., if the player makes a portal and spawn Zombie Pigmen in Creative, it will run into the portal).
 * Client
 * In the Overworld, Zombie Pigmen are eager to get back in the Nether Portal (e.g., if the player makes a portal and spawn Zombie Pigmen in Creative, it will run into the portal).
 * Client
 * 12w34a
 * August 23, 2012
 * Added item frames.
 * Crafted like a painting but with leather instead of wool.
 * Added cobblestone wall and mossy cobblestone wall.
 * Added flower pot.
 * Added new Full-screen toggle to the Video settings.
 * Added new use Vsync toggle in the Video settings.
 * Improved maps
 * Maps now align to a grid, making it easier to create adjacent maps.
 * A compass and paper do now create an empty map
 * An empty map has no data on it until you right click on it. The point on your world where you right clicked it is the map's center
 * A map (with data) can be cloned. Cloned maps are stackable
 * Maps can be zoomed out (but not zoomed in)
 * Stairs now auto-arrange into corners. This is a test and may change based on feedback.
 * Mobs (and all other entities) can travel through portals.
 * Fire charges shot from a dispenser or a Blaze create the "fireball" sound effect.
 * Leather armor can be dyed.
 * The default color of leather has changed.
 * You can right-click a full cauldron with dyed armor to remove dye.
 * Tamed wolves' collars can be dyed.
 * Removed the “Work in Progress block” from the Creative menu.
 * Added two new crops (carrots and potatoes) and associated items.
 * Carrots
 * Golden carrots
 * Potatoes
 * Baked potatoes
 * Poisonous potatoes
 * Carrots and potatoes can be planted in tilled soil.
 * Zombies have a chance to drop a carrots and potatoes.
 * F3+P will toggle the auto-pause when the window loses focus (mainly for debugging).
 * F3+H will toggle detailed item descriptions (also for debugging).
 * Added arrow-sensitive wooden buttons.
 * The particle effect when a trade with a Villager has been successful has changed.
 * Trapdoors can be placed in top-most position (based on cross-hair aim).
 * Added a mob called a Wither, only available through external modification such as editing mob spawners, mods, or hacks. It shoots exploding projectiles called Wither Skulls and destroys nearby blocks. It also has a boss health bar.
 * Added Potion of Invisibility.
 * Mobs do not attack you until you bump into them.
 * Potion also hides the player's name tag.
 * Fire spreads differently based on difficulty.
 * Brewing recipes for Potions of Night Vision and Invisibility added:
 * Potion of Night Vision is brewed by adding a golden carrots to a Awkward Potion.
 * Potion of Invisibility is brewed by adding a Fermented Spider Eye to a Potion of Night Vision.
 * Added an unused texture in gui/items.png.
 * Mob grinders now give less XP when you farm them continuously.
 * Saplings now have a smaller hitbox.
 * The f: item on the F# debug screen now shows the exact direction the player is looking, between -180 and 180 degrees from south.
 * Client
 * The f: item on the F# debug screen now shows the exact direction the player is looking, between -180 and 180 degrees from south.
 * Client
 * 12w32a
 * August 9, 2012
 * Villagers will now react positively on new trades, and negatively if you hurt them
 * This effect only takes place if the villager recognizes nearby housing, most commonly with naturally spawned villagers
 * There is a third, unused particle effect added of a villager's face looking angry. Angry Villager Particle.png
 * Villagers will not remove trades, but trading something else may be required to renew the old ones
 * Zombies, skeletons and Zombie Pigmen sometimes spawn wearing equipment including enchanted weapons and any type of armor, depending on the difficulty level.
 * Added Zombie Villagers
 * Villagers have a chance of turning into zombies after being killed by one.
 * Zombie spawn eggs may spawn zombie villagers.
 * Zombie villagers can naturally spawn.
 * Zombie villagers can be cured, becoming normal Villagers again.
 * To do this, first use a Splash Potion of Weakness on it. Then, right-click on it with a level one Golden Apple. After several minutes, it will turn back into a normal villager.
 * Rarely, villagers can spawn in the Nether near nether portals.
 * New "villages.dat" file in the data folder of world saves
 * Added the Command Block intended for adventure maps.
 * It can run server commands when triggered by a redstone signal.
 * You can use @player or @p as a placeholder for the nearest player.
 * This block will not be craftable and is currently not available in the creative mode inventory, but can be obtained via the command /give 137
 * New commands:
 * /difficulty
 * /gamerule [value]. Value can be defined as false / true. All rules except keepInventory are true by default. The available rules are as follows:
 * doFireTick (false=fire cannot spread)
 * mobGriefing (false=creeper explosions do not damage blocks)
 * keepInventory (true=keep inventory on death)
 * doMobSpawning (false=mobs do not spawn)
 * doMobLoot (false=mobs do not drop loot)
 * doTileDrops (false=blocks do not drop items when breaking)
 * /spawnpoint [player] [  ]
 * /weather  [duration in seconds]
 * Added the Beacon Block (Named "Work in Progress" ingame).
 * By building a pyramid composed of storage blocks such as Blocks of Emerald or Blocks of Diamond and placing this block on top, the player gains access to several powers.
 * A full pyramid can provide level II powers, should the player select the level I variation in the primary powers section.
 * It can not be crafted, although a crafting recipe is planned.
 * It can be obtained via the "Miscellaneous" tab in the creative inventory, or with the /give 138 command.
 * The minimum range is 16 blocks
 * Gives off a light level of 15, as bright as Glowstone
 * Players within the blocks' range will be given the selected effects every 4 seconds
 * The best configuration of blocks requires 164 blocks
 * A working Potion of Night Vision is in the creative inventory.
 * Zombie attack animation shows when it's holding a weapon.
 * Iron Golems now attack slimes and Magma Cubes.
 * The attribution of the quotation at the end of the credits was changed from "Mark Twain" to "Unknown".
 * Iron Golems now attack slimes and Magma Cubes.
 * The attribution of the quotation at the end of the credits was changed from "Mark Twain" to "Unknown".

Server (or .exe)
 * Client
 * }

Beta 1.9 Pre-releases
Considered the "Lost Update", a full version under the name "Beta 1.9" never came. Instead, Mojang opted to delay the release of this update until MineCon 2011 and release it under the name "Minecraft 1.0.0". This decision was made after a few development versions tagged as Beta 1.9 were already sent out, so the name Beta 1.9 was kept for all of the development versions in the gap between Beta 1.8.1 and Minecraft 1.0.0, other than the Release Candidates.