How to Force Update Minecraft on Windows 10

To force a Minecraft update on Windows 10, open the Minecraft Launcher, select Minecraft: Bedrock Edition in the left sidebar, open the Installation tab and click Check for Updates. If nothing happens there, open the Microsoft Store, select Library and click Get updates. For Java Edition, there’s no button to press: launch the Latest release version from the launcher and it downloads the newest version before the game starts.

Applies to: Minecraft: Bedrock Edition (listed as Minecraft for Windows in the Microsoft Store) and Minecraft: Java Edition on Windows 10 version 22H2, using the current Minecraft Launcher and Microsoft Store. The same steps work on Windows 11. Mojang describes the launcher route in its help article on manually updating Minecraft: Bedrock Edition on PC.

When you need to force an update

Minecraft normally updates on its own in the background. You usually notice a missed update only when a server or friend’s world rejects you with an outdated client message, a Realm says it’s on a newer version, or a Marketplace pack asks for a newer game version. The fix is the same each time: get your copy onto the current version.

Before you start

• Know which edition you play. Bedrock Edition is the version with crossplay (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, mobile) and the Marketplace. Java Edition is the original PC version that most mod packs use. Both open from the same Minecraft Launcher, and the PC game purchase includes both. Haven’t bought Minecraft yet? You can try Minecraft for free on Windows 10 with either the Bedrock trial or the Java demo before picking an edition.
• Sign in with the right account. Use the Microsoft account that bought the game, in both the Minecraft Launcher and the Microsoft Store. If the Store shows a Buy button for Minecraft, you’re signed in with a different account.
• Back up Bedrock worlds if your copy is old. Starting with version 1.21.120, the Windows version of Bedrock moved its worlds from the old Packages folder to %APPDATA%\Minecraft Bedrock. If you’re updating a copy that hasn’t been opened in a long time, copy your com.mojang folder somewhere safe first. The steps for finding Minecraft world files on Windows 10 show both the old and the new location.
• Close the game. An update can’t install while Minecraft is running.

Method 1: Force a Bedrock update in the Minecraft Launcher

This is the quickest route, and it’s the one Mojang’s help article describes.

1. Click Start and open Minecraft Launcher. If you can’t find it, type Minecraft Launcher into the search box on the taskbar.
2. If the launcher asks you to sign in, sign in with the Microsoft account that owns Minecraft.
3. In the left sidebar, click Minecraft: Bedrock Edition. (Older versions of the launcher call it Minecraft for Windows.)
4. Click the Installation tab at the top of the window. You’ll see your Bedrock installation and the version it’s on.
5. Click Check for Updates. If a newer version exists, the launcher downloads and installs it, and you’ll see a progress bar. If you’re already up to date, the launcher tells you so and nothing is downloaded.

6. When the download finishes, go back to the Play tab and click Play. Check the version number in the bottom-right corner of the main menu.

If the Installation tab offers Install instead of an update, the game isn’t installed on this PC (or the install was removed). Click Install, wait for it to finish, and you’ll get the current version.

Method 2: Update through the Microsoft Store

Bedrock Edition and the Minecraft Launcher are both Microsoft Store apps, so the Store can push an update when the launcher seems stuck. Microsoft’s page on getting updates for apps and games in Microsoft Store covers the same button for Windows 10 and Windows 11.

1. Open Microsoft Store from the Start menu or the taskbar.
2. Click Library in the lower-left corner of the Store window.
3. Click Get updates near the top right. The Store checks every app you own.
4. If Minecraft for Windows or Minecraft Launcher shows up in the list, click Update next to it, or let it download if it starts on its own.

5. Wait until the button next to Minecraft changes to Open. That means the update has installed.

Older guides tell you to click the three dots in the top-right corner and choose Downloads and updates. That menu belongs to the old Store design. The current Store, which most Windows 10 PCs now have, uses Library instead. If you’d like the Store to keep every app current without you checking, the walkthrough on updating apps in Windows 10 shows how to turn on automatic app updates.

Method 3: Update Minecraft: Java Edition

Java Edition doesn’t use the Microsoft Store for game updates. The launcher downloads the newest version each time you start the Latest release installation.

1. Open the Minecraft Launcher and click Minecraft: Java Edition in the left sidebar.
2. On the Play tab, open the version drop-down to the left of the big green Play button.
3. Select Latest release.

4. Click Play. The launcher downloads the new version first, then opens the game. The version number appears in the bottom-left corner of the title screen.

If you play on a custom installation (for example, one you made for a mod pack), it may be pinned to an older version on purpose. To move it to the newest version, click the Installations tab, hover over the installation, click the three dots, choose Edit, and set Version to Latest release. Mods built for an older version often won’t load on a newer one, so check the mod’s own page before you switch.

You may also see older advice to open Options in the launcher and click Force update. That button was part of the old Java launcher and doesn’t exist in the current Minecraft Launcher.

Which method should you use?

• Bedrock, normal case: start with the launcher’s Check for Updates (Method 1).
• Bedrock, launcher shows nothing new but friends are on a newer version: use the Store’s Get updates (Method 2), which also updates the launcher itself.
• Java: select Latest release and click Play (Method 3).
• Neither works: go through the fixes below in order, from the quickest to the most drastic.

If Minecraft still won’t update

Update the launcher and the Store first

An outdated launcher can fail to see a new game version. Mojang’s Minecraft download page says the launcher should update itself when you start it, and if it doesn’t, you can update it from the Library tab in the Microsoft Store. Run Get updates, let the launcher and the Store update, then try Method 1 again.

Clear the Microsoft Store cache

Press Windows key + R, type wsreset.exe and press Enter. A blank black window appears for a few seconds, then the Store opens with its cache cleared. Go to Library > Get updates again.

Install pending Windows updates

Store downloads depend on Windows Update components. Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, click Check for updates, install what it offers and restart. Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. PCs enrolled in Extended Security Updates keep getting security fixes through October 12, 2027, and anything already offered in Windows Update is still worth installing.

Sign out of the Store and back in

In the Store, click your profile picture at the top, choose Sign out, close the Store, open it again and sign back in with the account that owns Minecraft. Also check that the PC’s date, time and time zone are correct under Settings > Time & Language, because a wrong clock can stop Store downloads.

Repair or reset the app

1. Open Settings > Apps > Apps & features.
2. Find Minecraft for Windows (or Minecraft Launcher, if the launcher is the problem) and click it.
3. Click Advanced options, if it’s offered for that app.
4. Click Repair first. Repair keeps your data.
5. If Repair doesn’t help, click Reset. Back up your worlds before you do this, because a reset can remove the app’s local data.

Microsoft’s guide to fixing problems with apps from Microsoft Store lists the same repair-and-reset approach along with the Store troubleshooter.

Reinstall Minecraft

Copy your worlds to a safe place, uninstall Minecraft from Settings > Apps > Apps & features, restart the PC, then install it again from the Minecraft Launcher (Installation > Install) or from Library in the Microsoft Store. A fresh install always gets the current version. Your purchase is tied to your Microsoft account, so you won’t pay again. The full setup, including signing in and choosing an edition, is the same as when you install Minecraft on Windows 10 for the first time. If the Store itself has gone missing, see how to reinstall Microsoft Store in Windows 10 before you try again.

Common update problems

• The download sits at 0% or “Pending.” Other Store downloads are queued ahead of it. Pause or finish them in Library, check your internet connection, then run wsreset.exe.
• Error 0x80070005 or 0x80073CF9. These usually point to a permissions or storage problem. Free up space on the drive where games install, clear the Store cache, install Windows updates and try again.
• Error 0x80070490. This one is normally a Windows Update problem rather than a Minecraft problem. Install pending Windows updates, restart and retry.
• “Outdated client” or “outdated server.” “Outdated client” means you’re behind; update. “Outdated server” means the server is behind you, and only the server owner can fix that. On release days, the update can reach consoles, phones and PCs a few hours apart, so a friend may simply have it before you.
• Your worlds are missing after the update. On older copies, the 1.21.120 update moved Bedrock worlds to a new folder. Check %APPDATA%\Minecraft Bedrock, and don’t delete the old Packages folder until you’ve confirmed every world opens.
• The update installed but new features aren’t there. Some upcoming features only appear when you turn them on under a world’s Experiments settings, and some appear only in newly generated chunks.

How to confirm the update worked

Open the game and look at the main menu. Bedrock Edition shows its version in the bottom-right corner, and Java Edition shows it in the bottom-left corner. Compare it with the version your friend, Realm or server is using. For Bedrock, the launcher’s Installation tab also shows the installed version without opening the game.

There’s no supported way to undo a Bedrock update on Windows. Java Edition is different: you can create a new installation on the Installations tab and pick an older version from the Version list. Make a copy of a world before you open it in an older version, because worlds opened in a newer version may not load correctly in an older one.

Frequently asked questions

Does Minecraft still update on Windows 10 now that Windows 10 support has ended?

Yes, for now. Windows 10 still gets Minecraft updates through the launcher and the Store. In July 2026 Mojang raised Java Edition’s PC requirements and kept 64-bit Windows 10 as the minimum while recommending Windows 11, and it warned that systems below the minimum may stop working in the future. If your PC meets the Windows 11 requirements, upgrading keeps you on a fully supported system.

Why don’t I see a Check for Updates button?

Make sure you’ve selected Minecraft: Bedrock Edition in the sidebar and opened the Installation tab, not the Play tab. Java Edition has no such button, because it updates when you launch Latest release. If the button still isn’t there, update the launcher from the Store’s Library page.

Does updating Minecraft Preview update the main game?

No. Minecraft Preview is a separate app with its own install and its own worlds folder. Updating it doesn’t change your regular Bedrock version, so check for updates on Minecraft: Bedrock Edition itself if that’s the copy your friends use.

Do my Marketplace purchases and Realms survive an update?

Yes. Marketplace content and Realms are tied to your Microsoft account, not to the installed copy, so they’re still there after an update or reinstall. Local worlds are different: they live on the PC, so back them up before any reset or reinstall.

Next step

Once you’re on the current version, ask everyone you play with to run the same check so your versions match. If you play with ray tracing, it’s also a good moment to update your graphics driver; the steps for enabling RTX in Minecraft on Windows 10 say where to get it.