Minecraft 1.21.1 debuted for Java Edition on August 8, 2024, as a hotfix update to fix a few critical exploits that were being used to intentionally crash multiplayer servers.

If you want to download and use Minecraft on your Windows computer for free, check out the three methods mentioned in this post.

Typically, when players want to play Minecraft on their mobile devices, they have to do so through a version of the game that runs on the Bedrock Edition codebase.

If you own a Chromebook, "Minecraft: Java Edition" is available to you via Linux. Here's how to download and install the popular game on a Chromebook.

First, launch up Minecraft Java Edition via the Minecraft Launcher. Once you’ve done this, locate the Installations tab at the top. Click this to open a different panel.

Rather than enrolling in a dedicated beta program, Minecraft: Java Edition allows you to select a slice of pre-release software for you to try.

"Minecraft" should update automatically, but you can check for updates manually in a few different ways.