With the addition of native Linux support a couple of years ago, Chrome OS users can now use a wide variety of apps and even games. This means that the full Java Edition of Minecraft can run on a Chromebook! In this noob-friendly guide, we’ll explain step-by-step how to install it.
Prerequisites
To run Minecraft on your Chromebook, you will need an x86 processor. Minecraft will not install on any ARM-based processors, unfortunately. If you don’t know what processor your Chromebook uses, the easiest way to find out is to go to chrome://system in your address bar, do a Ctrl + F for “cpuinfo” and expand the row out.
Next to “model name,” if you see “Mediatek,” that most likely means that you have an ARM Chromebook. If you see “Intel” or “AMD,” that most likely means that you have an x86 Chromebook. ARM processors are also most often found on cheaper Chromebooks.
Steps
1. The first step is to check if you have a supported Chromebook and enable Linux. Go to Settings > Linux (Beta) > Turn on. Follow the steps on the screen. Setup can take a few minutes.
2. This step is technically optional but will make for a much better playing experience. Some options may only work on select Chromebooks, too. You’ll enable three “Chrome flags.” The first flag will allow for GPU support in Linux apps and the last two flags fix a notorious mouse-locking bug.
The italicized “URLs” below are what you need to copy and paste into Chrome and enable. Next to the corresponding highlighted flag, select the blue box and change it to Enabled.
chrome://flags/#crostini-gpu-support
chrome://flags/#exo-pointer-lock
chrome://flags/#enable-pointer-lock-options
Afterward, select the blue Restart button in the lower right.
3. Next, we’ll download the Minecraft Linux file. This obviously assumes that you’ve already bought the game, so head over to minecraft.net/download/alternative and next to “Debian / Ubuntu,” click Minecraft.deb. The Linux software installed on your Chromebook is a Debian variant, thus, we need the Debian Minecraft package to install.
4. Open the Files app and select the Downloads folder. Locate the Minecraft.deb file you recently downloaded and double-click on it. In the dialogue box that pops up, select Install. Follow any installation procedures. This should also add a Minecraft app shortcut in your Chrome OS app launcher as well (it may look like a little penguin icon).
5. Log in with your Minecraft/Mojang account, hit Play, and voilà! You’ve got a playable version of the Minecraft Java Edition installed on your Chromebook.
Depending on how weak or powerful your device is, you may still need to adjust some of the graphics in Minecraft’s settings. Here is how I configured some of my video settings in Minecraft for smoother gameplay:
- Graphics: Fast
- Smooth Lighting: Off
- Render Distance: 10 chunks
- Max Framerate: 30 fps
- Clouds: Off
- Particles: Minimal
- Entity Shadows: Off
OptiFine
If your gameplay is still pretty bad even after the above tweaks, then I highly recommend getting OptiFine. OptiFine helps to bump up your framerate by optimizing Minecraft for lower-end devices. Here’s how to install it on your device:
1. Download OptiFine for the Minecraft version you want to play from optifine.net/downloads. Don’t click the green “download now” button. Wait 5 seconds and click the red “skip” button in the top right.
2. Open the Files app and select the Downloads folder. Locate the OptiFine_1.XX.X_HD_U_XX.jar file you recently downloaded and drag it into Linux files on the left.
3. Open “Terminal” from your app drawer and run the following command without brackets:
java -jar [full name of file].jar
So, for instance, this command could be something like this depending on the version:
java -jar OptiFine_1.13.2_HD_U_F5.jar
4. In the window that pops up, just select Install, and then once it finishes, you can close Terminal.
5. Open the Minecraft Launcher, and in the “Installations” tab, click Play next to the newly added OptiFine version.
Here are some recommended OptiFine Settings to use. In the Minecraft menu screen, go to Options and select Video Settings:
- Shaders: Off
- Under Performance Settings:
- Fast Render: Off
- Smart Animations: On
- Under Quality:
- Minimap Levels: 3 or less
Feel free to delete the Minecraft.deb and OptiFine jar files once complete. Furthermore, if there’s ever a new Minecraft Launcher update, all you need to do is download the new Minecraft.deb file and install it again. No data will be lost.
If this guide worked for you, let us know in the comments down below! If you ran into any issues, do also let us know in the comments and we’ll try to assist with what went wrong.
