Fix: Minecraft not Responding

Minecraft is developed by Mojang and is played by thousands of players worldwide. It started a while ago and has been successful since with support in Android and iOS along with its flagship PC application. It features an open world where players build items and buildings using raw materials.

Minecraft not responding is nothing new and occurs to even the strongest PCs and laptops now and then. The issue is mostly not related to PC specifications. There are numerous settings and configurations which may cause the application not to work as required and cause bizarre problems like the one under discussion.

What causes Minecraft to become Not Responsive?

We looked at several user reports and after experimenting with our own computers by creating the same conditions, we concluded that there are several reasons why the game becomes unresponsive. The game becomes unresponsive for several reasons and can stretch up to minutes and in some cases, indefinitely.

Before we move on to the solutions, make sure that you have an active open internet connection and are logged in as an administrator. Also, make sure that your Minecraft is backed up over the cloud.

1. Updating Java

Java packages contain several different files which are used by games and applications alike on your computer. Minecraft is a huge user of Java and it utilizes the framework so much that it has even added the “Java” tag in its title. Hence if your game is crashing, we will try to update Java manually and see if this does the trick. An incomplete Java installation on your computer is the most likely cause for the not responding issue.

First, we will check your OS type. Depending on the 32 or 64-bit version, we will proceed with updating data.

1. Right-click on This-PC present on your Desktop and select Properties.

2. Now in front of the System type check the type of operating system installed on your computer. Download the Java files from (here)

3. Now extract the file which you just download to an accessible location. Open the folder and copy the file version folder that you see.

4. Now press Windows + E to launch Windows Explorer and navigate to the following path:

C:\Program Files\Java   (for 32 bit)

C:\Program Files (x86)\Java   (for 64 bit)

Now paste the file which you copied to the location. Make sure that you copy the name of the folder which we just pasted.

5. Now launch the Minecraft mod manager and click on Edit profile present at the bottom of the screen.

6. Now underneath Java settings (Advanced), check the executable option and replace the correct path. In the picture above, the path of the file we just pasted is set correctly.
7. Restart your computer and launch Minecraft again. Check if the issue is resolved.

2. Updating Windows to the Latest Build

Windows is the main operating system in which the game Minecraft runs. If your Windows version is outdated, many applications will not work properly and will cause errors. Windows update is not just about the OS, instead, a single Windows update contains several bug fixes and improved features for several different modules including video and sound. If your Windows is not updated to the latest build, we recommend updating it as soon as possible.

1. Press Windows + S, type “update” in the dialogue box, and open the application.

2. Now Settings will be opened up. Click the button Check for updates. Now your computer will automatically check for any latest updates available and install them on your computer.

Note: An active internet connection will be required to apply the updates.

3. Granting Elevated Access

Usually, games running in an administrator account have no problems with permissions and usage of resources. However, this might not be true for some cases and Minecraft may not be able to utilize all the resources because of restricted access. In this solution, we will navigate to the main Minecraft executable and make sure that administrator privileges are granted. For this, you would need to be logged in as an administrator on your computer.

1. Navigate to the main directory where Minecraft is installed and locate the main game executable.
2. Now right-click on it and select Properties.
3. Once the properties window has opened, click on Compatibility using the top of the window and check the option Run this program as an administrator.

4. Press Apply to save changes and exit. Restart your computer and launch the game. Check if the issue is resolved.

4. Disabling Mods

Mods are very popular in Minecraft and there is a huge variety of them available on the internet. They enhance the player’s experience by adding more content and textures into the game and allows the player to add customized content. However, no matter how useful they are, they are known to conflict with the game’s mechanics since they directly interact with the game core and change variables.

Hence it is recommended that you disable all the mods installed on your Minecraft. You can either disable them or move the mods folder from the Minecraft directory to another one. Don’t forget to restart your computer properly before you start the game again.

5. Updating Video drivers

Every game makes use of Video drivers installed on your computer to display the game correctly on your computer. If you have older drivers installed on your computer or they are outdated, you will not be able to play Minecraft properly.

Now there are two ways through which you can update your video drivers. You can either navigate to your manufacturer’s website and download the driver pack (and run the executable) or you can try to update them manually as we do below.

1. Press Windows + R, type “devmgmt.msc” in the dialogue box, and press Enter.
2. Once in the device manager, expand the category of Display adapters, right-click on the graphics hardware, and select Update Driver.

3. Now you have two options. Either you can make use of Windows update so it might install the latest drivers automatically or you can manually navigate to the manufacturer’s website and choose the second option after downloading the file.

4. Restart your game properly after updating the drivers and check if you can run Minecraft without it getting unresponsive.

6. Disabling/Uninstalling Discord

Discord is a VoIP application that lets users communicate with each other while playing games. It offers an overlay that you can enable over any game and communicate with each other without alt-tabbing to any other Window. This is very useful but as you might have guessed, causes issues with Minecraft. It causes issues because the overlay is directly above the running game and if they don’t support each other, there will be a conflict which causes the unresponsive state.

Hence you should disable Discord from running. You should not open it at all after restarting your computer. If Discord is set to open automatically, you can check our article How To Stop Discord from Opening on Startup. Below is the method of how to Uninstall Discord.

1. Press Windows + R, type “appwiz.cpl” in the dialogue box, and press Enter.
2. Once in the application manager, search for the entry of Discord. Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.

3. Restart your computer after installing the application and check if the issue is resolved.

7. Waiting it Out

If all the above methods don’t work, you can try waiting it out. There are numerous cases where the not responding dialogue usually vanishes after a short while and the game loads up just fine. During the not responding dialogue, Windows is troubleshooting all the possible causes why the application is not running.

If the cause is identified in time, the fix is applied to the game and the game starts up as expected. According to user reports, there were some cases where the dialogue went away in seconds and in some, it took several minutes. If you have time, you can try waiting it out or you can move to the next solution and do a complete reinstall of the application.

8. Updating/Reinstalling Minecraft

If you have an outdated version of Minecraft on your computer, you should update your game as soon as possible. Minecraft developers release updates now and then to introduce new features to the game or fix the existing bugs. To force update the application, follow the steps below:

1. Start the Minecraft Launcher and click on Options next to the Username
2. Now click on Force Update. This will make the application look for available updates forcefully.

After the update process is complete, restart your computer and try launching the game and see if the issue is resolved. If updating doesn’t fix it or you are unable to even launch the launcher properly, you can go ahead and reinstall the game all over. Make sure that your progress is backed up in the cloud before moving on.

1. Press Windows + R, type “appwiz.cpl” in the dialogue box, and press Enter.
2. Locate the Minecraft entry, right-click on it and select Uninstall.
3. After uninstalling, restart your computer. Now navigate to the official Minecraft website and download the executable to an accessible location.

4. Before installing the game, press Windows + R, type “%appdata%” and press Enter. A directory will open. Move a step back and you will see three folders namely:

Local

LocalLow

Roaming

Navigate into each directory one by one and delete the Minecraft folders. Restart your computer again and now install the game using administrator privileges.

9. Scanning your Computer for PUP

Potentially unwanted programs can really interfere with your game and break a lot of settings on your computer, basically configuring it incorrectly. However, you can fix this issue by using a program named AdwCleaner. It’s a program by MalwareBytes that you can run on your computer it will automatically scan for bad programs, potentially unwanted programs and remove them from your computer. Keep in mind sometimes it’s important to remove these applications as they can be malicious to your computer. You can download AdwCleaner (here). Once downloaded, simply run it as an administrator and click the “Scan” button and everything that is potentially unwanted or malicious should be listed in front of you after a while. You can remove the programs from the list if you don’t want them to be removed.

If none of the methods shown above have helped you at all, it’s possible that there is something wrong with your Network Driver and It’s interfering with Minecraft. There is a workaround you can try, disconnect from your WiFi, open Minecraft, now try connecting again and check to see if the issue still persists. If you want a proper solution for this issue, you might have to reinstall your network drivers and install the ones provided on your Manufacturer’s website.