Potential Workaround
First make sure the launcher and game are closed, then go to your Minecraft folder and delete launcher_msa_credentials(.json) and try starting the Minecraft Launcher again.
Windows Users: Press Windows + R on your keyboard, type %appdata%/.minecraft and click OK.
Mac Users: Press ⇧ Shift + ⌘ Command + G on your keyboard, type ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft and click Go.
I just bought and downloaded minecraft and i've tried everything in my power to fix this, but when i open minecraft launcher it will not go off of a grey screen. no button or login options at all
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Please fix this soon, I've been having this problem for 2 weeks now..

Try updating your Graphics Card/Software for your graphics card

Hello,
Just yesterday the luncher worked fine but today it does not. But I saw things that change the problem. I had the same issue with the grey screen when the launcher start but I noticed that we can click on things. Even if i see nothing I am able to click on "Skins" and a page appears.
With this I can navigate though different tabs but if I click on "jouer" (play in english i guess) or in minecraft dungeons or "Actualités" (news in english ?) the launcher become grey. Every other things work fine.
The weird thing is that, when the launcher is grey and I click on "Configurations" it stays grey but when I click on Skins and then on Configurations I can see the page.
Between yesterday and today I installed, via the Twitch App, the mod Pack All The Mod 5 and when I clicked on it the launcher didn't start and then when I open minecraft directly the grey screen appeared. Since that, I uninstalled minecraft, the TwitchApp, reinstalled minecraft but nothing has changed.
Here is the launcher_log :
[media]
I hope this comment will help.
EDIT : just downgraded to Java 7 and it works ! I restarted my computer yesterday so maybe java was waiting for that to have an update. All I know is that it was Java 8 but nothing more.

So far deleting launcher_msa_credentials.json in appdata has seemed to fix the issue, could this be added as a workaround?

😛 and what if the launcher_msa_credentials.json is not in the appdata directroy?

Hi - I am also having this issue. I tried the potential workaround but that did not work. Please let me know if you have any questions or need some information from me.

There is no such file in my .minecraft folder

Can you somehow install an older version of the launcher that doesn't have the problem?

I bought the game but for half an hour I can't play, just go to the demo version, what should I do?

I have tried removing launcher_msa_credentials.json but there is no change - same thing happens again when I start up Minecraft (blank screen but cursor changes shape when moving across the button beneath the blank overlay).
Refer to this issue that I created (contains log, further description, etc): MCL-16912,
This has been an issue for months now, please prioritise.
Br.
Jakob

I have tried everything to solve this issue, I used to play MC Dungeons perfectly in my PC and all of the sudden it just doesn't work anymore. I have tried every workaround such as updating windows, drivers, removing the file stated above and nothing seems to work. Such a shame to have paid a game that just doesn't work.
Please prioritise this issue.

I'm also having this problem, and no one will help. I tried the workaround as well, and it did nothing. For me, it happened the day after my computer updated to the Windows 10 version, so I'm not sure if that has something to do with it?

Having this problem too. How is minecraft a game where I have to constantly fix or adapt stuff in order to have a working game?

Not opening the launcher for a while, I was required to log-in again, but the gray screen appeared right after the Microsoft login page started to appear.
The cause was my DNS server intentionally blocked "vortex.data.microsoft.com" as it classified it as excessive ads/tracking, so I had to change networks for the login page to work, which is an undesired and unnecessary workaround.
I don't know why such a violent error (preventing sign in) for a single DNS query failure used for telemetry and tracking. I am able to login into Microsoft's services (including logging in into minecraft.net profile using a Microsoft account) on my browser using this same DNS server, so this one domain isn't essential for the authentication process.
Please, consider reviewing this DNS query failure exception handler so that we can log in without changing DNS servers. Note that the issue isn't my DNS server, the issue is an unnecessary domain lookup totally blocking the entire authentication page, this shouldn't happen unless the main domain address of the page being requested failed, which isn't the case.
Logs:
We do not have enough information to find the cause of this issue.
Please attach the full launcher log found in
[minecraft/launcher_log.txt|http://hopper.minecraft.net/help/guides/finding-minecraft-data-folder/]
.This issue has been temporarily closed as Awaiting Response. Once the requested information has been delivered, the report will be reopened automatically.
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