In previous versions of the Launcher, it let you use a newer version of Java then the minimum requirement. Now, you get Java Runtime version error when using a Java version newer than the minimum requirement.
Your Java Runtime is incompatible. Please edit your installation to use the bundled Java Runtime.
Name Java version mismatch
URL http://aka.ms/jnierror.
It happens with Java 18 EA on 1.18. It also happens with Java 18 EA and Java 17 on 1.17. It also happens with Java 17, Java 16 and Java 11 on versions older than 1.17. It should only block older Java versions, not newer ones. It does not happen when using Java 8 to launch a version that is compatible with Java 7.
Workaround: Delete the JavaCheck.jar file from the game folder. On macOS, it can be found in ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/launcher/launcher.bundle/Contents/Resources. On Linux, it is in ~/.minecraft/launcher.
Linked issues
is duplicated by 7
MC-230729
Launcher refuses to start with newer Java for older minecraft versions
Resolved
MCL-18411
Can't Launch Minecraft 1.17 in Java 17.
Resolved
MCL-18710
copmplains about Java Runtime version
Resolved
MCL-18740
Unable to launch Minecraft versions before 1.17 with Java 16
Resolved
MCL-18845
[DUPLICATE] Java Runtime Incompatible Error when launching 1.16.5 with Java 11
Resolved
relates to 2
Attachments
Comments 33
I'm having A similar issue. I set the Java exetubable path to /usr/lib/jvm/java-16-openjdk-amd64/bin/java (that's Linux, sorry if you're unfamiliar with that) for 1.16.5 and it worked flawlessly before the launcher update.
This also impacts using AdoptOpenJDK 16 to launch a modded 1.16.5 game. Worked just fine yesterday. Deleting "C:\Program Files (x86)\Minecraft Launcher\game\JavaCheck.jar" did allow me to launch the game.
Confirmed on a Windows Server 2019 machine, The minecraft launcher has a broken java checker where it cannot detect newer java versions properly without thinking it's outdated in one way or another. + Any other version that however meets the JDK 16 context also fails to launch and thous requires the java-checker to be removed in order to run.
EDIT: Older versions of Minecraft such as 1.16.5 can also no longer run newer java versions as javacheck.jar also now blocks them entirely aswell.
Can confirm this bug also
Can confirm on 2.2.3201 on Windows 10. Very annoying as I can't even use ZGE anymore with Mojang's java 16 version
I can also confirm for 2.2.3201 on Windows 10, trying to use Java JDK 16.0.1 to play Optifine 1.16.5, which I had been doing successfully since the Java 16 requirement for 1.17 was announced. I signed up for an account here to report this, but will instead throw in with this issue report.
EDIT to add: I applied the workaround by renaming JavaCheck.jar to JavaCheck.jar.disabled, and that's got it working again.
I then wondered if creating an empty folder named JavaCheck.jar would block updates from re-breaking it, or if that would cause errors, so I tried it. I got an "Unable to access jarfile" error complaining about it when I click Play, but the game launched fine otherwise. I decided it was too annoying so I deleted the empty folder. No idea if it would have blocked updates of the jar file. I'm just going to hope this issue is fixed by the next Launcher update.
Confirmed on 2.2.3201 windows 10 with Fabric 1.16.1 installed with Oracle Java 16 JDK. Removing JavaCheck.jar seems to solve this issue
Given that JavaCheck.jar basically just outputs java.version as a string, it looks like something in the launcher changed how it's handling those version strings.
The following is output from my system's embedded and AdoptOpenJdk JREs java.version strings.
PS C:\Users\TechyShishy> C:\Program Files (x86)\Minecraft\runtime\jre-x64\bin\java.exe -XshowSettings:properties -version 2>&1 | Select-String ' java.version'
java.version = 1.8.0_51
PS C:\Users\TechyShishy> & 'C:\Program Files\AdoptOpenJDK\jdk-15.0.2.7-hotspot\bin\java.exe' -XshowSettings:properties -version 2>&1 | Select-String ' java.version'
java.version = 15.0.2
java.version.date = 2021-01-19
My best guess is that it's a 1.15 vs 15 issue, but without writing some further code I can't confirm that yet.
I have similar problem with older versions of MC and different java version than bundled 1.8, reported as [MCL-18710]:
the installed java version (1.11) is marked as incompatible with versions 1.7-1.16, while they all were playable with java 1.11.
Edit: removing JavaCheck.jar helped me too.
Launcher version 2.2.3555 just got pushed to me on Windows 10, and reverted the work-around (as expected). Re-applying the work-around worked.
The Java Minecraft Launcher updated (at least on Windows 10) today ((says September 19th for Launcher 2.2.5519, Bootstrap 1037 on September 15, and UI 7764 on September 19), but I was running it over the weekend (September 25-26) with the work-around and no update was applied) and undid the work-around (removing/renaming JavaCheck.jar).
I can confirm that I am also having this issue today, Sat Oct 9th, 2021. When trying to launch Minecraft when using the java-17-openjdk-amd64 on Ubuntu it fails to start giving the following error.
Your Java Runtime is incompatible. Please edit your installation to use the bundled Java Runtime.
Name: Java version mismatch
URL: http://aka.ms/jnierror
Reverting to java-16-openjdk-amd64 via the update-alternatives command fixes the issue. However this is only a workaround. Newer versions of Java should ALWAYS be supported. Especially in this case since Java 17 is a Long Term Support release.
I do this and I receive the GLFW error 65542 OpenGL error. Is there a way to fix this?
I can't reproduce it in 2.2.7207(Windows), can someone confirm it?
Still present for me on 2.2.7205 macOS, which seems to be the latest version I can get even with beta versions turned on.
I just checked it with the latest launcher on Linux and Java 17. This issues still exists. Please reopen.
Issue present in...
Windows 10.0 2.2.7265
Tuesday, November 2, 2021, 2:47:51 PM
Windows Version 6.3 2.2.7265 (2021-11-03) is affected too.
But this time I didn't just delete JavaCheck.jar but created an empty file with the same name instead and set its read only attribute.
Minecraft starts without issues this way (no error message or anything).
Hopefully this will keep future launcher updates from re-inserting JavaCheck.jar (next step would be to remove read-only attribute and reduce access rights with eg. NTFS user rights).
Creating an empty read-only JavaCheck.jar keeps the MC launcher from updating itself and thus from launching altogether until the offending file is removed (or made writable again) 😞
Also affected version 10.0 2.2.7447 just now. Work-around still working.
Confirm, still happening. "
Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS x86_64
Workaround is working.
As of today, 12/15/2021 with the latest launcher, this bug is still in effect. Whenever the launcher updates, I have to re-delete JavaCheck in order to use my own JRE without the game immediately crashing.
Beware: In Windows 10 Home edition, the current Minecraft Launcher that has no visible EXE in the file system, and launches the newest Minecraft Java Edition which is currently 1.8.1, seems to have no JavaCheck.jar to be deleted, according to Windows Search on "This PC" (because I believe I deleted it along with the rest of the old exe-based version of the Launcher), and yet I'm getting the very similar "jni error has occurred" error message, which took the place of the error message in this ticket, after I updated to newest jdk and jre – at present jdk-17.0.1 and jre1.8.0_311. Even so, I can launch Minecraft 1.6.2 fine when selecting that in the Launcher's dropdown.
In other words, beware that there is something in the details of (how this workaround is done, or the newest Minecraft Launcher, or related to how PATH is set up, or related to updating jdk and jre separately, I don't know yet) that seemed to cause the workaround to create another (very similar) jni-related crash problem, when launching Minecraft 1.8.1.
I figure this can be solved by uninstalling the newer jdk and/or jre and installing the exact version(s) that Minecraft 1.8.1 expects, whatever that might be.
@unknown The JavaCheck.jar for the new launcher is located at "%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.4297127D64EC6_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Local\game"
I'm on Mac, it STILL doesn't work, the error still pops up, is there anything else I can do?
This has recently started happening to me on 1.8.9. I'm using the latest version of java 8 (jre 1.8.0_351).
1.7.10 is also affected.
I'm NOT going to run bundled mammoth's dump old versions of Java on my system.
Does anyone know of a "permanent" workaround of this issue? I can't play the game if JavaCheck.jar isn't deleted (Using Java 17 on version 1.16.1). But I have to delete this file every time the launcher updates and redownloads the file. Just want to stop playing whack-a-mole with JavaCheck.jar...
This bug has been around for 2 years, and yet nothing has been done to fix it? If I'm not missing anything, has anything ever been done to look at this simple bug, like I feel like modifying the JavaCheck to include newer versions of either the JRE or JDK, it would be fixed by now. Especially considering, the version that is supported by the JavaCheck is before a major security update, leaving this game wide open to a major security flaw...
It is still happening with me.
[media]
(Version of MC 1.20.1)
For anyone running into this: we need some system info from you; please contact support as a next step: https://aka.ms/MCLauncherSupport
Confirmed for 2.4.104.
[media][media]
System Info
OS: Windows 11 Pro 64-bit version 22H2 build 22621.1848
Java Version: 20.0.1 64-Bit
RAM: 64GB
CPU: Intel® Core™ i9-9900K
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
GL Version: 3.27.0.112 NVIDIA 536.23
New option "Skip Java runtime version check" has been added to new installation window.
Closing as fixed.
owlfalls35
Can reproduce with non-Oracle versions of Java - running Minecraft with AdoptOpenJDK or Liberica JDK/JRE results in the same error. Minecraft worked perfectly fine with these versions until the launcher update.