Issue: Every time I open the Minecraft launcher it opens to the "play" tab of the Minecraft: java edition tab, as expected, but it will always, without fail, default to a Minecraft installation that is not the most recently played version. I can open the launcher, select the version I want, hit play, and play the version I selected, but every time I close Minecraft and re-open the launcher, it will default back to the same version that isn't the most recently played version.
things I have tried:
+ downloading the installer, and using the option to repair the Minecraft Windows legacy launcher (I've repeatedly tried installing the newer one but every time I try it fails and gives me an error message)
+ manually deleting all Minecraft launcher files, then installing the launcher again
+ manually editing the "Launcher_profiles.json" and removing the offending Minecraft version. this resulted in the launcher always defaulting to a different minecraft version.
when doing this last step, I noticed that inside the "launcher_profiles.json" file, the most recently played date for the version I kept launching wouldn't change, and was stuck on Sept 10th. I tested it again, making sure to close the text editor, the folder, and anything that might have that file open, to make sure it was available for the launcher to edit, and the last used date did not change.
it appears the launcher is not editing this file. I tried the same test again, except I restarted my computer so no programs could possibly have it open. same issue. I made sure the file wasn't marked as read-only, and it wasn't. I tried creating a new installation and launched it, then I closed Minecraft and checked back on the file, and saw that while the "created" date was correct, but the "lastused" date was "1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z" which appears to be the earliest possible date in UNIX time. so the launcher CAN modify the file, but it refuses to update the "lastused" date, causing this issue.
some information about the launcher version:
launcher: "Windows 10.0 3.1.13"
bootstrap: "2.0.16"
UI: "3.1.13"
Linked issues
duplicates 1
Comments 4
ok, another update:
TL;DR its 1000% not a permissions issue or an issue with that specific file being open.
i renamed the "launcher_profiles.json" file to "launcher_profiles.BAK", and the launcher created a new launcher profiles .json and I tried launching the latest snapshot (it defaults to latest release, so theoretically the launcher should remember that I chose latest release most recently) and I launched it, opened a world, exited the world, closed Minecraft, and opened the launcher again. it did not remember it again. i haven't opened the new launcher profiles .json file that was created by the launcher, and this 1000% rules out that its opened in another program, and also rules out any permissions issue with the Minecraft directory.
final update, i was able to find that this is a duplicate of another bug report, and I'm sorry for wasting everyone's time. Im not sure how to close this ticket as a duplicate, but there is a more detailed and earlier submitted version of this bug here:
MCL-24212
Thank you for your report!
We're tracking this issue in MCL-24212, so this ticket is being resolved and linked as a duplicate.
If you would like to add a vote and any extra information to the main ticket it would be appreciated.
If you haven't already, you might like to make use of the search feature to see if the issue has already been mentioned.
Quick Links:
📓 Bug Tracker Guidelines – 💬 Community Support – 📧 Mojang Support (Technical Issues) – 📧 Microsoft Support (Account Issues)
📓 Project Summary – ✍️ Feedback and Suggestions – 📖 Game Wiki
-- I am a bot. This action was performed automatically! The ticket was resolved by one of our moderators, and I left this message to give more information to you.
Long story short, the Minecraft Launcher CAN modify the "launcher_profiles.json" file, but it refuses to modify the "lastused" property of Minecraft installations inside that file.
I've verified that no programs had the file open and that the launcher CAN modify the file, and the issue persists.