Launcher requiring Java 6 on OS X 10.10 Yosemite

Voted for this issue as there's no way I'm installing Java 6 on my machine given how dated it is at this point.

Can confirm.

Installing Java 6 is a temporary workaround, but that version is dated so one who installs it should ramp up their security settings for Java.

Hopefully this is fixed soon.

Screenshot of message displayed when trying to open the Minecraft launcher.

This is still a dup of MCL-1049...

I have a fix using Java 8. The tutorial can be found here: http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/support/unmodified-minecraft-client/2260394-tutorial-how-to-use-minecraft-on-osx-yosemite Hope it helps! 😃

Just adding a 'me too' to this ticket, as when I contacted Mojang Support via Twitter, they seemed to be unaware of the problem.

I'm aware, as above, that there are some 'hacks' to make it work... but as also noted, that's not really a fix. MC should work on Yosemite (OS X 10.10) out of the box, or minimally with a simple additional install of a RECENT version of Java. My gosh, how long as Yosemite been PUBLIC beta even! Does Mojang not even have an OS X box around or something???

Sorry for the tone here, but I'm finding it almost unimaginable that this hasn't been dealt with yet, and if not, that it isn't quite high on the priority list.

This needs to be marked as a dupe.
Also Steve Wilkinson: https://bugs.mojang.com/browse/MCL-1049?focusedCommentId=204735&page=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.issuetabpanels:comment-tabpanel#comment-204735

Jonathan, good point, but then that ticket should be updated to talk more about Yosemite. This issue is no longer just a matter of a Mac user here or there who has updated their Java to a more recent version. It's now going to affect the entire Mac community who are quickly updating to Yosemite. And most of them aren't going to know to fix it or will end up installing old Java.

I'm just a mom and not a gamer (don't hate) and i am not sure what i need to do about this issue so that my boys can keep playing and i really don't want to go in and rewrite script!

Hi Chrissy,

I'm not sure what is going on either. I've been in a Twitter conversation with Mojang Support about this as well, and they are at least playing clueless about the existence of a problem. I'm not sure if this is typical Mojang support or if it has something to do with the Microsoft purchase of them, etc. as this is the first time I've contacted them as well.

My understanding, from the reading I've done, is that if you install the Java 6 JDK (which gets pointed to when I launch MC on my Yosemite laptop), it might then work. I haven't actually tried that yet, as I'm hoping Mojang comes up with, IMO, a better solution. I'd think they would make it work on a newer version of Java... but either way, they should have some good Mac OSX Yosemite instructions, now that it doesn't work 'out of the box' like it has in the past.

Can anyone who knows MC and Java better chime in? From what I gather, Yosemite no longer includes any Java JDK, correct? Does MC work on Java JDK v7 or v8? If yes to the latter, then I'm expecting install instructions for, hopefully, v8 of the Java JDK (yes, I can probably figure it out... but I mean for ALL users... some decent documentation) and an update to the Launcher so it then works without tweaking files, etc.

Problem lies with the dropped support of Apple for the Application Launcher and you need to use the AppBundler provided by Oracle instead. Details below:
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14806709/application-is-using-java-6-from-apple-instead-of-java-7-from-oracle-on-mac-os-x

That is in no way a viable solution for a lot of people playing Minecraft who are not technically inclined. This is a problem for Mojang to fix instead of ignore.

Jeroen - No, this has nothing to do with Apple. If Apple had somehow made it impossible to run Minecraft any longer, then yes, it would have something to do with Apple. That's not the case, so this is something Mojang CAN address. The fact that they seem to refuse to do so indicates something else is going on.

And, weeks after a major platform software release... to still be acting like they have no clue what users are complaining about smacks of either incredible ineptness or willful poor support. (Insert whatever lame reason for these you like.)

Bryan - exactly. While I could figure out a couple ways to get Minecraft running again on my Yosemite laptop (and I'm holding off upgrading my desktop due to this issue in part), there clearly needs to be an official update with clear instructions (if additional installs are needed) from Mojang.

I'm pretty sure Java 6 still works on 10.10 (http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1572), so the description of this ticket is technically incorrect. That doesn't excuse Mojang for anything, but I thought I'd point that out for accuracy.

For everyone who has been clicking "more info" on the screen, the page may not open if you are using safari (I'm running yoesmite). The easy way to stop this is copying the url, and pasting it into chrome. Afterward, its easy from there! Hope this helped.

This link from Apple does work.
download.info.apple.com

More information here:
Java SE 6 for Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite

So can we get this to be marked as a duplicate of MCL-1049? It's not helpful when there are 2 discussions about the same thing.

Hi Jonathan, as I think I mentioned earlier... if MCL-1049 could be updated to reflect the Yosemite nature and importance of the issue, then I'd say yea, it's a duplicate. The thing is though, that MCL-1049 reads more like someone who wants the ability to run Minecraft with other or multiple Java installs, not that Minecraft is now effectively 'broken' for all Yosemite users.

Also, I got sick of it not working on my laptop and 'fixed' it. I wrote up an article I'd love any input on, as I don't know it will work for all situations and I have limited testing ability (and don't know all that much about Java). And, certainly, Mojang REALLY REALLY needs to address this ASAP (like months ago!).

http://www.cgwerks.com/make-minecraft-work-mac-osx-yosemite-latest-java-8/

Also, yes, my understanding is that it will work if you download Apple's Java 6 rendition, but IMO that still isn't a fix because it requires extra steps that Mojang hasn't mentioned or documented and isn't a great idea from a functional or security standpoint to install an outdated version of Java on a new OS. (And, I think now that I have Minecraft running on Java 8, it is taking less CPU and other resources.)

Steve, you're late to the party. MCL-1049 was created because the MC .app requires Java 6 and it should not.

This extra downloading of Apple's Java 6 has been the status quo since long before Yosemite.

True, but if I were a Minecraft developer looking at prioritizing the importance of tickets, it should make a big difference whether we're talking about the flexibility to support various versions of Java (a good thing for sure, but something many of those who might do so could fix themselves), vs Yosemite users (hundreds of millions of them? many non-technical) being unable to play Minecraft (or at least hesitant to do so). MCL-1049 sounds like a special-case improvement vs a customer support catastrophe.

That said, the fact that Mojang is ignoring this, speaks to some greater underlying issue or conspiracy anyway... so I'm not holding my breath. 😞

No, MCL-1049 is not a special case. It's everyone's case who has a Mac and plays MC. THIS ticket is the special case of Yosemite only, not including Lion, Mountain Lion, and Mavericks. MC should have abandoned Java 6 years ago. THAT is the issue. It's a Java game, multiple version support is built into the system. The .app should play the latest version automatically. It does not. This is the whole issue.

You seem to think that something changed with the release of Yosemite. Nothing did. The same thing happened with Mavericks.

I totally agree about it using the latest version automatically. That would be great! But, my point is that from the standpoint of Mojang (or the general Mac user-base), it should be more important that MC doesn't work for Yosemite users than that it doesn't pick the right version of Java. Most Mac users wouldn't have more than one version unless it were accidental.

At least in my experience, something did change with Yosemite. Unless I'm getting really forgetful, I don't recall installing anything special when I started playing Minecraft... and my laptop is new enough it must have shipped with Mavericks. Are you saying that Minecraft wouldn't run on a clean Mavericks system or would have broke when someone upgraded from, say Mt Lion? I'm also pretty sure when I started playing MC on my desktop, I would have been running Mavericks (which I still am there). I don't recall having to install Java for either. (Though it's likely I had Java previously on my desktop, so that makes sense... but my point is that upgrading to Mavericks didn't break things from my memory.)

I'm pretty sure anyone who bought a new Mac since Mountain Lion had to go through the Java 6 install prompt before being able to use the MC .app

Mountain Lion and later didn't ship with Java at all.

I must be getting forgetful. I wonder if the install method was different (like just a button telling me I needed Java with an 'OK' or something and then it installed). I must have installed it on my laptop 2013 MacBook Air, but I don't recall a 'more info' button and going to an Apple website, downloading an installer, etc. Maybe with Mavericks there was a different way?

I guess it makes sense for my desktop, as I probably had Java 6 lingering around from an earlier OSX version, as I've upgraded the OS and moved from system to system for years without a fully clean install.

I guess I'll need to get my Parallels up to date and do some testing. 🙂

Until this is fixed by Mojang, downloading the Linux launcher, which always uses the latest Java version on your Mac, works correctly.

It is long, long past the point of being ridiculous that this has not been fixed by now. I'm sure your average, computer user knows enough to download a Linux launcher or do any of these work arounds. I'm not going to wait around anymore and am deleting the program.

Hello Any developments on this issue or is someone from Mojang really looking at it?
Thanks

Well, it took them over two years to patch that last server security hole, while being bugged by the guy that found the problem. So, I'm sure they are working on it... it's just a matter of when (weeks, months, years?).

https://twitter.com/jbernhardsson/status/615845209885143040