Minecraft with TLauncher: the unofficial launcher, step by step

TLauncher is an unofficial, third-party launcher for Minecraft: Java Edition. Lots of people use it, often because it can start the game without a Microsoft account. This guide explains what it is, where the licence question really stands, how to install it as safely as possible, and how to add versions and mods. At the end are the free ways to play that need no licence at all. Allow about half an hour, plus download time.

What a launcher is

Minecraft: Java Edition is started by a launcher: a small program that downloads the game's files, keeps them up to date and starts the version you choose. Mojang's official one, the Minecraft Launcher, is free to download from minecraft.net; the game itself is sold there.

TLauncher does the same job, made by an independent team with no connection to Mojang or Microsoft. Neither company makes, checks or supports it. It adds a few things the official launcher doesn't:

• every Minecraft version in one list, snapshots and very old releases included;
• one-click installs of the mod loaders Forge and Fabric, and of OptiFine;
• its own skin system;
• starting the game with just a nickname, no sign-in.

The licence question, plainly

• Minecraft: Java Edition is a paid game. Its licence terms let you play it once you have bought it.
• Signed in with a Microsoft account that owns Minecraft, TLauncher is simply a different launcher for a licensed copy.
• Started with just a nickname, it runs the full game without any licence check. Mojang does not permit playing the full game that way. In most countries that is a civil matter between the player and Mojang — a breach of its terms, and arguably of its copyright — rather than a criminal one, but it is not something Minecraft's terms allow.
• A valid Minecraft licence may still be required for what you want to do: servers that check accounts, which includes most large ones and Mojang's own Realms, only let in players signed in with a copy they own.

If the price is the problem, the last section of this guide lists ways to play that are free and fully licensed.

Safety first

• Its history. In 2019, users published analyses alleging that TLauncher behaved like spyware. Its developers disputed them. Make up your own mind; if that worries you, use the official launcher or one of the free games below.
• Antivirus warnings. Some antivirus tools flag TLauncher. Do not switch your antivirus off to install anything.
• Your Microsoft password goes only to Microsoft. If you sign in with Microsoft, the sign-in must happen on Microsoft's own page (an address ending in live.com or microsoftonline.com). Never type that password into a box inside a game, a mod or a website.
• Mods only from the two big mod sites, Modrinth and CurseForge. A mod is a program with full access to your computer, like any other.

Step 1: install TLauncher

1. Open the TLauncher page here and press DOWNLOAD. TLauncher's official site opens in a new tab.
2. Download the version for your system. Windows gets an installer; macOS and Linux versions are on the same page, with their own instructions.
3. Run the installer and read every screen. Untick anything that is not TLauncher itself before you click on.
4. If it offers to install Java, let it: TLauncher needs Java to run.
5. Windows may show a SmartScreen warning ("Windows protected your PC") for a program it sees rarely. Whether to continue is your call; only ever do it for a file from the official site.

Step 2: first start — choose how you sign in

TLauncher's main window has a place for your account or nickname, a list of Minecraft versions and a big button to start the game.

With a Microsoft account (licensed). Open the accounts menu and choose to add a Microsoft account. Sign in on Microsoft's page, which opens for it. You can now play everything your account owns and join servers that check accounts.

With a nickname only. Type a name and start. You can play single-player and join servers running in "offline mode". Two things to know:

• On offline-mode servers nobody's identity is checked: anyone can join under your nickname.
• Many of those servers ask you to /register a password inside the game. Never reuse a real password there; the server owner can read it.

TLauncher also has its own TLauncher account, used for its skin system. Skins set there are only visible to other TLauncher players.

Step 3: pick a version and play

1. Open the version list. You will see the newest release at the top, older releases, snapshots (test builds), and entries for Forge, Fabric and OptiFine.
2. Choose the latest release for a first go.
3. Press the button to start. The first start downloads the game's files, a few hundred megabytes, then the game opens.

Memory

In TLauncher's settings you can choose how much memory (RAM) the game may use. For the plain game, 2 to 4 GB is plenty. Large modpacks want more. Never give it more than half of your computer's RAM: Windows needs the rest.

Step 4: mods (optional)

Mods change the game, from small tweaks to whole new worlds. They come in two families, for Forge or for Fabric, and each is built for one Minecraft version.

1. Back up your worlds first. They live in the saves folder of the game folder: on Windows that is %appdata%\.minecraft\saves. Copy it somewhere safe.
2. In TLauncher, choose the Forge or Fabric entry for the Minecraft version you want, and start it once. That creates the mods folder.
3. On Modrinth or CurseForge, find a mod and download the file for the same Minecraft version and the same loader.
4. Put the downloaded .jar file in the mods folder (%appdata%\.minecraft\mods on Windows).
5. Start the same Forge or Fabric entry again. The mod appears in the game's Mods menu.

If the game crashes at start, remove the last mod you added: it is usually for the wrong version or loader, or needs another mod it depends on (its page says which).

Removing it

On Windows, open Settings → Apps → Installed apps, find TLauncher and choose Uninstall. Your worlds stay in the game folder (%appdata%\.minecraft) until you delete that folder yourself — copy saves out first if you want to keep them.

Free and fully licensed ways to play

• Minecraft Classic, free from Mojang, in your browser: classic.minecraft.net. The original creative mode from 2009, with a small palette of blocks. You can invite friends with a link.
• The official free trial. The official Minecraft Launcher includes a free demo of the full game, limited in time. See minecraft.net.
• Luanti (formerly Minetest): a free, open-source block-building game engine with no account and no price. Install it, open its Content tab and add a game: VoxeLibre and Mineclonia play much like Minecraft, while Minetest Game is the simpler classic. It has multiplayer servers and hundreds of mods.

If a block game is what you are after and money is tight, Luanti gives you the whole thing — survival, crafting, servers, mods — legally and for nothing.