How to Solve “No Java Executable Found” in Minecraft?
Errors in Minecraft are something every Java Edition player has gotten used to over the years. The problem isn’t that these errors are hard to fix but rather that one error can be caused by multiple different issues, making the root problem harder to identify. What about the ‘No Java executable found’ in Minecraft? How do you solve it?
By far, the most common reason for the ‘No Java executable found’ error in Minecraft is that you might not have Java installed on your computer. Another common reason is that you have an incompatible Java version installed, in which case you only need to update to a more recent version.
Now that you know the most common reasons for the error, I want to dig into the less common reasons why this error might occur and provide you with a solution to each and every one. I’ll also explain why Minecraft requires Java and much more in this article.
Explaining what Java Executables are
Without getting too much into the tech side of things, java executables are basically applications used to launch programs, in this case, Minecraft. The Java executables are binary files that contain code used to interpret and execute Minecraft’s code. Any Java file with the .exe at the end is a Java executable file.
So basically, if you don’t have a Java executable or there’s something wrong with how the game and the executable communicate, you won’t be able to play the game. Of course, the error is specific to Minecraft Java Edition since every other game version was coded in C++ and doesn’t need a java.exe to run.
Java Enviroment variables
Now that I’ve explained Java executables let’s get into another important part that’ll help you understand everything better. The first thing you should know about Java environment variables is that they are pieces of information your computer refers to when it needs to do something, usually configured.
Now about Java variables, they are used to work with Java programs, including Minecraft. They’ll usually provide information about the location of Java so that Minecraft can easily find and use Java to run.
The path variable and the Java home variable are the most common variables. The first one helps your PC find the java.exe file, while the second one will tell your PC when Java is installed so that it can be used.
Of course, this is irrelevant without Java, but when you download Java, these settings will be set up automatically. Of course, it might happen that it hasn’t been done correctly or at all, so you’ll need to set up the path for these variables manually. Let’s check how you can do that to help run Minecraft next.
First, you’ll want to check the Java path variable on your computer; I’ll show you how you can set the Java path in your Minecraft launcher:
- Open your start menu and search for ‘environment variables.’ A menu from the Control panel should appear named ‘edit the system environment variables, click on it.
- Then, a window should pop up, click on the ‘environment variables’ button located all the way at the bottom.
- You want to take a look at the system variables. Search for the variable called ‘path’, click on it, and edit to see it. The installation should look something like this: C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_291\bin.
- You don’t have to worry if it’s not exactly like mine; the important thing is that it’s there.
Now, onto how you can change the Java path in the Minecraft launcher:
- Head on over to your Minecraft launcher and head to the ‘Installations’ tab.
- Then, choose the profile you’re currently using or make a new one if you want to.
- Then, make sure to enable the JVM arguments.
- Finally, in the JVM arguments field, you’ll need to add the full path to your java.exe.
- Once you’re done, you’ll have to restart Minecraft.
Easier solutions to the problem
Of course, not everyone will have to execute the solutions mentioned above to the problem. Sometimes, the answer is far simpler than we make it out to be. One option you have is to reinstall Java completely. You’ll have to go into your control panel and deinstall and reinstall Java from there.
You might not even need to do that, though, because you can also try to update Java by, again, going into your ‘Control Panel, clicking on the Java icon, and going into the update tab. Then, it’s just clicking the ‘Update Now’ button, and you’re done.
Why Minecraft requires Java to run
When coding the game, the developer used Java to code it because it offered several advantages, or perhaps it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision that led to Notch coding the game in Java in just seven days. One thing to note is that because the game was coded in Java, it can run on multiple OSs without major modifications.
We are not to confuse other iterations of the game with the Java Edition since every other game Edition that falls under the broad category of Minecraft Bedrock was coded in C++, including the Windows 10 Edition released a few years back.