minecraft

This article is about the main source code. For the launcher marked for "Linux/Other", see Minecraft Launcher.
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This feature is exclusive to Java Edition. 

client.jar is the main code source for Minecraft. It is located in the .minecraft/versions/<version> directory. When using the latest version of the launcher, it is named <game version>.jar.

It can be opened using a file archiving program or a Java decompiler.

Jar versions

The client.jar file is found in its version folder. It is accompanied by the client.json file that lists the version's attributes. Normal versions are available to choose from via the launcher, and snapshots are also available. It is also possible to download old alpha versions and create version files to install mods on. Note that creating a new version is the only way to install mods; the launcher keeps normal versions synced.

Files in client.jar

In client.jar many files can be found, except for sound files; they can be categorized like so:

  • .mcassetsroot: Used for identifying vanilla resources.
  • realms folder: Contains the textures and language files used by Realms.
  • minecraft folder: Resources for minecraft namespace.
  • .mcassetsroot: Used for identifying vanilla datas.
  • minecraft folder: Datas for minecraft namespace.

File hierarchy

This is the current file list as of Java Edition 1.16.5. Note that Java class files have been omitted for brevity.