How to Play Minecraft on Your Chromebook

Anna Middleton Read more February 13, 2020

Chromebooks aren’t really designed for gaming; they’re for learning and work. And games like Minecraft can’t normally run on Chromebooks. In fact, even though the game has been developed for Windows, Mac, and Linux computers, Minecraft developers say it that their game will never be fully compatible with Chrome OS. This could present Chromebook users who want to play one of the most popular games in the world with a problem.

If you want to learn how to play Minecraft on Chromebook, keep reading for a workaround that uses Linux.

Getting Started

Before we get to installing Minecraft on Chromebook, let’s discuss the installation of Linux. Most guides online will briefly explain how to run Minecraft on Chromebook using Linux, but they’ll skip all the hardest parts.

If you want to learn the whole process, you’re in the right place. Installing Linux on a Chromebook isn’t too difficult. You need to enable the developer mode, and then install the Linux Distro using Crouton.

Kudos to you if you know this already. If not, stick around for detailed instructions.

Enable the Developer Mode on a Chromebook

First, you need to enter the developer mode on your Chromebook so that you can install the Linux Distro. This isn’t difficult as it sounds, especially if you follow these steps:

Hold the Esc and Refresh buttons on your Chromebook simultaneously and then tap the power button to enter recovery mode. You’ll be prompted with a yellow exclamation mark (!).
In recovery mode, hold CTRL and D together, followed by entering when prompted to start the developer mode.
After a reboot, you need to wait a while until your Chromebook gets into developer mode. Be patient, because this can take up to 20 minutes.
Hold CTRL and D once more when you notice a red exclamation mark on your computer.
Then, the PC should boot up in developer mode after you’ve logged in.

Install Linux on the Chromebook

Now you can install the Linux distro with Crouton. Follow the steps:

Download Crouton on your Chromebook.
Hold CTRL, ALT, and T on your PC to start the terminal.
Type in “shell” and hit Enter.
Then, type “shell” in and press enter afterward: sudo sh -e ~/Downloads/crouton -t xfce
Wait until Linux distro is installed on your machine. It will take a while, so remain patient. When this is done, you’ll have to use the Linux interface to play Minecraft, instead of your regular Chrome OS UI.
When the setup is complete, type this in and hit enter: sudo startxfce4.
You’ll see the Linux interface, but you can always go back to Chrome OS by holding CTRL, Alt, Shift, and Back keys. Use the same with Forward key to return to Linux again.

Finally, You Can Play Minecraft on Chromebook

Don’t worry, you’re officially done with the hard part of the process. Now all that’s left is to install Minecraft and you can start playing it on your Chromebook! Here are the steps:

Start the Linux terminal with CTRL, Alt, and T (hold simultaneously).
You will need Java, so type this in the command line to get it: sudo apt-get install openjdk-8-jre.
Switch the interface to Chrome (as shown in the previous section) and visit the Minecraft download page. Click on the link next to Debian/Ubuntu to download Minecraft for this operating system.
Press the key combo again to go back to Linux on your Chromebook. Open the File Manager, select Downloads, and select the Properties, followed by permissions. Click on Allow Executing File as Program.
Find the Minecraft installation file and start the setup. Follow the on-screen instructions to install Minecraft on your device.
Wait until the setup is complete. When it’s done, click on the App Drawer in the Linux folder and click on the Minecraft Launcher.
Log in using your Minecraft credentials. The game will download any available updates, and then you’ll be able to play. If the app closes meanwhile, open it again to start playing.

If you don’t have a Mojang account, follow the link to create a new one so that you can play Minecraft. All you need to enter is your email address, password, and your age. Then, you need to verify the email address and purchase the game if you haven’t already.

Have Fun Playing!

Minecraft isn’t a very complex game. In contrast, its installation on Chromebook is far from simple. If you’re young or inexperienced and find our instructions difficult to follow, be sure to ask for some help.

Do you still struggle with running Minecraft on your Chromebook? Or did our advice do the trick? Let us know in the comments section below.