Install Guide

Table of Contents

• ☕ Java
  • Why Java 8 with JavaFX?
  • Which Java 8 should I use?
  • Should I install different Java or just Java 8?
  • Can I install Liberica Full JDK 8 and 16?
• 🎲 SKlauncher
  • Register
  • Login
  • Download
  • Launcher

---

⚠️ Notice

• Linux / macOS users please read this.
  • Think and read everything, don't panic.

---

☕ Java

• To start the Launcher, Java must be installed on your system.

Why Java 8 with JavaFX?

• Minecraft: Java Edition uses Java to work and in most of its versions it used Java 8, but since Release 1.17 it needs Java 16 (and Java 17 for Release 1.18 and who knows which one in the future).
• The problem is that SKlauncher uses JavaFX library which is only in Java 8.
  • This is only to start the launcher, to play you can use a different Java or let SKlauncher download the required version.

Which Java 8 should I use?

• The ideal is to use Liberica Full JDK 8 (Package: Full JDK), but you can use Oracle Java or any other that contains JavaFX.
  • For example: AdoptOpenJDK doesn't contain JavaFX and you can't use it to start the launcher.
• ⚠️ Unless you know what you're doing, ideally you should remove any Java you have installed, restart the PC and then install Liberica Full JDK 8 (Package: Full JDK).

Should I install different Java or just Java 8?

• You only need to install Java 8 since the Launcher will take care of downloading the required Java version for the game.
  • And if for some reason you want another Java (for example, to make a dedicated server in Release 1.17) I strongly recommend you to use the compressed version (portable).

Can I install Liberica Full JDK 8 and 16?

• ⚠️ If you aren't sure what you're going to do, it's best to just get Java 8 and then let SKlauncher download the required Java version.
  • For example: if you're going to play Release 1.17 (requires Java 16), the launcher will download it itself and you won't have to do anything.
• If you want to do it anyway, I recommend you to use Option A. Nothing better than trying what you want without having to install something.
  • Both options contemplate that you only have one Java 8 installed, not if you have Java 8 from Liberica, Oracle, <other>, etc. (and that you're on Windows).

Option A: Download ZIP (Portable)

1. Install Liberica Full JDK 8 with all options and restart the PC.
2. Use the Liberica Full JDK 16 Download ZIP option and extract the file into a simple location.
   • Personally I extracted it into C:\Programs\Java\BellSoft and renamed the folder to LibericaJDK-16-Full
3. If everything is OK, SKlauncher will start without any problems.

Note

• To use Java 16 you'll have to specify it manually in your profile (if it's for SKlauncher) or from the CMD (if it's for something else, like a dedicated server).
  • For example: I've my Release 1.17 dedicated server, so I open CMD and type this: "C:\Programs\Java\BellSoft\LibericaJDK-16-Full\bin\java.exe" -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar minecraft_server.1.17.jar nogui

Option B: Download MSI (Installer)

1. Install Liberica Full JDK 8 with all options and restart the PC.
2. Install Liberica Full JDK 16 without Setup JAVA_HOME, Associate .jar files and Create JavaSoft registry keys and restart the PC.
3. If everything is OK, SKlauncher will start without any problems.

Note

• If you open CMD and type java.exe -version you will see that it says 16.
  • This means that commands like java.exe -jar SKlauncher.jar will use Java 16 and not Java 8.

🎲 SKlauncher

• Everything you need to enjoy SKlauncher and play Minecraft: Java Edition.

Register

• Go to SKlauncher and click Sign up.
  • ⚠️ Not necessary unless you want to have your own Skin and Cape.
• Now you must type your Email address and a Password.
  • For now there is no I forgot my password option, so don't forget what you wrote.
• Once finished, click Create an account.
  • You may need to receive a confirmation email, it may take hours/minutes and may even be in your junk/spam folder (but you can try Login anyway).
• Done, now you have an SKlauncher account.

Login

• Go to SKlauncher and click Sign in.
• Now you must type your Email address and the Password you used to register and click Sign in.
• You will appear in Profile Manager, type the username you want to use and click Create profile.
  • ⚠️ The Username you type here will be the one you will use in the Launcher and in-game.
• Now it will allow you to change your Skin and Cape, once done click on Save changes.
  • It may take a while for you to see your skin and cape, don't be impatient.

Download

• Go to SKlauncher and click Downloads.
• Click on the one you want to download, in my case I prefer to use the one that says Universal (.jar) because it works on any Operating System.
• Once downloaded you can close the Browser and go to the folder where you have SKlauncher 3-beta.21.jar downloaded (or whatever name it currently has).

Launcher

• Start the SKlauncher 3-beta.21.jar and wait for it to finish downloading everything you need.
• Once finished, you will have a screen like this where you must choose what to do.
  • I recommend you read this first.

^{Click the image to see a larger gif}

• Once logged in, you will have a screen like this one where you can configure various options for the Launcher, Minecraft Profiles, etc.
  • And done, it's up to you how to configure everything. Once you are ready, click PLAY and it will start downloading everything to play.

^{Click the image to see a larger gif}