Completely Uninstall Minecraft: A Comprehensive Guide for All Platforms
Minecraft, the globally popular sandbox game, offers endless possibilities for creativity and adventure. However, there might come a time when you need to uninstall it. Whether you’re freeing up storage space, troubleshooting issues, or simply moving on to other games, a complete uninstall is crucial to ensure all associated files are removed from your system. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of uninstalling Minecraft on various platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. We’ll cover not only the basic uninstall steps but also delve into removing residual files and folders to achieve a clean slate.
## Why Completely Uninstall Minecraft?
Before we dive into the how-to, let’s understand why a complete uninstall is important:
* **Freeing Up Storage Space:** Minecraft, along with its mods, resource packs, and worlds, can consume a significant amount of storage space. Uninstalling it completely removes all these files, reclaiming valuable disk space.
* **Troubleshooting Issues:** Sometimes, corrupted files or conflicting mods can cause Minecraft to malfunction. A clean uninstall and reinstall can often resolve these issues.
* **Preventing Conflicts:** Residual files from previous installations can sometimes conflict with newer versions of Minecraft or other applications.
* **Privacy:** Removing all Minecraft data ensures your personal information and game settings are completely erased from your device.
## Uninstalling Minecraft on Windows
Windows is one of the most popular platforms for Minecraft. Here’s how to uninstall it completely:
### 1. Uninstalling the Minecraft Launcher and Game
* **Using the Settings App:**
1. Click on the **Start Menu** and select the **Settings** icon (the gear icon).
2. Click on **Apps**.
3. In the **Apps & features** section, search for “Minecraft Launcher” or “Minecraft”.
4. Click on the Minecraft Launcher or Minecraft app and select **Uninstall**. If you have both the Launcher and the game itself installed separately, uninstall both.
5. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the uninstallation process. You may be asked to confirm your decision.
* **Using the Control Panel:**
1. Type “Control Panel” in the Windows search bar and open the **Control Panel**.
2. Under **Programs**, click on **Uninstall a program**.
3. In the list of installed programs, find “Minecraft Launcher” or “Minecraft”.
4. Right-click on the Minecraft Launcher or Minecraft app and select **Uninstall/Change**.
5. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the uninstallation process.
### 2. Removing Residual Files and Folders
Even after uninstalling the game, some files and folders might remain on your system. These residual files can take up space and potentially cause issues in the future. Here’s how to remove them:
* **Deleting the .minecraft Folder:**
1. Press **Win + R** to open the **Run** dialog box.
2. Type `%appdata%` and press **Enter**. This will open the Roaming folder.
3. Locate the `.minecraft` folder. This folder contains all your Minecraft data, including worlds, resource packs, mods, and settings.
4. Right-click on the `.minecraft` folder and select **Delete**. If the folder is very large, this process may take some time.
* **Deleting Minecraft Launcher Data:**
1. Press **Win + R** to open the **Run** dialog box.
2. Type `%localappdata%` and press **Enter**. This will open the LocalAppData folder.
3. Look for folders named “Minecraft Launcher” or “Mojang”.
4. Right-click on these folders and select **Delete**.
* **Emptying the Recycle Bin:**
1. After deleting the files and folders, make sure to empty the **Recycle Bin** to permanently remove them from your system. Right-click on the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop and select **Empty Recycle Bin**.
### 3. Removing Minecraft from the Microsoft Store (Windows 10/11)
If you installed Minecraft from the Microsoft Store, the uninstallation process is slightly different:
* **Uninstalling via the Start Menu:**
1. Click on the **Start Menu**.
2. Find the Minecraft icon in the list of apps.
3. Right-click on the Minecraft icon and select **Uninstall**.
4. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the uninstallation.
* **Uninstalling via the Apps & Features Settings:**
1. Follow the same steps as mentioned in the “Uninstalling the Minecraft Launcher and Game” section using the Settings App.
After uninstalling, remember to remove any residual files as described in the previous section.
## Uninstalling Minecraft on macOS
Uninstalling Minecraft on macOS is similar to Windows, but with a few key differences in file locations:
### 1. Uninstalling the Minecraft Launcher and Game
* **Using the Applications Folder:**
1. Open **Finder**.
2. Click on **Applications** in the sidebar.
3. Locate the “Minecraft Launcher” or “Minecraft” application.
4. Drag the Minecraft Launcher or Minecraft icon to the **Trash** icon in the Dock, or right-click and select **Move to Trash**.
5. Empty the Trash by right-clicking on the Trash icon in the Dock and selecting **Empty Trash**.
### 2. Removing Residual Files and Folders
* **Deleting the .minecraft Folder:**
1. Open **Finder**.
2. Click on **Go** in the menu bar and select **Go to Folder…** (or press **Cmd + Shift + G**).
3. Type `~/Library/Application Support/minecraft` and press **Enter**.
4. This will open the `.minecraft` folder.
5. Drag the `.minecraft` folder to the **Trash** icon in the Dock, or right-click and select **Move to Trash**.
* **Deleting Minecraft Launcher Data:**
1. Open **Finder**.
2. Click on **Go** in the menu bar and select **Go to Folder…** (or press **Cmd + Shift + G**).
3. Type `~/Library/Caches/com.mojang.minecraftlauncher` and press **Enter**.
4. Drag the `com.mojang.minecraftlauncher` folder to the **Trash** icon in the Dock, or right-click and select **Move to Trash**.
5. Navigate to `~/Library/Saved Application State/` and delete the `com.mojang.minecraftlauncher.savedState` folder if it exists.
* **Emptying the Trash:**
1. Right-click on the Trash icon in the Dock and select **Empty Trash** to permanently remove the files.
## Uninstalling Minecraft on Linux
Uninstalling Minecraft on Linux can vary depending on how you installed it. If you used a package manager, use that to uninstall. If you manually installed it, you’ll need to remove the files manually.
### 1. Uninstalling using a Package Manager (e.g., apt, yum, dnf)
* **For Debian/Ubuntu (apt):**
1. Open a terminal.
2. Type `sudo apt remove minecraft-launcher` or `sudo apt purge minecraft-launcher` and press **Enter**.
3. Enter your password if prompted.
4. `sudo apt purge minecraft-launcher` will remove the configuration files as well.
* **For Fedora/CentOS/RHEL (yum/dnf):**
1. Open a terminal.
2. Type `sudo yum remove minecraft-launcher` or `sudo dnf remove minecraft-launcher` and press **Enter**.
3. Enter your password if prompted.
### 2. Uninstalling Manually
If you manually installed Minecraft (e.g., by downloading the `.jar` file),
* **Deleting the Minecraft Installation Directory:**
1. Navigate to the directory where you installed Minecraft. This is typically in your home directory or a subdirectory.
2. Delete the Minecraft installation directory. This directory might be named “minecraft” or something similar.
* **Deleting the .minecraft Folder:**
1. Open a terminal.
2. Type `rm -rf ~/.minecraft` and press **Enter**.
3. This command will recursively and forcefully remove the `.minecraft` folder from your home directory. Be careful when using the `rm -rf` command, as it can permanently delete files.
* **Deleting Minecraft Launcher Data (if applicable):**
1. Check in locations like `~/.local/share/` for any Minecraft Launcher related folders and delete them.
### 3. Removing Desktop Entry (if applicable)
* If you have a desktop entry for Minecraft, you might want to remove it.
1. Navigate to `/usr/share/applications/` or `~/.local/share/applications/`.
2. Delete the `.desktop` file associated with Minecraft.
## Uninstalling Minecraft on Android
Uninstalling Minecraft on Android is straightforward:
### 1. Uninstalling from the Home Screen or App Drawer
* **Long Press Method:**
1. Locate the Minecraft app icon on your home screen or in the app drawer.
2. Long-press the Minecraft app icon.
3. A context menu will appear. Select **Uninstall** (or a similar option like “Remove”).
4. Confirm the uninstallation by tapping **OK** or **Uninstall**.
### 2. Uninstalling from the Settings App
* **Using the Settings Menu:**
1. Open the **Settings** app on your Android device.
2. Tap on **Apps** (or **Applications**, **Apps & Notifications**, depending on your Android version).
3. Find “Minecraft” in the list of installed apps.
4. Tap on Minecraft.
5. Tap on **Uninstall**.
6. Confirm the uninstallation by tapping **OK** or **Uninstall**.
### 3. Removing Residual Data (Optional)
In some cases, residual data might remain after uninstalling. To remove this:
* **Using a File Manager:**
1. Open a file manager app (e.g., Files by Google, Solid Explorer).
2. Navigate to the `Android/data` folder. You may need to grant the file manager permission to access this folder.
3. Look for a folder named `com.mojang.minecraftpe` (for Minecraft: Pocket Edition) or a similar folder.
4. Delete this folder.
* **Clearing Cache and Data (Before Uninstalling):**
1. Before uninstalling, in the Apps settings for Minecraft, tap on “Storage”.
2. Tap on “Clear Cache” and then “Clear Data”. This will remove most of the residual files, making the final uninstall cleaner.
## Uninstalling Minecraft on iOS (iPhone/iPad)
Uninstalling Minecraft on iOS is simple:
### 1. Uninstalling from the Home Screen
* **Long Press Method:**
1. Locate the Minecraft app icon on your home screen.
2. Long-press the Minecraft app icon until it starts to jiggle (or a context menu appears).
3. Tap the **(X)** icon that appears on the app icon (or select “Remove App” from the context menu).
4. Tap **Delete App** to confirm the uninstallation.
### 2. Uninstalling from the Settings App
* **Using the Settings Menu:**
1. Open the **Settings** app on your iOS device.
2. Scroll down and tap on **General**.
3. Tap on **iPhone Storage** (or **iPad Storage**).
4. Find “Minecraft” in the list of apps.
5. Tap on Minecraft.
6. Tap on **Delete App**.
7. Confirm the deletion by tapping **Delete App** again.
### 3. Removing Residual Data (Generally Not Needed)
On iOS, apps are typically sandboxed, meaning they don’t leave much residual data behind after uninstallation. However, if you want to be absolutely sure:
* **Check iCloud Backup:** If you use iCloud Backup, your Minecraft data might be backed up. To remove it:
1. Open the **Settings** app.
2. Tap on your Apple ID at the top.
3. Tap on **iCloud**.
4. Tap on **Manage Storage** (or **iCloud Storage**).
5. Find “Minecraft” in the list of apps using iCloud.
6. Tap on “Delete Data”. Be cautious, this will remove *all* Minecraft data backed up to iCloud.
## Reinstalling Minecraft
After uninstalling, you can reinstall Minecraft from the respective app store or website:
* **Windows:** Download the Minecraft Launcher from the official Minecraft website ([https://www.minecraft.net/](https://www.minecraft.net/)).
* **macOS:** Download the Minecraft Launcher from the official Minecraft website ([https://www.minecraft.net/](https://www.minecraft.net/)).
* **Linux:** Download the Minecraft Launcher from the official Minecraft website or use your distribution’s package manager if available.
* **Android:** Download Minecraft from the Google Play Store.
* **iOS:** Download Minecraft from the Apple App Store.
## Troubleshooting Common Issues
* **Files Not Deleting:** If you’re having trouble deleting files, make sure Minecraft isn’t running in the background. Close the Minecraft Launcher and any related processes using Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (macOS).
* **Permission Issues:** If you encounter permission issues while deleting files, try running your file manager or terminal as an administrator (Windows) or using `sudo` (Linux).
* **Corrupted Files:** If Minecraft is constantly crashing or malfunctioning, a clean uninstall and reinstall can often fix the problem. Make sure to remove all residual files as described in this guide.
## Conclusion
Completely uninstalling Minecraft is a straightforward process, but it requires careful attention to detail to ensure all associated files are removed. By following the steps outlined in this guide for your specific platform, you can effectively uninstall Minecraft and reclaim storage space, troubleshoot issues, or prepare for a fresh installation. Remember to always back up your important worlds and data before uninstalling, just in case! Happy gaming!