This guide will walk you through installing Java 21 on Linux.

1. Check if Java Is Already Installed

Open a terminal, type java -version, and press Enter.

WARNING

To use Minecraft 1.21, you'll need at least Java 21 installed. If this command displays any version lower than 21, you'll need to update your existing Java installation.

2. Downloading and Installing Java 21

We recommend using OpenJDK 21, which is available for most Linux distributions.

Arch Linux

INFO

For more information on installing Java on Arch Linux, see the Arch Linux Wiki.

You can install the latest JRE from the official repositories:

sudo pacman -S jre-openjdk

If you're running a server without the need for a graphical UI, you can install the headless version instead:

sudo pacman -S jre-openjdk-headless

If you plan to develop mods, you'll need the JDK instead:

sudo pacman -S jdk-openjdk

Debian/Ubuntu

You can install Java 21 using apt with the following commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install openjdk-21-jdk

Fedora

You can install Java 21 using dnf with the following commands:

sudo dnf install java-21-openjdk

If you don't need a graphical UI, you can install the headless version instead:

sudo dnf install java-21-openjdk-headless

If you plan to develop mods, you'll need the JDK instead:

sudo dnf install java-21-openjdk-devel

Other Linux Distributions

If your distribution isn't listed above, you can download the latest JRE from Adoptium

You should refer to an alternative guide for your distribution if you plan to develop mods.

3. Verify That Java 21 Is Installed

Once the installation is complete, you can verify that Java 21 is installed by opening a terminal and typing java -version.

If the command runs successfully, you will see something like shown before, where the Java version is displayed: