Feeling overwhelmed? Don't worry, everything you need to get started with MinecraftEdu is described on this page. Before you can start using MinecraftEdu, you need to purchase necessary server and user licenses. Also, we recommend you try the demo of regular Minecraft on your computers and check out the system requirements. Once you've purchased MinecraftEdu see the instructions below for how to install the game. You're all set!
How to Purchase
TeacherGaming, LLC is authorized by Mojang AB to sell MinecraftEdu, a discounted educational version of Minecraft to approved institutions. MinecraftEdu is available for non-profit educational organisations such as schools, libraries and museums. Under certain circumstances it can also be purchased by for-profit organisations if they meet certain criteria.
How MinecraftEdu Licensing works
MinecraftEdu is sold in a license format. Licenses are intangible products that give the owner the right to use MinecraftEdu. The licenses do not expire or require any future fees after the purchase. MinecraftEdu has two different kinds of licenses, and you will need to own both to legally play MinecraftEdu in your classroom:
- Server license (included in the server software product) allows you to run a single MinecraftEdu server / gives the legal right to use MinecraftEdu in a classroom. To use MinecraftEdu in two different classrooms concurrently you need two server licenses and if you wish to host three servers at the same time you will need three server licenses and so on. A minimum of one server license is required to use MinecraftEdu.
- User license gives the right for one user to play MinecraftEdu. This license is not bound to any person or computer but instead the amount of these licenses dictate how many MinecraftEdu clients can be running at the same time. For example with 25 user licenses a school can have at most 25 users using MinecraftEdu at the same time.
Ordering MinecraftEdu
To order MinecraftEdu visit minecraftedu.com. After placing the order through the website, the order goes in for processing and eligibility verification. Please use an official email of the organisation you are ordering MinecraftEdu for! As per the agreement between TeacherGaming LLC and Mojang AB, all orders must be verified for eligibility before finalized. Under normal circumstances that is done within 48 hours. After verification the next step depends on the payment method. There are three payment methods available: credit card, direct bank-transfer and purchase order.
- The credit card orders are processed and the MinecraftEdu installation instructions are sent by email.
- The direct bank-transfer orders are sent an invoice by email and once the payment is registered on TeacherGaming LLC’s bank account the order is processed and the MinecraftEdu installation instructions are sent by email.
- Once the purchase order is received either via fax ((+1) (866) 644-9323) or by email (sales@teachergaming.com), the order is processed and the MinecraftEdu installation instructions and an invoice are sent by email.
After the order is processed you can download MinecraftEdu Classroom Edition from MinecraftEdu website by signing in with the account the order was made with. The Classroom Edition works as both the server client and the user client, so there is only one installation file. MinecraftEdu does not require a Mojang account to use, but the purchasing institution may request a gift code for the commercial version of Minecraft if they do not wish to use the MinecraftEdu version of the game.
Note: At the same time you purchase MinecraftEdu licenses from our website, you can also choose to subscribe to our Hosting Service. Read more about it here.
Purchase instructions in French
How to Install
Heads up! Java 1.8 fix has been released. Read more here.
Before you start installing MinecraftEdu, make sure your clients and servers meet the system requirements and have Oracle Java 6 or later installed. MinecraftEdu will generally run on any Windows, Mac or Linux computer (desktop or laptop) manufactured in the last 5 years or so as long as it has Java installed. Please note that MinecraftEdu will not run on smartphones, tablets (e.g. iPad, Android) or Chromebooks.
Downloading Installer
After purchasing MinecraftEdu, you may download the installer by navigating to this page on the MinecraftEdu website after signing in. From here, scroll down to the "Download MinecraftEdu" section and click on the option that best suits your needs:
- If you are planning on running your own server, click the Download MinecraftEdu 1.7.10 button (note: the version number may change in the future if further updates are implemented)
- If you have subscribed to the MinecraftEdu Hosting Service, click on the Download Hosting Edition button.
Once you click on one of the buttons, the installer will be downloaded onto your computer; find it and run it to begin installing MinecraftEdu. The installer will guide you through the installation process. If you still need assistance, here are some tutorial videos on how to install:
Installing Server and Client
Installing Client
Experiencing problems during installation? check common issues.
Additional Setup
If you have a proxy in your school and need to setup proxy for MinecraftEdu, be sure to check out the launcher proxy settings article.
Installing MinecraftEdu for the whole classroom
You can either download the installer to every computer separately or you can download once and transfer it to the other computers with a usb stick or other remote installation method. You can read more about the ways of distribution from our distribution guide.
Uninstalling MinecraftEdu
MinecraftEdu does not install anything outside the folder where you installed it (except shortcuts) so uninstallation is very simple: Remove your MinecraftEdu folder. Additionally if you generated shortcut to your desktop (windows or linux systems) or dock (mac systems), you will need to manually remove that.
On Mac, the MinecraftEdu folder is located in /Users/USERNAME/LIbrary/Application Support/minecraftedu.
On a Windows PC, the MinecraftEdu folder is default located in C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\minecraftedu. The AppData folder is usually hidden by default in Windows.
Start using MinecraftEdu
After you have installed MinecraftEdu, it's time to start using it! If you are new to Minecraft we suggest you go through the tutorial world to get to know how everything works. The tutorial world is included with the standard MinecraftEdu installation. It was designed by Joel Levin, to teach students how to play Minecraft. These days, we find it very useful to educators starting out in Minecraft for the first time to learn the controls of the game as well as how to pick up and place blocks.
- Download and print: MinecraftEdu Controls Handout
- Contains basic movement and building controls, plus MinecraftEdu Menu items.
Note: The following instructions assume you are hosting your own server, and include steps on starting up your server. If you are using the Hosting Service, refer to this guide, instead.
Starting a MinecraftEdu Server
To start a server you need to first start the MinecraftEdu Launcher. Because MinecraftEdu was designed for classroom use, most functions of the software are only available in a multiplayer environment. Once you have the Launcher running you can press the Start MinecraftEdu Server Launcher button. This will open the Server Launcher window. If this was your first time running the Server Launcher you will be asked to set a teacher password. This password is used to login to the server as a teacher. You can change the password from the settings tab of the server window at any time.
Starting a server with the tutorial world
If you are not familiar with Minecraft the tutorial world is a great starting point. It will teach you the basics of Minecraft like moving around and building.
Here is a step by step guide and a tutorial video on how to start a server with the tutorial world:
Starting a server with the tutorial world can be easily done by clicking the Start Server with Tutorial World at the top of the Server Launcher window. It is possible for you to run a MinecraftEdu server, and connect to it using the same computer. However, if you are not connected to a network, no other clients will be able to connect to you. If you are planning to collaborate on your tutorial experence, it is advised you be connected to a wireless or hardwired network before you start up your Tutorial world.
After you press the button the Server Launcher will close and the Server window will appear.
Starting the MinecraftEdu Client and Connecting to a Server
Once you have the Tutorial World up and running, you will use the game client to connect to it.
To join a server you need to know the ip-address of that server. The ip address of the server can be found in the server window:
Once you know the ip-address of the server, the circle in the top left is green, and reads Server Ready, you can start the MinecraftEdu Launcher and press Start MinecraftEdu button:
Next you will see the login window. There are three types of login methods. For getting started on the Tutorial World, select MinecraftEdu and press Launch at the bottom of the window which will launch the actual game Client.
Once the client starts you will get a window asking for your name and gender. Type in a desired username (minimum 3 characters) and select your gender. Press Continue.
Next you will see the main menu.
Press Multiplayer which takes you to a screen where you can type in the ip address of the server. You can either use Direct Connect or Add Server. With Direct Connect you will need to specify the ip address every time you want to join a server. If you use Add Server the server is saved to an editable list.
Pressing Add Server gives you a screen where you can set a name that you want to save the server with and provide the ip address of the server. After typing in the details press Done
Alternatively, if you are running the server and the client from the same computer, and that computer is not connected to a network. Enter 'localhost' as the server ip to connect to the server running locally on the same machine.
Now you should see the server in your server list. If you don't have the green bars then your client machine does not see the server machine. See common issues for help.
Select the server from the list and press Join Server or double click the server name. Then you need to select are you a student or are you a teacher. If you are a student you can choose your appearance by clicking the left and right arrows and when you are satisfied with your looks press Connect. If you are a teacher you need to type in the server teacher password that you set up when you started the Server Launcher for the first time.
That is it! You should now be connected to the Tutorial World. Take your time and read all of the signs, note blocks and clues left behind in this world to get the most out of what is has to teach you.
- Download and print: MinecraftEdu Controls Handout
- Contains basic movement and building controls, plus MinecraftEdu Menu items.
For further reference