How do I find my Minecraft Launcher?

Windows apps shortcuts don't involve the .exe.

Option 1:

select Start > Settings > Personalization > Start > enable "Show app list in Start menu"

Once enabled, your start menu will have an app list on the left side (Picture).

Scroll down to Minecraft Launcher and drag the icon to the desktop.

Option 2:

An alternate method to create a short for new Minecraft Launcher

• Press Windows key + r

• Type shell:AppsFolder and hit enter

• Find the new Minecraft Launcher

• Right click and create shortcut

Minecraft does not "install" like a usual program (in fact, Minecraft.exe is not an installer). When started, it creates and uses a folder for itself (.minecraft), which contains the *.jar executables and assets, but it doesn't create a new launcher executable that is registered in the OS somewhere.

Minecraft is launched through the Minecraft.exe file you originally downloaded (and is probably in a Downloads folder somewhere, or whatever you picked as the download directory), which then runs the .minecraft/launcher.jar archive in java.

I recommend moving (and, if necessary, downloading again) the Minecraft.exe to a "safe" directory (say, making a new Program Data/Mojang/Minecraft directory and placing it there, or moving it to the .minecraft directory itself) and then making a shortcut to it on the Desktop. Minecraft will not do this on its own, as I described above.

MinecraftLauncher.exe file information

The process known as Minecraft launcher or Minecraft Launcher belongs to software Minecraft or Minecraft Launcher by .

Description: MinecraftLauncher.exe is not essential for the Windows OS and causes relatively few problems. MinecraftLauncher.exe is located in a subfolder of "C:\Program Files (x86)" or sometimes in a subfolder of the user's profile folder—common is C:\Program Files (x86)\Minecraft\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Minecraft Launcher\. Known file sizes on Windows 10/11/7 are 13,179,660 bytes (30% of all occurrences), 2,179,456 bytes and 7 more variants.

Uninstalling this variant: If you have any problems with MinecraftLauncher.exe, you can use the software publisher's support or uninstall Minecraft Launcher or Minecraft from your computer using the Control Panel applet Uninstall a Program.

Recommended: Identify MinecraftLauncher.exe related errors

Important: Some malware camouflages itself as MinecraftLauncher.exe, particularly when located in the C:\Windows or C:\Windows\System32 folder. Therefore, you should check the MinecraftLauncher.exe process on your PC to see if it is a threat. We recommend Security Task Manager for verifying your computer's security. This was one of the Top Download Picks of The Washington Post and PC World.

Best practices for resolving MinecraftLauncher issues

A clean and tidy computer is the key requirement for avoiding problems with MinecraftLauncher. This means running a scan for malware, cleaning your hard drive using 1cleanmgr and 2sfc /scannow, 3uninstalling programs that you no longer need, checking for Autostart programs (using 4msconfig) and enabling Windows' 5Automatic Update. Always remember to perform periodic backups, or at least to set restore points.

Should you experience an actual problem, try to recall the last thing you did, or the last thing you installed before the problem appeared for the first time. Use the 6resmon command to identify the processes that are causing your problem. Even for serious problems, rather than reinstalling Windows, you are better off repairing of your installation or, for Windows 8 and later versions, executing the 7DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth command. This allows you to repair the operating system without losing data.

To help you analyze the MinecraftLauncher.exe process on your computer, the following programs have proven to be helpful: ASecurity Task Manager displays all running Windows tasks, including embedded hidden processes, such as keyboard and browser monitoring or Autostart entries. A unique security risk rating indicates the likelihood of the process being potential spyware, malware or a Trojan. BMalwarebytes Anti-Malware detects and removes sleeping spyware, adware, Trojans, keyloggers, malware and trackers from your hard drive.

Other processes

pcdrrealtime.p5x sentry.exe jp2launcher.exe MinecraftLauncher.exe youcamtray.exe streamer.exe smartlogon.exe sixth.exe energy.exe iobituninstaler.exe stmain.dll [all]

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