FAQ

WHERE CAN I DOWNLOAD THE VERSIONS?

Links to the archive can be found in the Downloads section.

DO YOU HAVE [INSERT VERSION HERE]?

Check the index for a comprehensive list on which versions we do and do not have.

DOESN'T THE LAUNCHER HAVE EVERY VERSION?

While the launcher has many versions available to play, it is far from having every version. There are dozens of versions we have archived that are not in the launcher. In fact, some of the versions in the launcher were modified, whereas we have the original copies as they were on release.

I THINK I'VE FOUND A MISSING VERSION; WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Join our Discord Server and send a DM to one of the moderators and they will check it for you. If you're tech-savvy and want to be reasonably sure you've got something new before sending it to us, generate a file hash for the jar and see if that hash has already been marked as found on the version index.
Please do not upload jar files directly in the server, as explained in our server rules.

HOW DO I FIX CRASHES, SKINS, AND SOUNDS?

As these versions get older, more things break as Mojang updates their own infrastructure and as newer hardware and operating system updates are released. Not all of these issues can be completely solved, however there are tools generously made by members of our community that iron out some of these problems.

Some solutions are listed below. Please note that you should only use one of these tools; using a combination is unsupported and may result in unpredictable or undesired behaviour.

To use a proxy, paste them into the JVM arguments field in your launcher profile.

BetaCraft
BetaCraft has a proxy and a launcher. The proxy only fixes skins, sounds, and crashes, whereas the launcher has more features. These features include multiplayer authentication, resolution fixes in Classic, Discord RPC support, Classic saving, and more. Download it here.

BetaCraft proxy: -Dhttp.proxyHost=betacraft.uk

It is also recommended to use the following JVM argument with the BetaCraft proxy:
-Djava.util.Arrays.useLegacyMergeSort=true

There is no need to use either of the JVM arguments if you use the BetaCraft launcher.

RetroWrapper
RetroWrapper fixes some bugs, fixes skins and sounds, adds online saving, and has a teleportation hack and isometric viewer. Find the download and installation instructions here

WHY DO OLD VERSIONS COMPLETELY FREEZE MY COMPUTER?

This is a bug with Windows 10 version 1809. This is the only version this bug affects, so to fix it, either update to 1903 (or later), or downgrade to 1803 (or earlier). To check what version of Windows 10 you're using, press Win+R, type winver, and hit enter. The window that opens will tell you the version of Windows 10 you're running. There is no known way to fix this bug other than to install a version of Windows 10 that isn't affected.

HOW DO I KNOW WHICH SERVERS AND CLIENTS ARE COMPATIBLE WITH EACH OTHER?

Whether or not a client can connect to a server depends on the protocol version number (PVN) of both the client and the server. If the PVN matches, they are compatible. For example, clients a1.0.16 to a1.0.16_02 (inclusive) all have a PVN of 14. Server versions a0.1.2_01 and a0.1.3 also have a PVN of 14, meaning that all those clients are compatible with both those servers.

To find the PVN of a client or server, take a look at the index.

WHY DO CLOUDS LOOK WEIRD?

Beta 1.7.3 and older have graphical bugs when using most AMD graphics cards, which is most noticeable when looking at clouds with Fancy graphics.

The BetaCraft launcher has a fix automatically applied without needing to modify your client jar file. You can download the BetaCraft launcher here.

Alternatively, HalfOfAKebab has made a jar mod for a lot of versions that copies code from Beta 1.8 (which does not have these graphical issues). You can download it here.

CAN I BE NOTIFIED WHEN A LOST VERSION HAS BEEN FOUND?

Every time a new version is found, it's announced in #changelogs along with a ping to the Notification Squad role. To join the Notification Squad, join the Discord Server and type !role Notification Squad.

HAVE YOU HEARD OF LUIGI2600'S HIDDEN VERSIONS?

Yes, and a lot of them are either heavily modified or outright fake. If you have downloaded his archive, it is highly recommended that you delete it and instead download our archive.

HOW DO I PLAY THESE OLD VERSIONS?

Bugmancx has made a great video detailing all the different ways you can enjoy these old versions - you can check it out here: