Changing Java versions

Minecraft 1.17 and onwards uses a newer version of Java compared to previous versions, so it may be necessary to change the Java version to start your Minecraft server.

Older versions of Minecraft can also benefit from using a newer version of Java, see the table below on the compatibility between Minecraft versions and Java.

Minecraft Version	Java Version
1.11 and older	Java 8
1.12 - 1.13	Java 8 or Java 11
1.14 - 1.16	Java 8, Java 11, Java 14, Java 15
1.17 and newer	Java 16