Windows Installation Guide (2024)

Penny Support

October 05, 2023 15:57
Updated

Minecraft Education is available in the Microsoft Store

Before you begin

Before installing Minecraft Education, ensure these prerequisites are met.

Your PC must meet the system requirements.
Users need to have the correct permissions based on the setup and installation method used at your organization.
If installing the app from the Microsoft Store, all apps must be up to date. Minecraft Education cannot be installed if there are updates pending for other apps.

Installation Options

Minecraft Education is available as a desktop installer and through the Microsoft Store. Both versions function the same and have the same features. The difference is in how Minecraft is downloaded and installed. The Windows desktop version is downloaded from the Minecraft Education website.

To install Minecraft via device management tools, you can choose to install and update via the Microsoft store or using a traditional desktop installer.

Installation method	Updates via
Install on devices enrolled into Microsoft Intune using Microsoft Store app integration	Microsoft Store
Instruct users to install from the Microsoft Store	Microsoft Store
Install the Microsoft Store version manually	Microsoft Store
Install desktop version	Scheduled task

The version you choose may depend on your setup. These are the recommended Minecraft Education versions based on common setups.

Windows OS	One-to-one device	Shared device
Windows 10/11	Microsoft Store version	Microsoft Store version (recommended in device-context if available)
Windows 10 1703 LTSB and later Windows 11	Microsoft Store version	Microsoft Store version (deployed in device-context) or desktop version.
Windows 10 1703 LTSB	Desktop installer	Desktop installer
All versions of Windows Server	Not supported	Not supported

NOTES:

When Minecraft Education is installed with the Microsoft Store, app updates are installed through the Microsoft Store. If you block updates to apps, Minecraft Education will not update.
The Microsoft Store and desktop installer versions of Minecraft Education are incompatible with each other. If you want to switch from one to the other, you must uninstall the other version.
Delivery Optimization is only supported for the store version of Minecraft Education.

Installation instructions

Install on devices enrolled into Microsoft Intune using Microsoft Store app integration

Intune can deploy apps from the Microsoft Store. For more information, see Add Microsoft Store apps to Microsoft Intune. To deploy Minecraft Education to your Intune managed devices, follow these steps:

Navigate to Microsoft Intune admin console
Select Apps, then select All Apps
Select Add
Select Microsoft Store app (new) and chooses Select
Select Search the Microsoft Store app (new)
Search for Minecraft Education
Choose Select
On the App information screen, select the install behavior, then select Next
- System means install for all users (recommended for most scenarios)
- User means only install for the targeted user or current user of a device
On the scope tags screen, select scope tags if necessary, then select Next
On the assignment screen, choose how you’d like to target the installation of Minecraft Education
- Required assignments are installed without user interaction.
- Available assignments enable Minecraft Education to be installed from Company Portal by the targeted users.
After you’ve made your selection, select Next
Then select Create
Result: Minecraft Education will be installed by Microsoft Intune on the targeted users or devices at the next check-in or be made available in Company Portal for optional install.

Instruct users to install from the Microsoft Store

Provide the following instructions for your students and teachers to get the app themselves from the Microsoft Store.

Open the Microsoft Store app
Search for Minecraft Education
Follow instructions to get the app

Install desktop version

Follow these steps to manually install the Windows desktop version of Minecraft Education.

Download the Minecraft Education desktop installer.
Result:The installation file begins downloading to your PC.

Use the following command line to install the application quietly:
<exe name. eg MinecraftEducation_x86_1.20.1200.0> /qn

The full list of command line options are:

/?	Display command line options
/extract: <directory>	Extracts all files to the specified directory
/listlangs	Lists the languages supported by setup
/exenoui	Launches EXE setup without a UI
/exebasicui	Launches EXE setup with basic UI
/exelang <langid>	Launches the EXE setup using the specified language
/username	Username used by proxy
/password	Password used by proxy
/exelog <path to log file>	Creates a log file at the specified path
/exenoupdates	Does not check for a newer version
<msioptions>	Options for msiexec.exe running the MSI package. For example /qn runs the MSI install as quiet with no user interface.

3. If your software deployment tool has a detection method, you can use the following options:

Key	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft Studios\Minecraft Education Edition
Value name	Version
Detection method	Version comparison
Operator	Greater than or equal to
Value	<deployed version, eg “1.18.45.0”>
Associated with a 32-bit app on 64-bit clients	Yes

Install the Microsoft Store version manually

Follow these steps to manually install the Microsoft Store version of Minecraft Education.

Download theMinecraft Education appxbundle.
Result:If a pop-up asks approval to open the app installer, selectOpenInstaller

From the app installer, ensureLaunch when ready is selected and selectInstall.
Result:After Minecraft Education finishes installing, Minecraft Education opens.
Note:This requires the Desktop App Installer application to be installed.