Mojang Studios begins its mandatory Microsoft Account requirement for Minecraft: Java Edition

Update, March 10, 2022, at 2:20 p.m. CT: Mojang Studios has begun rolling out mandatory migration to Microsoft Accounts

What you need to know

• In the past, Minecraft: Java Edition players have used specialized Mojang Accounts to access their game.
• Mojang Studios announced in 2020 its intention to migrate all these accounts to Microsoft Accounts for security, integration, and more.
• On Friday, the company announced the deadline for migrating your account voluntarily is Mar. 10, 2022.
• After Mar. 10, a Microsoft Account will be required to access and play Minecraft: Java Edition on PC.

Near the end of 2020, Mojang Studios, the creators of Minecraft, announced its latest efforts to integrate into its parent company, Microsoft. This meant the retiring of Mojang Accounts—used by players to access and play Minecraft: Java Edition and the Minecraft Launcher on PC—and migrating users to more secure and seamless Microsoft Accounts. On Friday, the company revealed the deadline for this migration.

After Mar. 10, 2022, a Microsoft Account will be required to play Minecraft: Java Edition. Players now have a limited amount of time to voluntarily migrate their older Mojang Accounts before they are required to sign in with a Microsoft Account in order to play Minecraft. This is the completion of an extended process announced back in Oct. 2020.

Fortunately, the process for migrating your account is painless, and comes with various benefits for doing so. Here's what you need to know:

• There's no fee or cost to migrating, and it only takes a few minutes to complete. An option to begin the migration process will appear in the Minecraft Launcher or Minecraft website whenever you log in
• Minecraft: Java Edition is still completely supported and unchanged, and all of your save data, worlds, profile information, and even mods remain fully intact and migrate seamlessly
• You'll gain added security through a Microsoft Account, including the option for full two-factor authentication (2FA)
• You'll also gain added online privacy and safety through a Microsoft Account, with plenty of additional options and settings to customize
• A Microsoft Account can be used to access a variety of services with one log-in, including Minecraft: Java Edition, Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, and Minecraft Dungeons through the Microsoft Launcher

Once you've completed the migration process, you'll be gifted a free cape as a reward for your in-game character. You can redeem this cape at any point, even if you don't migrate until after the deadline has passed (at which point it will no longer be optional). If you don't have a Microsoft Account, it's recommended that you create one for free before Mar. 10 rolls around to make the process even easier.

In case you missed it, Minecraft: Java Edition is now available through PC Game Pass, meaning one of the best PC games is more accessible, alongside Mojang's other Minecraft games and a newly unified Minecraft Launcher. With the migration of aging Mojang Accounts to Microsoft Accounts nearing completion, Mojang Studios is integrated a little more into Microsoft and the Xbox Game Studios family.

Update, March 10, 2022, at 2:20 p.m. CT — Mandatory account migration has begun for some Minecraft: Java Edition players

Today is the last day for players to voluntarily migrate their aging Mojang Accounts to more secure Microsoft Accounts, before the latter is made a requirement to play Minecraft: Java Edition, alongside all other Mojang Studios products. Ahead of the deadline, Mojang has officially begun rolling out mandatory account migration to some users. By tomorrow, all players will be required to migrate their account to an active Microsoft Account in order to play.