Minecraft is one of the most popular Windows PC games. However, some players complain that Minecraft lags way too much. For example, this is what one player said about that lagging, “Why is Minecraft so laggy? A lot of stutters, unplayable on a mid-end computers.” Minecraft lag can make its gameplay stutter, slow, and unresponsive. These are some ways you can remedy Minecraft lagging on Windows PCs.
Turn Down Minecraft’s Graphics Settings
Lowering the game’s graphics settings is one of the best ways to fix Minecraft lagging for many players. Sure, the game might not look as nice with lower graphical settings, but the most important thing is that it plays better. When playing Minecraft, press Esc and select Options > Video Settings. Then, set the Minecraft video settings like this:
- Graphics: Fast
- Cloud: Off (or Fast)
- Particles: Minimal
- Fullscreen Resolution: 1280 x 720
- Biome Blend: Fastest
- Smooth Lighting: Off
- Vsync: Off
- FOV Effects: Off
- Render Distance: 4 to 8
- View Bobbing: Off
- Minmap: Off
There is some leeway for how you apply this potential resolution, as you can adjust some of the settings above to variable levels. However, reducing those options above as specified will optimize the game for performance. Click Done to apply settings as configured.
The graphics settings in Minecraft
Install the Sodium Minecraft Mod
Players confirm that installing the Sodium mod can fix Minecraft lagging. Sodium is an open-source rendering engine mod that adjusts the game’s rendering code for better performance. You can download the Sodium mod by clicking Download on this Curseforge page. That page includes installation guidelines for the Sodium mod.
The Sodium mod download page
Allocate More RAM to Minecraft
Allocating more RAM (system memory) to Minecraft will optimize that game for performance. That’s worth trying for fixing Minecraft lagging because the game will typically have four gigabytes of RAM set. Note that this potential resolution is only applicable for the Java version of Minecraft. You can allocate more RAM to Minecraft like this:
- Open the Minecraft Launcher.
- Select Minecraft Java Edition in the left sidebar.
- Click on the Installations tab.
- Next, click the three-dot menu button for your Minecraft version to select Edit.
- Click on the More options button.
- Change -Xmx4G at the beginning of the JVM Arguments box to -Xmx8G (for eight gigabytes of RAM) or -Xmx16G (for 16 gigabytes).
The JVM Arguments box
- Click Save to apply settings as configured.
Set a High Java Priority
If you play Minecraft Java, try setting a higher priority for Java. Setting a higher java.exe priority allocates more processor time and system resources for Java. You can set a higher Java priority via Task Manager like this:
- First, start the Minecraft game.
- Press the Windows keyboard key to view the desktop without closing the game.
- Right-click your taskbar and select its Task Manager shortcut.
- Click Details to view that tab.
- Right-click the java.exe or javaw.exe process to select Priority > High.
The high-priority option
- Note that the priority option is not a permanently applied setting, meaning it resets back to the default. So, you’ll need to select a high-priority option for Java every time you play Minecraft.
Close Background Apps Before Playing Minecraft
Closing unneeded background programs is a recommended way to fix Minecraft lagging because it frees up system resources for the game. There are a few ways you can close background programs and processes. These are the steps for closing unneeded background apps via Task Manager and the system tray:
- Activate Task Manager with its Ctrl + Shift + Esc keyboard shortcut.
- Right-click unneeded background third-party apps and programs on the Processes tab to select End task.
The End task option in Task Manager
- Click the Task Manager’s Startup tab.
- Right-click unneeded startup items there to select Disable.
- Then, right-click system tray icons to select options for closing background apps from there.
Delete Minecraft Mods
Poorly optimized Minecraft mods that spawn many entities can cause laggy gameplay. To remedy this potential cause for Minecraft lagging, try deleting unneeded mods. You erase the Minecraft mods as follows:
- Open your Minecraft Launcher.
- Select the Installations tab.
- Next, click the folder button for your latest Minecraft release version.
- Double-click the mods folder.
The Installation tab
- Select all mods in that folder by dragging the mouse cursor over them.
- Click on Delete in File Explorer to erase your selected mods.
Other Possible Ways to Fix Minecraft Lagging
First, try applying the best ways to fix Minecraft lagging covered above. If the game still lags too much, try applying some of these additional troubleshooting methods:
- Reinstall your Minecraft game to update it.
- Unplug your internet router and plug it back in.
- Update graphical drivers with a method in this KeenGamer post.
- Sign out and back into your MS Store account (and the Xbox app) before playing Minecraft.
Many players have fixed Minecraft lagging by applying the troubleshooting methods above. So, applying some of those remedies will probably reduce your Minecraft game lag as well. Then, the gameplay in your Minecraft game will be much smoother than before.
