Minecraft: Java Edition · Windows, macOS & Linux
The HUD, zoom, freelook, replays, free cosmetics and emotes, and voice chat you’d get from a big client, plus Fabric, Forge and NeoForge mods and built-in performance mods, in one small open-source launcher written in Rust. Move over from your old launcher in a minute.
Microsoft or offline accounts. No account needed to try it.
Play
Vanilla Minecraft, ready when you are.
VERSION
Ready to play.
A single native .exe. Nothing to install.
Rust + egui, no Electron. Almost no CPU while you play.
A complete fresh install on a fast connection.
Open source, free forever.
Launcher and client in one
Players of Lunar, Badlion, Feather and LabyMod get the HUD, zoom, freelook, cosmetics, emotes, replays and voice chat they are used to, and still keep Fabric, Forge and NeoForge mods and every Minecraft version. Your old HUD layout comes over too.
Move to Arctic
Arctic finds your instances in other launchers (or any folder you point it at) and brings them over in a minute, one at a time or all at once. Just want your worlds or screenshots? Take only those. It’s offered right in the first-run setup.
Launchers
Clients
Pick exactly what comes along
Version, loader and memory always do. Everything else is its own checkbox.
Plus your HUD layout from LabyMod, Lunar, Badlion or Feather, rebuilt for Arctic Client.
Never touched: your originals and your accounts.
The launcher
One small native window: pick a version, press Play. Everything else, from instances and cosmetics to friends, sits a click away.
Play. Pick an instance and a version, press Play. Join a server from the list or type an address.1 / 8
What's inside
Create Fabric, Quilt, NeoForge or Forge instances and install mods from Modrinth with their dependencies, or a whole modpack in one click (drag in a .mrpack too). Resource packs and shaders too, with Iris added for you when a shader needs it. Drag .jar files onto an instance's Mods page to add them. In game, a resource pack goes on without a restart.
Pick any Minecraft release (or a snapshot) and press Play. Arctic downloads the game and the exact Java it needs.
Invite friends into your world with a code. No server, no port forwarding: a direct link, or an encrypted relay when that isn't possible.
Pick a skin from your library or copy a player's by name, choose a cape or upload your own (animated ones too), and add 3D cosmetics and emotes. Every Arctic player sees your look in game, with an Arctic badge in the tab list, even on proxy networks. Preview it all in 3D.
Add friends with a code and see who's online and on which server. Invite them in, chat and send screenshots from the launcher or in game, and talk with proximity voice chat that also works on Simple Voice Chat servers. You choose what friends can see.
The Play tab lists your servers with ping, the message of the day and who's online, so you know your friends are on before you start. Type an address into the join box to ping it and join or add it, and drag a server by its grip to reorder the list.
A public server list in a new random order every time, so nobody can pay for the top spot. Filter by servers that need a Microsoft account or let any name in, check out hosting partners, or hit Surprise me.
Screenshots from all your instances in one gallery that refreshes on its own. Scroll to zoom, drag to pan, copy or open one, send it to a friend's chat, or delete it into a trash you can restore from.
One small native app written in Rust, with no Electron and no browser engine inside. It uses almost no CPU while you play, so your PC's power goes to Minecraft.
Browse skins other players shared, search by name or creator, and wear one in a click. Share your own; a moderator approves new skins before they show up.
Sign in with Microsoft in your browser or with a short code, or add offline accounts for singleplayer, LAN and offline-mode servers. Switch in one click, even from inside the game.
Send friends an instance (with the exact mod versions), your HUD layout, your crosshair, your default game settings, all your client settings or a whole profile, as a short code, text or a file. Everything is checked value by value when it's imported.
Downloads run in parallel over dozens of connections, so a complete fresh install takes about 20 seconds on a fast connection and relaunching is instant. In game, one switch adds Sodium, Lithium, FerriteCore, ImmediatelyFast, EntityCulling and ModernFix for much higher FPS, plus Polarium for big crowds.
Play Minecraft for Windows (and Preview) from the Bedrock tab, switch it to any version since 1.21.120 in a click, import and export worlds, packs and add-ons, back worlds up, and keep a server list with live player counts.
Press Play and Arctic checks for the same mod twice, mods that break each other, missing or too old requirements and mods made for another version. Fix each in one click. Moving an instance to a newer version brings its mods along.
Live game output as readable lines, with filters and search. When the game crashes, Arctic tells you why in plain words, names leftover mods, and offers Fix it buttons.
RAM, resolution, Java and JVM arguments per instance, Discord status, and Aurora, Dark or Light themes over an animated arctic night.
Fully separate profiles on one PC, each with its own accounts, settings, instances and worlds. Game files are shared, so switching never re-downloads anything.
Account secrets are encrypted on disk and in memory, tied to your machine, and only ever sent to Microsoft and Mojang.
Stable and beta channels. New versions are hash-checked, then swapped in place in seconds, so you're always on the latest without reinstalling.
Arctic Client
Restyled menus, over thirty HUD widgets, Zoom, Freelook, PvP tools, friends and voice chat, built into Minecraft by Arctic. On by default on 1.8.9, 1.9.4, 1.10.2, 1.11.2, 1.12.2 and 1.15.2 up to the newest release, in Fabric and Quilt instances too, and one switch to turn it off.
Arctic HUD. Over thirty widgets that line up on their own: FPS, coordinates, compass, minimap, effects, keystrokes and more.1 / 10
They line up on their own and snap into place when you drag them, with a HUD editor for size and background.
Cross, dot, circle or your own picture as the crosshair, colored by what you aim at. A duel builds a flat arena with a kit and invites your friend.
Hold C to zoom, Left Alt to look around; every key is rebindable.
See which friends are on, chat and invite them without leaving the game. Press B for the emote wheel.
Quick chat keys fill in {x} {y} {z}, the server, biome or facing. Streamer mode hides your name, skin and server address on your screen.
Every session records quietly; save the good ones. Jump anywhere, fly a camera path and export a clip, with Windows' own encoder (nothing to download).
Press Right Shift in game for the Arctic menu.
Polarium
In 1000-bot fights, Polarium gives 200–300+ FPS where most PCs get around 20. It spreads Minecraft’s entity rendering across all your CPU cores, and on 26.3 and 26.2 draws players and items with GPU instancing.
Make it yours
Six snowflake styles and any colour you like, the same picker the launcher uses for instance icons. Try it.
The little things
The small touches that make it feel finished.
>arctic versions -n 226.3 2026-09-15 installed latest26.2 2026-06-16>arctic instances create "Fabric" --version 26.3 --loader fabric>arctic mods install sodium --instance fabric>arctic launch --instance fabric --memory 6G# started detached; the game keeps running after arctic exits>arctic launch 1.21.4 --account Steve --json{"event":"progress","stage":"Downloading game files",…}{"event":"launched","version":"1.21.4","pid":12345,…}>arctic share instance --instance fabric --as code>
Command line
A headless companion with a command for every feature: import from other launchers, create instances, install mods and packs, share setups, manage accounts, profiles, friends, servers and waypoints, and start the game from a terminal or a script.
Local by design
No telemetry and no analytics. Sign-in tokens are encrypted on your PC and only go to Microsoft and Mojang. Arctic’s looks service never sees your password or tokens: it checks who you are the way a Minecraft server does. Everything else sits in one folder you can open, back up or delete.
%LOCALAPPDATA%ArcticLauncher ├─ profiles.json your profiles ├─ profilesdefault│ ├─ settings.json your preferences │ ├─ accounts.json tokens · encrypted, stays here │ ├─ instances worlds, mods, configs │ └─ logs game output ├─ shared versions, libraries, assets ├─ runtimes managed Java └─ logs launcher log
Community
Get help from people who use Arctic every day, try new builds first, and tell us what to build next.
16 online · 49 members
Supported by
Play together runs while you’re online. When your world should stay up without you: Minecraft servers that stay up 24/7, priced by player slots, not gigabytes.
FAQ
Yes. Add an offline account with any name for singleplayer, LAN and offline-mode servers. It gets Arctic skins, capes and cosmetics like any other account, and friends can add it by its friend code. Servers that check accounts still need a Microsoft account that owns Minecraft: Java Edition. More at arcticlauncher.com/offline-mode.
Yes. Arctic Launcher is free and open-source under the GPL-3.0-or-later license. No ads, no premium tier.
No. The launcher downloads the exact Java runtime each Minecraft version expects, straight from Mojang, and keeps it in its own folder.
Sign-in happens on Microsoft's own page in your browser (or with a short code). The launcher never sees your password, and the tokens stay on your PC and only go to Microsoft, Xbox and Mojang. They're encrypted on disk and in memory, tied to your machine. Arctic's looks service never receives them: it checks who you are the same way a Minecraft server does.
Yes. The Move to Arctic window (also offered during setup, and as arctic migrate) imports instances from the Minecraft Launcher, TLauncher, Prism, PolyMC, MultiMC, Modrinth App, CurseForge, ATLauncher and GDLauncher, plus what LabyMod, Lunar, Feather and Badlion players have (HUD layouts included). Pick exactly what comes over: mods, worlds, packs, settings or screenshots, each on its own. Mods are matched on Modrinth, missing ones are fetched, and your originals and account files are never touched.
Yes. Create a Fabric, Quilt, NeoForge or Forge instance under Instances, then browse Modrinth for mods (dependencies included) or install a whole modpack in one click. Modrinth .mrpack files (and .zip packs with a Modrinth index) install from Instances too; just drag and drop them. You can also drop .jar files into the instance's mods folder.
Pick any skin or cape in the Skins tab, even your own image, or browse the community gallery for skins other players shared (new ones appear after a moderator approves them). Add 3D cosmetics and emotes too. Every Arctic player sees your look in game through Arctic Client, including animated capes, with an Arctic badge next to your name in the tab list. You can also change your real Minecraft skin from there.
Probably not. Arctic Client is built in and gives you what people install those clients for: over thirty HUD widgets, Zoom, Freelook, Fullbright, a minimap and waypoints, replays, free cosmetics and emotes, and friends with chat and voice. It runs on Fabric and Quilt instances too, so you keep your Modrinth mods, and the Move to Arctic window brings over your HUD layout.
Arctic's built-in client: restyled menus (Arctic, Aurora, a black Classic, or Vanilla, which keeps Minecraft's own menus), over thirty HUD widgets that snap into place (compass and minimap included), Zoom, Freelook, Fullbright, Toggle Sprint and Sneak, a crosshair editor, waypoints, quick chat keys, a streamer mode, replays, friends, messages, voice chat and everyone's Arctic looks. Press Right Shift in game for its menu. It's on by default on Minecraft 1.8.9, 1.9.4, 1.10.2, 1.11.2, 1.12.2 and 1.15.2 up to the newest release, works in Fabric and Quilt instances, and you can turn it off per instance or choose pure Vanilla during setup.
The game itself usually does: the Performance switch adds Sodium, Lithium, FerriteCore, ImmediatelyFast, EntityCulling and ModernFix to Vanilla, fetched from Modrinth for your version, and Polarium for big crowds on 26.3, 26.2, and 26.1.2. It's on by default wherever Fabric supports the version, and you can turn it off.
Yes: both of you need Arctic Launcher, the same Minecraft version and the same mods. Open your world to LAN, share the code, and Arctic connects you directly, or through an encrypted relay when a direct link isn't possible.
Yes. Add them with their friend code and you'll see who's online and on which server, send invites, and chat (screenshots too) from the launcher or in game. Turn on voice chat in Settings to hear Arctic players near you on the same server, placed by where they stand; it also connects to servers running Simple Voice Chat. You decide whether friends see you online, where you play and your other accounts.
Unzip arctic-launcher-macos.zip, drag Arctic Launcher into Applications and open it. The app is signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so it opens without a warning. You can check the SHA-256 on the download page first. With Homebrew, brew install brksfrb/arctic/arctic-launcher installs the same app.
Yes, on Windows. The Bedrock tab launches Minecraft for Windows (and Preview), switches it to any version since 1.21.120, imports and exports worlds (.mcworld), packs and add-ons (.mcpack, .mcaddon), backs worlds up and keeps a server list with live player counts and ping. You need to own Minecraft for Windows.
Yes. The arctic CLI shares the launcher's data: launch versions and instances, install mods, manage accounts and profiles, with JSON output for scripts. See the command line guide at docs.arcticlauncher.com.
Windows 10 and 11 (x64), macOS 11 or newer, and Linux (x64) with an X11 or Wayland desktop and OpenGL. The Mac app is universal: on Apple Silicon, Minecraft 1.19 and newer runs natively, and older versions run through Rosetta automatically.
Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\ArcticLauncher. macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/ArcticLauncher. Linux: ~/.local/share/ArcticLauncher. Each profile has its own folder inside, and arctic paths prints them all. Drop a portable.txt next to the launcher and it uses a data folder beside it instead, handy for USB sticks.
Yes, with portable mode. Put an empty file named portable.txt next to the launcher (on a USB stick, or in a folder on another drive such as D:\Games\Arctic) and start it: everything then lives in a data folder beside the launcher instead of %LOCALAPPDATA%\ArcticLauncher. Existing data isn't moved, so copy the contents of your old ArcticLauncher folder into data to keep it. Accounts are tied to the PC they were added on, so you sign in again on another computer. If Windows hides file extensions and the file ends up as portable.txt.txt, that works from v0.4.0; on older versions, rename it to portable.txt. More at arcticlauncher.com/download#portable.
Join the Discord at arcticlauncher.com/discord (opens in a new tab): post in the support forum and attach your logs, and the bot checks them for known problems right away. You can also write to [email protected], and bugs can go straight to GitHub issues.
No. It's an independent project, not affiliated with Mojang Studios or Microsoft. It downloads the game from Mojang's official servers.
