How to Increase RAM for Minecraft

Use Launcher version 2.0.X

Check available RAM on the computer. RAM capacity indicates how much memory you can allocate to the Minecraft game. To check RAM:

For Windows - Open Start , click the Settings cog , click System , click About , then look at the number next to "Installed RAM."

For Mac - Open the Apple menu , click About This Mac , then look at the number to the right of "Memory."

Update Java program . Visit the Java website at https://www.java.com/en/download/and click the "Download" button below the latest version of Java. This step helps ensure that your Java is updated to the latest version and ready for RAM allocation.

If you're using Windows, you'll need to make sure you've downloaded the correct bit version for your operating system.

Open Minecraft Launcher. Double click on the Minecraft icon to do this.

If the Launcher window says "1.6." in the lower left corner (or at the top of the window), use Launcher version 1.6.X.

Click the Launch options tab . This option is located at the top of the Launcher.

Make sure the Advanced settings switch is turned on. This switch is located in the upper right corner of the Launch Options page. If the switch isn't already green, you'll need to click it before continuing.

Click on the profile you want to change. If you only see one option on this page, click it.

Turn on the JVM arguments switch . Click the switch to the left of "JVM arguments" to enable this feature.

Change the amount of RAM that the Minecraft game can use. You will see a line of text in the "JVM arguments" text field, the first part of which says -Xmx1G; change the number "1" to the number of gigabytes of RAM you want to give Minecraft.

For example, you could change this text to "-Xmx4G" to give Minecraft four gigabytes of RAM.

Click SAVE . This save button is at the bottom of the window. Minecraft game will now use the selected amount of RAM for the current profile.

Use Launcher version 1.6.X

Check available RAM on the computer. RAM capacity helps you know how much memory can be allocated to Minecraft. To check RAM:

On Windows - Open Start , click the Settings cog , click System , click About , then look at the number next to "Installed RAM."

On Mac - Open the Apple menu , click About This Mac , then look at the number to the right of "Memory."

Update Java program . Go to the Java website at https://www.java.com/en/download/and click the "Download" button below the latest Java version. This will ensure that your Java is updated to the latest version, ready for RAM allocation.

If you are using Windows, make sure you have downloaded the correct bit version for your operating system.

Open Minecraft Launcher. In version 1.6.X and above, you can allocate more RAM directly from Minecraft Launcher. If you're using an earlier version, see the next section.

If the Launcher window says "2.0." in the lower left corner, use Launcher version 2.0.X.

Select profile. Click Edit Profile and select a profile from the list.

Enable JVM Arguments. In the "Java Settings (Advanced)" section, check the "JVM Arguments" box. You will be allowed to type the command line to edit the Minecraft game.

Increase RAM. If left by default, Minecraft will only provide 1 GB of RAM. You can increase this amount of RAM by typing . Replace # with the number of gigabytes you want to allocate. For example: If you want to allocate 18 GB, you need to type .-Xmx#G-Xmx18G

Save your profile. Click Save Profile to save your settings. The amount of RAM you desire will now be applied to the selected profile.

Use a Minecraft server

Check the RAM available on the computer. The amount of RAM available dictates how much memory you can allocate to Minecraft. To check RAM:

If using Windows - Open Start , click the Settings cog , click System , click About and look at the number next to "Installed RAM".

If using a Mac - Open the Apple menu , click About This Mac , and look at the number to the right of "Memory."

Update Java . Visit the Java website at https://www.java.com/en/download/and click the "Download" button located below the latest Java version. This step helps ensure that your Java version is up to date and ready for RAM allocation.

If you are using a Windows operating system, you need to make sure that you have downloaded the correct bit version for your operating system. You can only allocate 1 GB of RAM on a 32-bit computer.

Open the server folder (Minecraft server). This is the directory containing the filesMinecraft_server.exewhich you will open to start your Minecraft server.

The easiest way to find this folder is to search for the file "Minecraft_server", then navigate to the location where that file is located.

Creates a document in the server directory. Click Home (on Windows) or File (on Mac), then click New item (on Windows) or select New (on Mac) and click Text Document . This step creates a new document in the same location as the fileminecraft_server.exe.

Enter code to increase RAM. Enter the code (command line) corresponding to the operating system you are using into your text:
On Windows

 java -Xmx #### M -Xms #### M -exe Minecraft_Server.exe -o true
 PAUSE

On OS X

 #!/bin/bash
 cd "$( dirname "$0" )"
 java -Xms #### M -Xmx #### M -exe Minecraft_Server.exe -o true

On Linux

 #!/bin/sh
 BINDIR=$(dirname "$(readlink -fn "$0")")
 cd "$BINDIR"
 java -Xms #### M -Xmx #### M -exe Minecraft_Server.exe -o true

Change #### to the desired number of megabytes. To allocate 2 GB, type 2048. To allocate 3 GB, type 3072. To allocate 4 GB, type 4096. To allocate 5 GB, type 5120.

Save the file. If you are using Windows, save it as a file with the extension ".bat". Click File and select Save As. . Change the file extension from ".txt" to ".bat". If you are using OS X, you need to save it as a file with the extension ".command". If you are using Linux, save it as a file with the extension ".sh".

You may have to enable file extensions on Windows to see the extension.

Run the new file to start playing Minecraft game. The file you create will become the new Launcher for your Minecraft server. Running the game using the new file (.bat on Windows, .command on Mac, or .sh on Linux) will allocate new RAM to the server.

Kareem Winters

Update 06 November 2023