Vivienne's Guide on Boycotting Microsoft... but You Still Really Wanna Play Minecraft

So.. you wanna play Minecraft, huh? Well, if you've been following the Vivienne's Guide to Boycotting Microsoft guide, you'll have noticed that, predictably, Microsoft owns Minecraft. Uh-oh! And now Microsoft's implementing a nasty little feature where if you don't give up your ID, you will be forced to exclusively play singleplayer! Now, this specific update is UK-only, though, for my US audience, I would still keep an eye on news as there is a high likelihood this could affect you guys too.

So what do you do now if you've been following along with this guide?

Well, to my best ability, here's what you can do.

  1. If you're a Java Edition user, or a user that owns both Java and Bedrock, port your Java saves to Prism Launcher, and start using 1.20.1 as your main version or begin exclusively dabbling in versions below the date where Microsoft bought Mojang. From now on, do not use the newer versions above 1.20.1 anymore, as they contain any telemetry capabilities, and they'll probably contain said age verification system. This is also to minimize usage of the official MC Launcher.
  2. For Bedrock Edition users on PC that DON'T have Java Edition, as well as Console users, well you won't have to worry that much, because you can actually play the game now, properly! Though I'd advise not using Vibrant Visuals if you have a weaker PC, or you're experiencing lag. Unluckily however, depending on the country, the age verification system will permanently lock access to Multiplayer for people on PC. For Mobile users, while the game's also fixed for you, I'd actually just rather you pirate this one instead for an older version (again can't tell you how, for law purposes), in order to bypass the age verification system. For Linux users, I suggest following this tutorial here to get Bedrock working on Linux.
    And for OG Nintendo Switch users, you were probably already doomed to begin with, and will end up joining the PC users with being restricted from Multiplayer. For Switch 2 users, dawg, you probably have a PC running Bedrock, use that instead!
  3. I still advise not touching the official launcher again, because it turns out it, and the game itself uses telemetry, something that, w/o mods, you cannot turn off (at least for Bedrock, Java requires an entire mod to do so.)
  4. For people that have money to buy Minecraft, do not. Assuming the backlash won't do anything, people will attempt to perform a mass boycott. For those people willing to perform said mass boycott, go play Hytale instead. It's, at the very least, the closest thing we have to a close competitor to Minecraft.

<< Back

Edit

Pub: 04 Dec 2025 01:21 UTC

Edit: 19 Jan 2026 12:34 UTC

Views: 10