Minecraft:Java account migration
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For the {{{Description}}} of the same name, see [[{{{Destination}}}]]. |
The Java account migration<ref name="announcement">Template:Ytl</ref>Template:Note was the process of moving ownership of Template:JE from Minecraft:Mojang accounts, including legacy Minecraft accounts, to Minecraft:Microsoft accounts. It took place from June 2021 to September 19, 2023.
History of events
Announcement
The Java account migration was announced on October 21, 2020 with a YouTube video, a Minecraft:Minecraft.net article, and an official FAQ.<ref name="announcement"/><ref name="movinghouse">Template:Mcnet</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref> The migration was described as a way to increase security through the addition of Template:W, connect all Mojang games to the same account, improve parental controls, and add features such as chat and invitation blocking. It was stated to take place early 2021 and to be mandatory in order to continue being able to log in and play the game. Additionally, it was announced that players who completed the migration would receive a Minecraft:cape as a reward.
The official FAQ stated that the migration would roll out gradually, with each phase including only a limited number of eligible players that would be notified on their Minecraft.net profile pages as well as through the Minecraft:Minecraft Launcher.
Introduction of Microsoft accounts
On November 27, 2020, the launcher was updated to version 2.2.74, introducing support for Microsoft accounts.
On December 1, 2020, the creation of new Mojang accounts was discontinued, and all new copies of Template:JE from that date onward required a Microsoft account.<ref>Template:Tweet</ref>
On February 28, 2021, the FAQ was edited to confirm that third-party launchers can now support Microsoft accounts.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
Pre-migration
On December 2020, the minecraft.net/mojang-account-move page and its redirect minecraft.net/move were created.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
On February 19, 2021, a new YouTube video promoting the migration process was released. The video was initially unlisted and only included on Minecraft.net.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> The video was made public on November 24, 2021.<ref>Template:Ytl</ref>
Migration
Starting June 24, 2021, players were able to migrate. Players eligible for migration received a notification on the Minecraft Launcher leading to their Minecraft.net profile page. Once on their Minecraft.net profile page, players had to:
- Click on "Move my account"
- Verify their email used by their Mojang account
- Create or connect to a Microsoft account
- Click on "Complete the move"
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A pop-up notifying a user that they can migrate
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A Minecraft.net profile page before migrating
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The pop-up to verify the email
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The window to enter the code
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The window to confirm the migration
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A Minecraft.net profile page after migrating
As initially announced, the migration was rolled out gradually, with each phase including only a limited number of eligible players. The following table lists all known phases.
| Date | Template:Tooltip | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mojang accounts (closed migration) | ||
| April 2021 | <ref name="internalmigration">Template:Tweet</ref> | This phase was an internal test. |
| May 2021 | <ref>Template:Tweet</ref><ref>Template:Tweet</ref> | This phase was an early migration test. |
| Mojang accounts | ||
| June 24, 2021 | <ref>Template:Tweet</ref> | |
| June 29, 2021 | <ref>Template:Tweet</ref> | |
| August 3, 2021 | <ref>Template:Tweet</ref> | This phase included about half a million accounts. |
| August 10, 2021 | <ref>Template:Tweet</ref> | This phase allegedly included about a million accounts. |
| August 17, 2021 | <ref>Template:Tweet</ref> | |
| August 24, 2021 | <ref>Template:Tweet</ref> | This phase doubled the number of eligible accounts. |
| September 1, 2021 | <ref>Template:Tweet</ref> | |
| September 2, 2021 | <ref>Template:Tweet</ref> | |
| September 8, 2021 | <ref>Template:Tweet</ref> | |
| October 12, 2021 | <ref>Template:Tweet</ref> | |
| October 20, 2021 | <ref>Template:Tweet</ref> | This phase included all remaining Mojang accounts. |
| Legacy Minecraft accounts | ||
| November 23, 2021 | <ref>Template:Tweet</ref> | This phase only included "a small batch" of legacy Minecraft accounts. |
| November 24, 2021 | <ref>Template:Tweet</ref> | This phase included all remaining legacy Minecraft accounts. |
On February 4, 2022, it was announced that players who did not migrate would be unable to play Template:JE starting March 10, 2022.<ref>Template:Mcnet</ref> Mojang accounts were blocked gradually, with only 1% of remaining Mojang accounts being restricted on March 10.<ref>Template:Tweet</ref>
On May 8, 2023, it was announced that the migration deadline would be September 19, 2023. After this date, unmigrated accounts would no longer be able to sign in to Minecraft.net or the Minecraft Launcher, therefore making migration impossible. Additionally, it was stated that beginning September 5, 2023, Mojang's support would no longer assist with migration-related issues.<ref>Template:Mcnet</ref>
The migration period ended on September 19, 2023, as announced.
Post-migration
On September 19, 2023, a post-migration period was opened. This gave players who did not migrate one last chance to retain access to the game by going through a post-migration process. However, this process did not actually involve migrating accounts; instead, it simply granted players who had missed the deadline the chance to obtain an entirely new account free of charge. Apart from being free, these new accounts were identical to new ones purchased normally; they did not retain the Java profile name, capes, or server progress of the original accounts. In addition, as these accounts were never actually migrated, they were not eligible for the Minecraft:migrator cape.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> The post-migration period ended on December 18, 2023, as announced.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
On March 10, 2024, Mojang deleted some unmigrated accounts.<ref>Template:Ytl</ref> Originally, the FAQ page mentioned that the usernames of deleted accounts would be released at some point.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> However, this was later changed to say that such usernames "may or may not be available".<ref>https://help.minecraft.net/hc/en-us/articles/19633473939981-Information-about-Mojang-Accounts-and-Microsoft-Account-Migration</ref> This remains on the current version of the page, leaving it unknown if any more usernames will be released.
== What happens if you didn't migrate? == The account migration process was a mandatory transition period enforced by Minecraft:Mojang Studios requiring players with legacy Mojang and Microsoft-owned Minecraft:Java Edition accounts to transition their profile data to a standard Minecraft:Microsoft account. The initiative began in early 2021 and concluded with a hard cutoff date on September 19, 2023, at 15:00 UTC.
Following this deadline, unmigrated legacy profiles became completely inaccessible. This article details the structural consequences, systemic profile outcomes, and official policies surrounding accounts that missed the migration window.
Account Inaccessibility and Deletion
Unmigrated legacy accounts are permanently locked out of the official Minecraft:launcher and authentication servers. Because authentication tokens are no longer generated for Mojang-format credentials, users cannot authenticate login sessions on public or private multiplayer servers.
According to official support documentation provided by Microsoft, unmigrated profile parameters—including in-game statistics, multiplayer server progress, inventory metadata, and achievements—are permanently decoupled from active server architectures. Mojang Studios support agents lack the administrative access tools required to manually recover or transfer unmigrated legacy statistics to newer profiles.
Username Availability
When an account missed the migration deadline, the configuration details regarding its custom Minecraft:username entered a locked state:
- Initial Lockout Phase: Immediately following the September 19, 2023 deadline, all unmigrated usernames were retained within the internal Mojang authentication database to prevent identity spoofing or immediate sniping.
- Post-September 2024 Policy: Mojang Studios initialized systematic cleanup procedures. Usernames associated with completely unmigrated or abandoned core profiles are periodically purged, returning those unique alphanumeric strings back into the public availability pool for newly registered Java Edition accounts.
Loss of Exclusive Cosmetics
Missing the migration timeline resulted in the permanent loss of historical profile cosmetics:
- Migrator Cape: The exclusive blue-and-gold cosmetic badge featuring the royal crest design was strictly a promotional incentive for users who completed migration before the cutoff. It cannot be retroactively assigned under any circumstances.
- Legacy Capes: Historical capes earned via physical attendance at Minecraft:Minecon events (2011–2016), personal contributions, or map-making achievements that resided on unmigrated profiles were permanently deleted alongside the parent data structure.
Post-Deadline Resolution Policy
From September 19, 2023, until December 18, 2023, Mojang Studios operated a limited post-migration resolution program. This framework allowed legacy account holders to verify past transaction IDs (or original registration emails) to claim a complimentary, fresh copy of Minecraft: Java & Bedrock Edition for PC on a newly registered Microsoft account.
On December 18, 2023, the recovery program officially closed. Legacy account parameters are completely recognized as expired data structures:
- Support tickets containing transaction receipts for unmigrated legacy accounts are automatically closed.
- Affected individuals who wish to access the game are legally required to purchase a completely new retail license for Minecraft: Java & Bedrock Edition through the Microsoft Store.
See also
Community discoveries
Alternative migration timelines
On January 29, 2021, a file named accountMigration.json was discovered on Mojang's website. Its contents was speculated to be a detailed migration timeline:<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
<syntaxhighlight lang="JSON"> {"version":1,"data":{"migrationStarts":"2021-04-12T00:00:00.000Z","forcedMigrationStarts":"2022-05-12T00:00:00.000Z","forcedMigrationEnds":"2022-07-05T00:00:00.000Z","id":"lucwxMX4cMboBEK4MWu9S"}} </syntaxhighlight>
According to the file, migration would begin on April 12, 2021, become mandatory for playing Minecraft starting May 12, 2022, and conclude on July 5, 2022.
However, on February 1, 2021, the file was updated with placeholder dates:<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
<syntaxhighlight lang="JSON"> {"version":1,"data":{"migrationStarts":"2099-01-01T00:00:00.000Z","forcedMigrationStarts":"2099-01-01T00:00:00.000Z","forcedMigrationEnds":"2099-01-01T00:00:00.000Z","id":"lucwxMX4cMboBEK4MWu9S"}} </syntaxhighlight>
Mojang did not comment on the discovery until April 12, 2022 to confirm that the migration would not begin that day.<ref>Template:Tweet</ref> An internal migration however did happen on the week of April 12.<ref name="internalmigration"/>
Somewhere between April and May, the migrationStarts value was changed to May 23, 2021.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> Then, somewhere between January and December, the forcedMigrationStarts value was changed to February 24, 2022.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
<syntaxhighlight lang="JSON"> {"version":1,"data":{"migrationStarts":"2021-05-23T00:00:00.000Z","forcedMigrationStarts":"2022-02-24T00:00:00.000Z","forcedMigrationEnds":"2099-01-01T00:00:00.000Z","id":"lucwxMX4cMboBEK4MWu9S"}} </syntaxhighlight>
None of these timelines matched the one that actually happened.
- Comparison of the different timelines
<timeline> ImageSize = width:1600 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:100 right:20 top:20 bottom:85 Legend = left:20 top:40 orientation:vertical AlignBars = late
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/2020 till:01/01/2025
Colors =
id:migration value:green legend:Migration id:forced value:orange legend:Forced_migration id:post value:red legend:Post-migration
id:grid1 value:gray(0.6) id:grid2 value:gray(0.85) id:canvas value:gray(0.95)
ScaleMajor = grid:grid1 unit:year increment:1 start:2020 ScaleMinor = grid:grid2 unit:month increment:1 start:01/01/2020 BackgroundColors = canvas:canvas TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
BarData =
bar:First text:First_timeline bar:Third text:Third_timeline bar:Effective text:Effective_timeline
PlotData=
align:center textcolor:black fontsize:XS width:15 shift:(0,-5)
bar:First from: 12/04/2021 till: 12/05/2022 color:migration from: 12/05/2022 till: 05/07/2022 color:forced
bar:Third from: 23/05/2021 till: 24/02/2022 color:migration from: 24/02/2022 till: 01/01/2025 color:forced
bar:Effective from: 24/06/2021 till: 10/03/2022 color:migration from: 10/03/2022 till: 19/09/2023 color:forced from: 19/09/2023 till: 18/12/2023 color:post
</timeline>
Veteran capes
On October 21, 2020, when the migration was first announced, the Minecraft:Minecraft.net article alluded to the possibility of multiple capes being given out:<ref name="movinghouse"/>
On December 2, 2020,<ref>Template:Cite Discord</ref> after the launcher was updated to version 2.2.74, the following string was found in the API:<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
On June 9, 2021, this text appeared in a screenshot used in the "Migration Eligibility Email" help page.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> The same text appeared on player's profile pages on Minecraft.net for a short time after being removed.Template:Cn
On September 2021, while streaming on Twitch, Minecraft:Dinnerbone was asked about veteran capes:<ref>Template:Reddit</ref><ref>Template:Tweet</ref>
On February 25, 2022, Ined, a Mojang employee working on Mojang accounts and their migration, acknowledged the discovery while stating that veteran capes were "a lie":<ref>Template:Tweet</ref>
On May 18, 2025, Minecraft:Marc Watson explained that veteran capes were scrapped due to Mojang being unable to make it "fair and accurate for every player across platforms".<ref>Template:Bluesky</ref>
Official page revisions
These tables show the different revisions of the official migration pages. Some revisions may be missing from these tables if they were not archived on the Template:W.
Minecraft.net pages
Mojang Java Account Move
Minecraft Help Center
Minecraft: Java Edition Account Migration FAQ
| Archive date | Update date | Link | Difference with previous revision |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-10-21 | 2020-10-21 20:07:44 UTC | Link | - |
| 2020-10-23 | 2020-10-23 06:37:22 UTC | Link | Various rewordings |
| 2020-10-31 | 2020-10-31 04:15:24 UTC | Link | Various rewordings Added a line about picking an Xbox gamertag Added a line about third party launchers |
| 2020-11-06 | 2020-11-06 18:06:37 UTC | Link | Various rewordings Added a warning stating migration had not begun Added a line about the migration being mandatory Added a line about Template:JE not being discontinued Added a line about migration not allowing Java and Bedrock players playing together Added a line about username, worlds, content, and capes being transferred Added a line about reports being "carefully reviewed and considered appropriately" by Mojang's team Added a line about players only playing single player or on a local network Added a line about data collected by Microsoft Added a line about transferring an account's ownership being prohibited by Mojang's Terms of Service |
| 2020-11-08 | 2020-11-08 00:01:37 UTC | Link | Fixing typos |
| 2020-11-17 | 2020-11-17 17:18:37 UTC | Link | Fixing typos |
| 2020-12-02 | 2020-12-02 16:08:21 UTC | Link | Various rewordings Added a line about Legacy Minecraft accounts not being able to migrate yet |
| 2021-02-28 | 2021-02-28 18:27:58 UTC | Link | Changed from saying "you'll need to move your account or risk having it closed" to "you'll need to move your account or risk not being able to play the game" Changed from saying Mojang is working on a solution for third-party launchers to a state that they now support MSA authentication but must be used "at your own risk" |
| 2021-05-12 | 2021-05-12 12:43:40 UTC | Link | Added a line linking to the minecraft.net/mojang-account-move page for more information |
| 2021-06-24 | 2021-06-24 10:06:23 UTC | Link | Added a warning stating migration had begun for some players Removed the instructions on how to migrate |
| 2021-08-04 | 2021-08-04 02:22:25 UTC | Link | Various rewordings Added a line about the Minecraft:migrator cape being initially slowly rolled out starting mid-July but soon being delivered instantly after migrating |
| 2021-12-04 | 2021-12-04 04:16:57 UTC | Link | Added a line about the Legacy Minecraft accounts now being able to migrate |
| 2022-02-08 | 2022-02-28 19:07:57 UTC | Link | Fixing typos Removed the notice about migration being limited to a certain amount of players |
| 2022-04-21 | 2022-04-21 01:39:14 UTC | Link | Added a line stating players who do not migrate won't be able to access the game until they migrate Added a line stating migration will roll out to players in waves starting on March 10, 2022Template:Note |
| 2022-10-06 | 2022-10-05 18:32:34 UTC | Link | Fixing typos Added a table of contents Added a line stating that, as of June 28, 2022, Template:JE Realms subscription have been canceled for players who did not migrate |
| 2023-05-16 | N/A | Link | Removed the update date Added a notice about September 19th, 2023 being the migration deadline Added a notice about Mojang's support no longer assisting with migration-related issues beginning September 5, 2023 Added a notice stating that unmigrated accounts will be deleted at a future date Added a line about the migrator cape taking a few days to appear |
| 2023-05-16 | N/A | Link | Removed the notice about Mojang's support no longer assisting with migration-related issues beginning September 5, 2023 Renamed every instances of "username" to "Java profile name" |
| 2023-09-18 | N/A | Link | Added a line about having to create a Microsoft outside of the migration process first in case of troubles |
| 2023-09-18 | N/A | Link | Added a notice about the migration having ended and linking to the "Post-Migration Process FAQ" article. The notice also states the article would be deleted on October 19, 2023 |
| 2023-09-20 | N/A | Link | Removed every mentions of capes |
| 2023-12-12 | N/A | Link | The page now redirects to an error 404 page |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | The page now redirects to the "Information about Mojang Accounts and Microsoft Account Migration" article. |
How to Migrate Your Child’s Mojang Account to a Microsoft Account
Migration Eligibility Email
Last Call for Mojang Account Migration
| Archive date | Update date | Link | Difference with previous revision |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-09-18 | N/A | Link | - |
| 2023-09-20 | N/A | Link | Added a notice stating migration has ended. The notice also states the article would be deleted on October 19, 2023 |
| 2024-10-05 | N/A | Link | The page now redirects to an error 404 page |
I Missed my Chance to Migrate. What Happens to my Account?
How to Migrate Your Mojang Account to a Microsoft Account
How to Migrate Your Mojang Account to a Microsoft Account (No Images)
How to Purchase Minecraft: Java Edition with a Microsoft Account
How to Migrate a Legacy Minecraft Account to a Microsoft Account
Purchasing Minecraft: Java Edition for a Child using a Microsoft Account FAQ
Need help with your new Microsoft account for Minecraft: Java Edition?
Microsoft Account Migration Issues and FAQ
Post-Migration Process FAQ
Trivia
- Most emails sent by Mojang began with "Hello there" in reference to Template:W's first words in Template:W.<ref>Template:Tweet</ref>
Gallery
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An artwork depicting a modded player
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An artwork of Dinnerbone's security guard wearing the Minecraft:Migrator Cape
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The crowd from A Fun Announcement by Dinnerbone
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A header used on Minecraft.net
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Ditto
