Quick Play

Quick Play is a feature available in the Minecraft Launcher, allowing players to directly join a singleplayer world or a multiplayer server, by skipping the screens and menus in-between.^[1]

Quick Play instances are created automatically once you play in a world or a server. They appear as icons stacked next to the green "Play" button on the Java Edition or Bedrock Edition tabs of the launcher. By hovering over the icons with the mouse, all buttons are shown separately and show the name, installation, last played date, multiplayer type, and game mode. Instances are sorted from the most recently played (bottom) to the least recently played (top).

There are a total of five slots. Once they are all filled, playing another world causes the oldest instance to be removed from the list, and the newest instance to be added. This behavior can be avoided by pinning instances; however, pinned instances still count for the five slots.

Quick Play works for both Java Edition and Bedrock Edition, and creates instances for worlds, Editor projects, servers and Realms. Realms can also be opened through Quick Play from the "Realms" tab.

If one plays a world with the same name, the icon is reused.

Quick Play can be toggled in the launcher settings. Disabling it does not remove instances, therefore enabling it again displays previously saved instances.

To actually remove quick play instances, you can click on the "Delete All Quick Play Entries" button. After a confirmation dialog, it deletes all instances, pinned and unpinned, of the user currently logged in.

Quick Play instances can be customized by clicking on the button at the right of quick play icons.

An instance icon can be changed. For Java Edition, these are the same 3D-rendered icons as the ones for installations. For Bedrock Edition, these are 2D square icons. It is also possible to select a custom icon, which must be 128x128 pixels in size.

An instance can be pinned, which moves it to the very left. On the edit screen, pinned and non-pinned instances are separated by a vertical bar. To change order of pinned instances, you have to unpin and pin again an instance.

The third option, "Show Title Initial", displays the first letter of the instance name on the icon, in uppercase. For example, on the first image on the right, checking this option would display an uppercase white "M" in front of the logo.

The following table describes the command line arguments used to launch the game directly into a world.

Argument	Description	Example
quickPlayPath	Takes a specified path of a file containing information about the world to join, relative to the run directory.	--quickPlayPath "quickPlay/log.json" (resolved into .minecraft/quickPlay/log.json)
quickPlaySingleplayer	Takes a specified identifier representing the folder name of the world.	--quickPlaySingleplayer "New World"
quickPlayMultiplayer	Takes a specified identifier representing the IP address and port of the server, separated by a colon.	--quickPlayMultiplayer "localhost:25565"
quickPlayRealms	Takes a specified identifier representing the ID of the Realm.	--quickPlayRealms "1234"

This is the JSON format for launcher_quick_play.json, located in the root of the .minecraft folder.

The Quick Play feature is stored only locally in the run directory.

Java Edition
1.20			23w14a				Added support for Quick Play, with new command line arguments that allow the game to be launched directly into a world.

Minecraft Launcher
2.7.12							Added quick play for Java Edition as an experimental feature, disabled by default.[2]
2.17.13							Added quick play for Bedrock Edition, enabled by default.
							Quick play for Java Edition is no longer experimental, and now enabled by default.
2.19.2							Quick Play has been temporarily turned off for Bedrock Edition.
?							Quick Play has been re-enabled for Bedrock Edition.

v t e Java Edition technical
General Concepts Block entity Coordinates Crashes [String] Loot context Mob AI Point of Interest Identifier Screenshot Statistics Telemetry Tick UUID JSON General format Data values Classic Indev Pre-flattening Data component format Predicate Entity format Map item format [NBT Compound / JSON Object] NBT format Particle format Text component format § Formatting codes Key codes Random sequence Structure file format Schematic file format World Heightmap Seed Anomalous Data version Legacy Spawn chunk Level format Anvil file format Chunk format Player format Point of Interest format raids.dat format Command storage format Scoreboard format Legacy Classic level format Classic server protocol Indev level format Alpha level format Zone file format Region file format server_level.dat format villages.dat format Generated structures format .minecraft client.jar version.json client.json command_history.txt launcher_profiles.json options.txt version_manifest.json hotbar.nbt format Server list format Tools F3 Debug screen hotkey renderer Developer Tools GameTest Debug properties Obfuscation map Sound Block sound type Closed captions sounds.json Commands Brigadier Functions All commands Launching Mojang API Microsoft authentication Quick Play Legacy Legacy Minecraft authentication Yggdrasil Protocol Protocol version Packets Data types Encryption Server server.jar server.properties Server requirements Whitelist Operator list Protocols Query RCON Server Management Protocol Legacy al_version Item format
Data pack Components pack.mcmeta Pack format Advancements Functions Item modifier Loot tables Predicate Recipe Damage type Chat type Enchantment Enchantment provider Painting variant Banner pattern Instrument Jukebox song Trial spawner configuration Mob variants Dialog Armor trim Slot sources Timeline Villager trade​[upcoming JE 26.1] Trade set​[upcoming JE 26.1] World Clock​[upcoming JE 26.1] Tag Block Item Function Fluid Entity type Game event Biome Flat level generator preset World preset Structure Point of interest type Painting variant Banner pattern Instrument Damage type Enchantment Dialog Timeline Potion​[upcoming JE 26.1] Villager trade​[upcoming JE 26.1] GameTest Test environment Test instance World generation Dimension Dimension type World preset Biomes Carver Configured feature Tree Placed feature Environment attribute Noise settings Noise router Density function Noises Surface rule Structures Structure set Template pool Processor list Structure templates Removed Configured surface builder Data packs Caves & Cliffs Prototype Data Pack Phantom Frames Tutorials Importing Creating Optimizing Command blocks and functions Repairing a world corrupted by a data pack Content Custom enchantments Custom paintings Custom trims World generation New dimension Custom structures
Resource pack Components pack.mcmeta Pack format Language Models Blockstates Items Sounds (sounds.json) Shaders Textures Atlases Aa Fonts Colormaps Texts Waypoint styles regional_compliancies.json Equipment Debug Missing font character Missing model Missing texture Tools Slicer Legacy Texture Ender Unstitcher Tutorials Creating Loading Models Sound directory

v t e Minecraft: Bedrock Edition
Editions	Merged Pocket Edition Windows 10 Edition Ports to consoles Xbox One Nintendo Switch PS4 Xbox Series X|S PS5 Nintendo Switch 2 Discontinued Gear VR Edition Apple TV Edition Fire TV Edition
Development	Version history Alpha Full release Development versions Minecraft Preview Removed features Unused features Unused textures Parity issue list Mentioned features Super Duper Graphics Pack Planned versions
Technical	Known bugs Minecraft Launcher Quick Play com.mojang options.txt Installation files Bedrock Dedicated Server server.properties Experiments Commands Functions Identifier Text component format Map item format Coordinates Seed Anomalous Tick Ticking area § Formatting codes Simulation distance Screenshot Block sound type RenderDragon Data values Block entity Mob AI Flattening Development resources [NBT Compound / JSON Object] NBT format [NBT Compound / JSON Object] Level format Structure templates Protocol Protocol version RakNet Creator Official documentation Editor Map Marker File extensions GameTest Add-ons Resource packs Sound definitions Fog definition Deferred rendering Client biomes Behavior packs Block definition Block components Biome definition Item components Family Spawn event Tag Block Item Biome Structure set Template pool Processor list Recipe JSON manifest.json UUID [String] Molang Scripting
Multiplayer	Servers Featured servers Event servers Server list Splitscreen Minecraft Realms Realms Stories Social
Exclusive features	Achievements How to Play Encyclopedia Marketplace Minecoin Partner Program Add-ons Content bundles Marketplace Pass Mash-up pack Skin packs Texture packs Worlds Character Creator Emote Loading tips Ore UI Ray Tracing Seed Templates Vibrant Visuals Blocks Allow and Deny Border Mobs Agent NPC Effects Fatal Poison Unused Unknown info_update info_update2 reserved6 tile.client_request_placeholder_block.name Nether Reactor Core Glowing Obsidian Chiseled Purpur tile.deprecated_purpur_block_2.name Deprecated Anvil Old Stonecutter Camera Old Villager Old Zombie Villager Legacy Frozen Ocean Biomes before 1.18
Removed	Crafting descriptions Nether Reactor Old Virtual reality Pocket Edition protocol Legacy