Playing Minecraft is better with Bedrock, but it’s not directly available for macOS. Here’s how to get around the limitation and improve your building experience.
Minecraft is one of the longest-running online games that is still actively being played by a lot of people. Originally playable since 2009 and officially released in 2011, it has stood the test of time.
However, while it has been improved over the years, Mac gamers have missed out on one important update: Bedrock Edition. It’s a version that is available on many other platforms, but never made its way to macOS.
Though you can continue using the original Java version on Mac, it is possible to get Bedrock working. It takes a little work, a GitHub project, and buying the game from the Google Play Store.
What is Minecraft Bedrock?
The original version of Minecraft was made in Java, which enabled it to be easily ported to multiple platforms without much trouble. It’s also a version that is very easily modded by the community, without necessarily requiring permission from Microsoft beforehand.
However, the Java edition has a key issue, in that it’s not natively built for any specific platforms. It wasn’t really intended to build a game as complex as Minecraft at all.
As an interpreted language, Java has to be compiled into an intermediate “bytecode” format before being run by a Java Virtual Machine. This just-in-time interpretation means that processing performance is impacted directly compared to a compiled native version.
There is also the issue of the earliest iterations of Minecraft being developed by Markus “Notch” Persson, and later by his studio, Mojang. Eventually, Microsoft got involved with its purchase of the studio in 2014.
Tim Cook introduced Minecraft on Apple TV in 2016. It survived until 2018.
Since it was made by Notch alone at first, it meant that there were elements of code that he would be able to manage, but a team of developers would struggle with. After years of development, there was enough technical debt to prompt a rethink by those managing the game.
Cue the development of a C++ version, which started off with a demo of Pocket Edition in 2011. Over time, the codebase was expanded and improved upon, until it was rebranded as Bedrock Edition in 2022.
With that change, it became a more widely available version, including a release for Windows. The change also made it possible to create versions of Minecraft for other platforms, and for the games to more easily communicate with each other between different platforms.
The change also meant Microsoft could incorporate an in-game store, monetizing their expensive acquisition, as well as other elements.
Working around the limits
While there’s Minecraft: Bedrock Edition for Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS, there is not a specific macOS version. You also can’t use the workaround of buying the iOS version and trying the iPadOS game in macOS, as that has been disabled.
There’s nothing wrong with sticking to the Java edition of Minecraft on your Mac, but there are ways to use the Bedrock edition. Just not by officially buying a macOS app.
A legitimate way of doing it is through using Windows on your Mac. Software like Parallels will let you run the Windows version of Minecraft Bedrock, but you again get that dreaded performance penalty.
Phases of installing the Minecraft Launcher
There’s also the possibility of sideloading an iOS or iPadOS version, but we’d rather not anger Apple with that method.
Another way is to use the Linux Minecraft Launcher. There’s a build available for macOS, which works using the Android version of the game.
If you happen to have a Google account with Minecraft Bedrock already on it, you can use that. If not, you will have to pay for it from the Google Play Store.
This can be a bit tricky if you don’t have an Android device on the account. By running the launcher and trying to download the game without the purchased version on your Google account, it will come up as a device under the Google Play Store.
How to run Minecraft Bedrock Edition on a Mac using Linux Minecraft Launcher
- Download the macOS launcher from GitHub.
- Open the DMG. Drag the Minecraft Bedrock Launcher to the Applications folder shortcut. After the transfer, you can close the installer and unmount the DMG.
- Open Minecraft Bedrock Launcher. If you’re blocked from opening, head to System Settings then Privacy & Security, then next to the blocked app warning, click Open Anyway.
- On the Linux Minecraft Launcher changelog, click Continue.
- Log into the Google account associated with the Android game’s purchase. You will be asked to create a password to save the credentials, then click Save & Complete Login.
- Click Download And Play.
Once completed, the game will run in a window, which you can make larger from the edges. There are also video settings available, both in a menu at the top and in the game’s settings.
You should see this if installing the Minecraft launcher goes correctly.
Feel free to push things like the draw distance and frame rate up, as well as the resolution. It’s arguably one of the best features of Bedrock edition over Java, and you can use it to the fullest on your Mac desktop.
Now, go mine some redstone.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
