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Getting started with Minecraft Education
What is Minecraft Education?
Minecraft Education is a version of the popular open-world game, Minecraft, specifically designed for education.
Important Links:
Licensing & Deployment Guide
Beyond the great details in this article, you can also view our Licensing & Deployment guide which contains helpful information for IT Admins, Educators, and school leaders. Alternatively, you can download the PowerPoint experience here.
Educator FAQ:
How is Minecraft Education different than the game, Minecraft?
Minecraft Education is a special version of the game developed specifically for educational use. This version adds features and controls for classrooms, specialty blocks and communication tools, and a tutorial for first-time educator use. Check out the Features of Minecraft Education, and bookmark our What's New to see what changes, updates, and fixes have been added lately.
How do I get started using Minecraft Education?
First, you will need to have a valid Minecraft Education subscription. You can check if your school is already licensed by asking your IT administrator.
If you want to try Minecraft Education before committing to a purchase, check out our Try Minecraft Education for free article for more information about how to use our trial and demo lessons.
How do IT Admins purchase licenses?
Minecraft Education licenses are purchased and managed through the Microsoft Admin Center on Microsoft Azure AD accounts. This platform allows IT Admins to quickly purchase, manage, and assign large amounts of licenses to various groups of teachers and students with ease.
Where can I find training for Minecraft Education?
You can find our Minecraft Teacher Academy training here, which contains Minecraft 101, 201, and 301 courses. These introductory courses focus on using Minecraft Education as a teaching and learning tool to support strong pedagogical practices in the learning environment.
What are the minimum technical requirements for the Minecraft Education software?
You can find the technical requirements in our System Requirements article.
How do I install Minecraft Education?
Installing Minecraft Education varies depending on what OS you're using. We have a few guides to make the process easier:
- Windows Installation Guide
- Chromebook Installation Guide
- iOS Installation Guide
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Mac Installation Guide
How do I tell what version I am on? How can I update?
You can see your version number in the lower right-hand corner of the start screen. View this article for more info on how to update. If you encounter difficulties with upgrading, please contact your IT admin on how to best proceed.
Educator training
If you’re a teacher and would like some training on how to use Minecraft Education, there are a wealth of options available. The options range from in-person to self-directed online courses. To learn more, check out Training for Minecraft Educators.
Getting Started for IT Admins:
These are the stages involved in getting started with Minecraft on all devices.
1. Check the system requirements
Minecraft Education can be installed on Windows, MacOS, ChromeOS, and as of 2022, mobile Android and iOS as well. To ensure your experience with Minecraft Education is top-notch, make sure your devices meet the minimum system requirements.
To check if your device supports Minecraft Education, see System Requirements.
2. Allowlist Minecraft Education URLs
Minecraft Education requires access to our service's URLs. Ensure that our URLs and ports are not blocked on your network. Learn more here.
3. Try Minecraft: Education Edition for free
Minecraft Education is available for anyone to try. If you have an Office 365 Education account or a Microsoft 365 account, you can start a free trial of Minecraft Education. The trial is a fully functional version of Minecraft Education. The only limit is the number of times you can sign in. If you don’t have an Office 365 Education account or a Microsoft 365 account, you can still try one of the demo lessons available for Minecraft Education.
To learn more about trying Minecraft Education, check out Try Minecraft Education for free.
4. Purchase licenses
Minecraft Education licenses are purchased via a yearly subscription. Individual licenses can be purchased directly from Microsoft or, if you’re part of an eligible educational institution, you can connect with a partner to purchase volume licenses.
To learn more about purchasing Minecraft Education licenses, see Purchasing Options for Minecraft Education Licenses.
5. Create users accounts and assign licenses
To play Minecraft Education, each user requires a license. The license allows the user to sign into the game on any supported device. An IT administrator creates user accounts in Microsoft 365 Admin Center then assigns licenses to users. The process for assigning licenses depends on how the licenses were purchased.
To learn more about creating user accounts, see Add Users and Assign Licenses at the Same Time in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center Help.
- To learn more about assigning licenses in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, see Manage Licenses for Camps, Clubs, Homeschool and Other Organizations.
6. Install Minecraft Education
Minecraft Education can be installed on supported devices manually or through system management software. The installation process depends on the device you are deploying it to.
To learn more about installing Minecraft Education, see the installation guides for each device:
Next steps
Once licenses for Minecraft Education have been purchased and assigned and the game installed, users can begin signing in to play, learn, and create!
Technical support
If you have any questions or need assistance, you can visit the Support Center and search the Knowledge Base for more articles like this, engage with members of the Minecraft Education Community in the Help Forums or the Teacher's Lounge, or contact the support team via the submit a request form.