How to Allocate More RAM to Minecraft [All You Need to Know]

Is Minecraft too stuttery for your liking lately?

It’s nothing a bit of extra memory can’t fix!

As always, we have your back. In this guide, you’ll find out precisely how to allocate more RAM to Minecraft on various launchers, including:

• The default one
• CurseForge
• ATLauncher
• Technic
• Twitch
• Minecraft servers

Let’s get into it!

Minecraft RAM Requirements

The minimum system requirement for running Minecraft is 2GB of RAM. However, it’s recommended to have at least 4GB at your disposal.

Upon the game’s start, the launcher sets 1GB to be used by default, meaning that’s the absolute bare minimum. It does work, but only if you keep everything on the lowest setting… and you’ll still experience stuttering and crashes!

If you double the amount, you’ll notice the game runs much smoother. You’ll also get a better view distance.

Keep in mind that things get more complicated if you add mods, texture packs, and fancy shaders. Thus, you’ll need to allocate even more memory to Minecraft.

Another thing:

You are free to experiment with RAM settings only in the Java Edition. Bedrock Edition players are out of luck! It automatically allocates memory, and there’s no way to customize it.

Checking Your RAM

Before you can add more RAM to Minecraft, you’ll need to know just how much you have to begin with.

All it takes is a quick trip to your Device Specifications on Windows 10 device.

Here’s how:

1. Go to Settings.

2. Click on System.

3. Select About.

4. Scroll to Device Specifications.

5. Look for Installed RAM.

But keep in mind the golden rule for Minecraft RAM allocation:

Never assign more than half of what your computer has available.

So, if you have a laptop with 8GB, the game will have to make do with 4GB.

How to Allocate More RAM to Minecraft?

You can assign extra memory in various ways. It all depends on the launcher you’re using.

Here are the most common ones!

Default Minecraft Launcher

Naturally, we’ll start with the default launcher for the Java Edition. Here’s a quick rundown:

1. Open it and select the Installations tab at the top.
2. Mouse over your desired release version, and three white dots will appear on the right.
3. Click on them and select Edit.
4. On the new screen, choose More Options.
5. Scroll down until you find a field called JVM Arguments.
6. By default, the code in the field is -Xmx1G. That means the allotted memory is 1GB. To dedicate more RAM to Minecraft, you’ll just need to change the number. So, -Xmx8G would equal 8GB.
7. Once you’ve typed in the new code, click on the Save button and exit.

The next time you load the game, you’ll notice how much smoother it is!

CurseForge Launcher

CurseForge is one of the most popular Minecraft modding apps. You can also use it to edit your Java Settings. Here’s how:

1. Load the app and go to Settings (gear icon in the lower left corner).
2. On the left side, find Minecraft in the Game Specific tab.
3. Scroll down to Java Settings and look for Allocated Memory.
4. Drag the slider to your preferred amount of RAM (in MB).

ATLauncher

Another way to customize Minecraft and allocate more RAM is via the ATLauncher. Follow these five simple steps:

1. Load the app and click on Settings on the menu on the right.
2. Select Java/Minecraft.
3. Look for Maximum Memory/RAM on the list of properties.
4. You can type in your desired value (in MB) or use the arrows.
5. Hit Save and exit.

And you’re done!

Technic Launcher

Technic Launcher is yet another option. Adding more RAM to Minecraft here is, once again, pretty straightforward:

1. Run the program and select Settings (gear icon in the top right corner).
2. Click on the Java Settings tab.
3. Find the Memory menu.
4. Select your amount of memory—and that’s it.

It will automatically save all changes.

Twitch Launcher

Yup, you can even use the Twitch launcher to fiddle with RAM settings.

We’ll show you how:

1. Fire up the app and click on the three lines on the upper right.
2. Choose the Settings menu (gear icon).
3. Select the Minecraft tab.
4. Scroll down to Java Settings.
5. Look for the Allocated Memory slider and set it to your liking.

On Your Own Minecraft Server

If you’re running a server, you’ll definitely want to increase RAM in Minecraft. The default settings can hardly support multiple players.

Here’s how to do that:

1. Find Minecraft_server.exe. You can use the search bar if you don’t know where it is.
2. Create a text document in the same folder (right-click/New/Text Document).
3. Open it and type the following:

java -Xmx####M -Xms####M -exe Minecraft_Server.exe -o true PAUSE

1. Now replace the #### with the amount of memory you want to allocate in MB—e.g., 4096MB equals 4GB.
2. Save the document by clicking File, then Save As. Change the type to All Files and the extension to .bat, not .txt.
3. Rename it “file server launcher.bat”—and use it as your new launcher!

Can’t Allocate More Memory to Minecraft? Here’s How to Fix It

Did you get the dreaded error message that stops you from assigning more RAM? Don’t worry—there’s an easy fix for that.

First, you’ll need to make sure that:

• You have enough usable RAM: You can’t dedicate more RAM to Minecraft than what you actually have. You must work within those confines and leave half of it for the rest of your computer.
• You have the latest version of Java installed: Always try to keep it updated to minimize any weird bugs and errors. And it has to be the 64-bit version! You can’t allocate more than 1GB of memory on 32-bit installations.
• You’ve closed all unnecessary background programs: All those opened tabs and windows can add up. Google Chrome is a pro at eating up RAM.

The scenarios we’ve described above are usually why you can’t allocate more memory to Minecraft.

Once you’ve checked all those boxes, you should try editing the JVM Arguments in the default launcher. We’ve laid down the process step-by-step earlier in the article!

It’s extremely easy as, basically, all you need to do is edit one code: -Xmx1G. It defines the maximum heap of memory at start-up. Try not to mess with any other commands—this is the one that will solve your problem.

Wrap Up

There you have it—now you know the ins and outs of the Minecraft settings you need to allocate more RAM.

Depending on the launcher, you might have to:

• Edit a few lines of code
• Use a slider
• Type in the new amount

In any case, it’s nothing too complex. And you’ll be glad you did it the moment you reload. Enjoy your game!