How to Allocate More RAM to Minecraft

Minecraft can be a very easy game to run, depending on your platform. Expect the amount of RAM the Java machine running the game needs to increase as you add in mods and other additions. if you’re turning up the graphical settings, you will need more RAM as well. So here’s how to allocate more RAM to Minecraft.

This is especially important to have in your mind if you’re looking to turn the graphics effects up. The new Minecraft RTX mode all but requires gamers to have a pretty modern rig to handle the increased load. That might mean requiring more RAM. For this process to work, you need to know how much RAM you have in your system. If you don’t know how to check that, here’s how:

Windows

1. Open the Start Menu and select Settings.
2. Select System on the top-left of the menu.
3. Select About on the bottom of the sub-menu that opens up.
4. You will see your currently installed RAM listed on that page.

Mac

1. Open up the Home Menu and click the Apple icon.
2. Select About this Mac.
3. Select the Memory tab.
4. You will see your currently installed RAM listed on that page.

Now that you know how much RAM you have, it’s time to go into the settings for Minecraft to go ahead and make some changes.

How to Allocate More RAM to Minecraft

You need to go into the launcher for the game to handle this next bit.

1. Open your Minecraft Launcher.
2. Navigate to the Installations tab.
3. Here you will see all the active installs you have on your machine. You will have to allocate RAM to each install, so keep that in mind.
4. Click the three dots dropdown to open up more choices, and click Edit.
5. The edit installation menu, click More Options to open the JVM arguments.
6. The JVM arguments menu will be the section you need to edit. You will see a menu with a text box on it. Look for the section that says -Xmx2G.
7. In this instance, the -Xmx2G argument is the default for 2 GB of RAM being allocated to Minecraft. Change the 1 or 2 in that section to a new number. For 4 GB, put a 4 there. This is dependent on your system and needs, so keep your desires in mind when allocating more RAM to Minecraft.