Download and install
Download the latest published app for your computer:
| Platform | Download | Install |
|---|
| Windows 10/11 (x64) | Windows installer | Open the .exe and follow the installer. It installs for your Windows user. |
| Linux (x64) | AppImage or Debian/Ubuntu package | For AppImage, allow the file to run as a program in its file properties, then open it. For .deb, open it with your distribution's package installer. |
| macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel) | Universal disk image | Open the .dmg, move Pumpkin Launcher to Applications, then open the app. |
If you use the release page, expand Assets and choose one of these app packages. Source code (zip) and Source code (tar.gz) are for building the app, not installing it.
- Windows: needs Microsoft WebView2 Runtime. The installer is not code-signed, so SmartScreen may warn. Only continue if you trust the download from this repository.
- Linux: needs WebKitGTK 4.1 to display the app and a Secret Service keyring (GNOME Keyring or KWallet) for Microsoft sign-in. On Debian/Ubuntu, prefer the
.deb and your package installer, which can report missing system libraries. AppImage startup errors may need your distribution's WebKitGTK 4.1 runtime package; sign-in storage errors need an available, unlocked keyring. Package names differ between distributions. Tauri's distribution-specific guidance also lists build tools: you do not need Rust, Node.js, compilers or development headers just to run a release. If startup or sign-in still fails, use the browser help route below.
- macOS: the app is ad hoc signed, not notarized. If opening is blocked, follow Apple's app approval guidance only if you trust the download. Minecraft through 1.18.2 needs Rosetta 2 on Apple Silicon.
Pumpkin is still in beta. Linux and macOS packages have not yet been tried on real machines, so expect rough edges there.
Friends is experimental; playing together across different networks is not yet established as reliable.
First steps
For a first game without mods:
- Open Pumpkin and choose Sign in with Microsoft. Use an account that owns Minecraft: Java Edition; Bedrock alone is not enough. Complete sign-in in your browser, or choose Use a code instead.
- At How do you want to start?, choose Plain Minecraft, then Create and play. This creates a setup for the latest Minecraft release and starts it after downloading the required files.
- Next time, select that setup in your library and press Play.
An instance is a separate Minecraft setup with its own worlds, mods and settings. Pumpkin downloads Minecraft and the matching Java runtime automatically. You do not need to install Java or Minecraft separately.
If you already passed onboarding, open Library > New instance > Custom instance, set Loader to Vanilla, then choose Create and Play. This tab defaults to Fabric, so choose Vanilla explicitly for a game without mods. You can keep the suggested name and Minecraft version.
The exception: if your account has no Minecraft profile yet, open the official Minecraft Launcher once and choose a player name, then return to Pumpkin. The normal release requires a signed-in Microsoft Minecraft account before offline player names are available.
Already know what you want? Choose Browse modpacks for a ready-made collection of mods, Open file for a .mrpack, or Import to bring setups from another launcher. You can also import CurseForge .zip packs. A loader (such as Fabric or Forge) is the software that lets compatible mods run; a modpack normally chooses its loader and Minecraft version for you.
For later imports, use Library > New instance > File for .mrpack or CurseForge .zip packs, or Another launcher to copy an existing setup.
Make it your own
- Separate game setups: Vanilla, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt, with per-instance memory, Java, launch settings, icons and notes. Search and organize your library into groups.
- Launch environment: per instance or for all instances, set environment variables, a wrapper command such as GameMode or MangoHud (with presets on Linux), and commands that run before launch and after exit. Modpacks, templates and imports never set them, and the commands run with your user rights, so enter only what you trust.
- Mods and modpacks: browse Modrinth content and CurseForge, FTB and Technic modpacks. Add your own mods, resource packs and shaders, choose active packs, save named on/off profiles for mods and shaders, and manage content updates.
- Keep your saves: back up and restore worlds, enable automatic backups, manage world datapacks and servers, or jump straight into a world on Minecraft 1.20+. Pack updates preserve worlds and your own changes.
- Move and share: import from Prism Launcher/MultiMC, Modrinth App, CurseForge App or ATLauncher without changing the source. Duplicate instances, export
.mrpack files and reuse setups as templates.
- Shortcuts and links: create a desktop shortcut from an instance's … > Create desktop shortcut to start it with a double click; it uses the instance's icon (your own image, the modpack's icon or the pixel icon). A
pumpkin://launch/<instance id> link from anywhere else always asks before starting, and pumpkin://install/modrinth/<type>/<slug> opens a Modrinth project to install. On Windows and Linux, Settings > Java & launch can also route Modrinth and CurseForge install links to Pumpkin Launcher; this is off by default because it replaces other apps' handlers.
- Skins and screenshots: manage skins and capes, preview them in 3D, and browse each instance's screenshots.
- Comfort settings: German and English, adjustable text size, reduced motion, keyboard shortcuts (
? shows them, Ctrl+K, Cmd+K on macOS, opens a command palette for instances, pages and actions), page-specific right-click menus and optional Discord Rich Presence, off by default.
- Friends: opt in to friend requests, online status and sharing worlds. Friends networking and actions need consent. See Friends for availability and limits.
- Updates and troubleshooting: available launcher updates stay visible in the title bar and signed updates install only when you choose, not while a game or task is running. Instance logs and crash hints help when a game fails to start. After a crash, the Log tab explains common causes found in the crash report or log, such as too little memory, a wrong Java version or a missing mod, and offers a one-click fix where there is one.
To preserve or move saves:
- Back up or restore a world: open the instance's Worlds tab, then the world's … > Back up or Backups… > Restore. Restore creates a new world instead of overwriting an existing one.
- Export a setup with saves: use the instance's … > Export… and choose what to include in the
.mrpack. Worlds (saves) is optional and not selected by default. This is not a full instance backup; historical world backups are excluded.
- Before deleting an instance: deletion also deletes its backups. If it has any, choose Export backups first in the deletion dialog before confirming.
Pumpkin Bridge
0.3.0 introduces Pumpkin Bridge, the bundled client-only integration between the launcher and Minecraft. In supported modded Microsoft-account launches, a Pumpkin button opens a menu of in-game features; no manual JAR installation is needed. The shared connection and menu work independently of Friends opt-in. Friends is its first implemented feature, with private data and actions withheld until consent.
This guide describes 0.4.0. Download links above follow the latest published release and become available for a version only after its installer pipeline succeeds and the release is published. See the Changelog for version-specific changes and historical limits.
Help and privacy
Open Settings > Support. Choose Report a bug for a GitHub issue or Open discussions for questions and ideas. Copy debug info copies launcher version, system and instance details for your report without account names or file paths. Include what you tried and the exact error.
If Pumpkin will not open, use Discussions in your browser; you do not need the app to ask for help. For Linux startup or sign-in failures, include your distribution and version, the package used (.deb or AppImage) and the exact error. Use Settings > Support only if the app opens.
For a game crash, open Library > your instance > Log > Share log > Upload after reading the notice. This uploads the cleaned last-start log or crash report to mclo.gs and copies its link. Anyone with the link can read it; your player name remains visible. Review the log before sharing. Copy debug info in the log also includes that instance's mod list. For the historical 0.2.0 in-game Friends startup problem, see the release-specific workaround; it does not establish a fix in 0.3.0.
Report security problems privately as described in SECURITY.md.
Pumpkin has no trackers or telemetry. Settings > About > Privacy explains which services each feature contacts.
Microsoft refresh tokens (credentials that keep you signed in) stay in the operating system's secure password storage: Windows Credential Manager, macOS Keychain or a Linux keyring. With Java 9 or newer the launcher passes Minecraft its arguments, including the access token (a short-lived game sign-in credential), in a temporary file in its cache folder (owner-only permissions on Linux and macOS, the access rules of your user profile on Windows) and deletes it seconds after the start; on Windows this needs plain ASCII paths and arguments. Otherwise, such as with Java 8 for older Minecraft versions, local programs that can inspect the game's command line may see the token while Minecraft runs.
Mods and modpacks are not scanned for malware: install content only from authors you trust.
Friends uses encrypted connections, but direct peers can see your IP addresses.
Turn on Settings > Friends > Always connect through a relay to hide them from peers; the relay operator still sees connection metadata, such as your IP address, which endpoints connect and when.
Read Friends privacy before enabling it.
Contributing and license
Development setup and commands are in CONTRIBUTING.md.
Pumpkin Launcher is released under the Apache License 2.0.
Pumpkin Launcher is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with Mojang, Microsoft, or Modrinth.
"Minecraft" is a trademark of Mojang Synergies AB.
Last updated: 2026-10-07.
