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Let's talk about the new Minecraft Launcher Home Page!

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In the official Minecraft Launcher, we have just released a new feature under the “experimental” banner: The New Home Page.  

This new Home Page aims to be your basecamp into the Minecraft experience on PC. Here, you can do all the most basic Launcher functionality, from launching games, to accessing Quick Play, to finding out News about what’s going on in the world Minecraft.

If you want to give it a try, go into the Launcher’s “General” Settings tab, scroll down to the “Experimental Features” section, and click the “Enable HomePage” option. Once you do, your “News” section will change to the brand new “Home” layout.  

We would love to hear your feedback as we continue fine-tuning the Home Page. We want to know what you think and how this works for you, so please feel free to add your comments and thoughts under this post. Along with your general feedback, we also have some specific questions we’d like you to consider: 

  • What do you find useful about the new Home Page? 
  • Are there any key functionalities you feel are missing? 
  • Does anything feel like it’s in the wrong place? 
  • Was anything you’re used to accessing difficult to find? 
  • Is there anything you see here that you don’t think you need? 

Please let us know your feedback, thoughts, ideas and suggestions the comments! 

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  • Official comment
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    Registered User commented
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    FAQ: 

    What do I have to do to make the new Home Page show up in my Launcher?  

    • Just turn on the Home Page option from within your Launcher’s “General” Settings section and it should appear, replacing the “News” section in the Launcher’s left hand navigation with "Home".  

    How do I enable this feature in Launcher Settings? 

    • In your Launcher, click “Settings” at the bottom left of the screen. Then, on the Launcher’s “General” Setting page, scroll down to the bottom to find the new “Experimental Features” section. Toggle the “Enable HomePage” on.  

    Does this impact any of my worlds or any of my current game saves? 

    • No, it’s just a new, better way to approach using the Launcher.  
  • 49
    Registered User commented
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    Just checked out the new home page and it definitely could use some work. I’ll start with what I personally liked the top part of the screen with the quick play features are nice but could be a little bigger/Bolder. The thumbsnails/look for articles looks better in the old launcher. It just looks cleaner what can I say i’m a sucker for nice big thumbnails. If the articles are going to have a short description under the thumbnail it should be its own separate summary rather then just the beginning text of the article it would just be more visually appealing without them in my opinion. Snapshots and previews should be separated from other Minecraft News and articles since right now they clutter the bottom part of the launcher and a clear distinction between a snapshot/preview article and a Minecraft news/community one. Now as for my suggested features. A Community page or forums would be a nice addition similar to minecraft chinas Launcher. Minecraft could use a nice place to interact and see what’s trending in the game. A place with direct access to the feedback page. Server list with top/featured servers. Weekly showcases of minecraft art/ community creations would also be super fun and cool. The Launcher could be a nice platform for the minecraft community but I know the implications that comes with and how difficult it could be to implement. Glad to see your guys are thinking about updating the launcher hope to see more!

  • 22
    Registered User commented
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    first off, i love the new designed news tab with rows instead of one giant column with specifications for what game or content the page is and i wish each of the other tabs had it ported over, just with the obvious separation of what the topic of each is for each game!

    i dont like the lack of presence of the games themselves as theyre substituted for advertisements which either link to a browser article or atm only go to bedrock (which on that note PLEASE RENAME MINECRAFT FOR WINDOWS TO MINECRAFT BEDROCK EDITION, THE OFFICIAL YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND EVERYONE OTHER THAN THE LAUNCHER CALLS IT BEDROCK)

    i do not know if the sidebar with the other tabs for java edition, for windows (eugh), dungeons, and legends will be removed to make the home menu the only place to boot things up as i havent seen any photos include the sidebar at all outside of the app itself so i wont comment on that until its confirmed, but what i do know is that the quickplay menu being on the home page is confusing as its only for java edition and the dropdown menu for the bedrock instillation should have a grass and dirt block next to the text like how java instillations are shown and how the preexisting tab for bedrock does it (also why is it called retail? latest release works fine and is way more understandable)

    if it is just supposed to be a more overall newsboard and advertisement space then i wouldnt see myself using it often and just sticking to the specific game tabs with the sidebar.

  • 17
    Registered User commented
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    I really like the idea but I feel like the box infront displaying the info of each image is a bit too large and like only pushed onto one corner. Maybe let it cover the lower part of the image entirely.

  • 13
    Registered User commented
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    it realy looks good

  • 11
    Registered User commented
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    the home page is pretty useless, it's filled with ads and the actual "play" button (the only reason to open the launcher) is small, and all of the settings used to control the launcher are tucked away 

    basically the homepage hides away all of the actual functions of the launcher so there's more room to display advertisements, it's a downgrade from the old launcher and it's just an excuse for microsoft to shove more ads and minecraft addons in our face

    homepage is kind of a waste of space

  • 9
    Registered User commented
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    i think it looks absolutly horrible. the original is perfect

     

  • 8
    Registered User commented
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    I do really like the idea of the home page but there are 2 things that it would change. First, the pictures from the news are really stretched out and secondly, it would be nice if all the games that you own appear next to the quick play bar instead of the quick play bar just replacing them

  • 8
    Registered User commented
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    this sucks play should NOT be at the top

  • 6
    Registered User commented
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    It looks awful

  • 5
    Registered User commented
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    Вятар

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    Hiya,

    I love the new home page as it looks fantastic and is great for getting Minecraft related info! this would be very useful for new players! Two things I would like to point out is that firstly (not sure if this is fully added) but most of the images in the launcher are kinda pixelated than the original image and sometimes if the image is too small then it would stretch it? also secondly the play button should be a bit bigger as the button can skip the new players eyes and think one of the posts is the play button it should be a bigger so the player can notice it otherwise the java edition should load in first (if the home menu is going first when this comes out) 

    Otherwise I love this new addition to the launcher its makes it way better than having to find the posts on the website. it gives the launcher's post display areas (under the game) more purpose and feel more homely!


    Thank you have a good day!

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    I miss when it was just a dirt background. Wont ever understand all the bloat. 

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    looks like crap in my humble opinion but i see others don't think that way so just make it toggleable 

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    I honestly don't like it. It is hard to navigate and feels clunky. I think it needs some reworking, especially the play button It is too small and it shouldn't be on the top of the page, i hope the home page will be optional because I'd rather have the current look.

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    I didn't like it, there´s so much going on the screen and the fonts don't match the launcher.

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    I don't really see the point of this, and I don't like all of the Marketplace ads

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    Totally unnecessary, pointless, and the effort spent on a new launcher homepage could have been spent on developing cool stuff for the game. They make an update about once a year, and I'd say about 40% of the content added is meh at best. But you know what's even more disheartening? The existence of the minecraft marketplace. The biggest draw of Java Edition is the bottomless amount of mods. Shame on me for not having a PC & video card. Bedrock should get access to free mods. And another thing, if you're making mods expecting to get paid, there's absolutely no way I'd buy any of those mods. The mods that are made purely out of love for the game generally are of higher quality. For example, the Aether mod vs about 90% of the add-ons on the marketplace at the moment.

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    Honestly I don't see the point in changing the launcher again, it seems just fine as it is right now.

  • 4
    Registered User commented
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    Not a big fan of the home page. 

    1. When I open the Launcher, my intention is to launch a game. I don't really care about News, or ads, or anything other than Java Edition. I will never play any of the other editions. It would be really nice to be able to hide everything for editions I will never play.

    2. Don't care about Quick Play either. I turned it off pretty quickly after it was introduced. I am perfectly capable of selecting the game I want from a list.

    3. In the existing Launcher, the Play button is nice and large. And the currently selected game version is easy to see and change. In the new home page, these are much smaller and it's difficult to see which version is going to be launched. I have active games in several different versions and I need to be able to see which one is selected when I'm looking at the launcher. There's no reason for the buttons to be so squashed together. There is plenty of room for them.

    For me, the old version is better. 

  • 3
    Registered User commented
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    I'm so used to seeing the skins option right as I open up the launcher. Is there a way to access it on the new one?

  • 3
    Registered User commented
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    The images of the patch notes look more extended which looks very strange

  • 3
    Registered User commented
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    After it's fully rolled out, could you add a setting to keep the original layout? I really don't like whenever the layout of an app, website or any GUI is changed.

    If often makes me use mods, scripts and old versions to stay on the old layout, but that isn't easy for the launcher.

  • 3
    Registered User commented
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    No it doesnt look good.I Like the idea but i think players should have choice to choose accordingly to what they like.

     

  • 3
    Registered User commented
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    looks nice!

  • 3
    Registered User commented
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    The New Launcher seems nice, here are my thoughts:

    - The play button seems a bit small, maybe make it bigger. 

    - The tabs on the side don't look like tabs, it could be made more obvious they are clickable tabs

    - The thumbnails for articles are stretched, and they are too small for my personal preference. I think they should be bigger

    - The white outline provides too much contrast, it looks better without it

    - A lot of the spacing is uneven.

    - The big thumbnails have low quality/resolution.

    - The filters UI definitely could be improved


    Also, I see other people suggesting there be some sort of community forum and server list. Personally I disagree with this. I support the idea of adding links to official minecraft communities, but I don't think having one implemented straight into the launcher is a good idea.


    Overall I think this new UI needs some improvement. I prefer the old one over this one, but I understand that this is in development so things can only change for the better. 

  • 3
    Registered User commented
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    This new launcher is really cool and beautiful, but I think the old one is better, besides the launcher has been like this, the same way for years. It's like the earth block background when you go to the game options. Minecraft removed that, and I think changing the launcher style wouldn't be so cool, at least for now.

  • 3
    Registered User commented
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    will it be possible once it fully releases to stick with the current launcher? i personally just prefer it in general.

  • 3
    Registered User commented
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    I Feel Like The Whole Point Of A Launcher, Playing The Game, Has Lost All Focus.

    The Play Button's Size Is Absolutely Miniscule In Comparison To It's Importance, And The Installation Name Has Too Little Room. It's Position Is Counter-Intuitive, Seeming More Like A Header Of Categories At A Glance.

    The Sidebar Looks Out Of Place, And Laying Them Out Horizontally Would Make Them And The Text Box To Of Left Of Them Look More Natural And Pleasing. This Might Leave To Little Room For The Cycling Images Vertically, However. In Event It Does, Aligning Them To The Left Next To The Text Box Would Be A Much Better Option. With It's Current Spot, The Text Change Is A Little Too Subtle.

    The Article Images Are Far Too Low Resolution To Take Up As Much Space As They Do, And With How Much Of The Screen Sits There Looking Blurry, I Find It Hard To Even Look At. (of course, this issue largely easy to fix moving forward, so i hope it will be.)

    I Think It Would Do Well To Seperate Patch Notes And News Into Their Own Seperate Categories, As Well.

     

    In My Humble UI Design-Loving Opinion, It's Jank, It's Bloated, And I Don't Like It. 5/10.

    Hope I'll Be Able To Keep In Off In The Future.

    Edit: After Some Thought, I Think I Was Being Too Hopeful With The Implementation. I'm Scoring This A 2.5/10.

  • 3
    Registered User commented
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    I consider that the tab to add versions (installations) is missing or I cannot find it.
    It would also be good to place a small button that allows us to go to an aspects tab.
    Outside of those 2 security features, the distribution and appearance of the home page is very well designed.