Run Minecraft Natively on M1 Macs Without Rosetta – Full Setup Guide

Install ARM Java

Download the ARM64 build of Java 17 from Azul’s website (choose macOS → ARM 64‑bit → JDK FX) and install the .dmg file.

After installation, verify the available JDKs with: /usr/libexec/java_home -V If multiple JDKs are listed, note the path of the Zulu JDK 17 (e.g., /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/zulu-17.jdk/Contents/Home).

Set this JDK as the default by adding to ~/.zshrc:

export JAVA_HOME=/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/zulu-17.jdk/Contents/Home

Apply the change with:

source ~/.zshrc

Download HMCL Launcher

Obtain the HMCL launcher from its official website or GitHub releases, create a dedicated game folder (e.g., ~/Games/Minecraft), move the downloaded JAR into that folder, and start it:

mkdir -p ~/Games/Minecraft
mv ~/Downloads/HMCL-3.5.2.218.jar ~/Games/Minecraft
java -jar HMCL-3.5.2.218.jar

Install Minecraft 1.17.1 with Fabric

In HMCL, go to the version list → Install New Game Version, select Minecraft 1.17.1 and add the Fabric loader.

Obtain LWJGL Library Files

Download the updated LWJGL 3.3.x nightly build (e.g., m1_lwjgl_330_nightly.zip) from the provided link, extract it, and replace the original lwjgl-3.2.1.jar in the Minecraft libraries folder with the extracted lwjglfat.jar. Also copy the m1_lwjgl_330_nightly folder into the game directory.

# Enter game directory
cd ~/Games/Minecraft
# Remove old LWJGL jar
rm .minecraft/libraries/org/lwjgl/lwjgl/3.2.1/lwjgl-3.2.1.jar
# Copy new jar
mv m1_lwjgl_330_nightly/lwjglfat.jar .minecraft/libraries/org/lwjgl/lwjgl/3.2.1/lwjgl-3.2.1.jar
# Move the nightly folder
mv m1_lwjgl_330_nightly ~/Games/Minecraft

Configure HMCL Parameters

Open the Global Settings in HMCL, verify the Java path, and under Debug Options set the custom native library path to the lwjglnatives directory inside m1_lwjgl_330_nightly (e.g., ~/Games/Minecraft/m1_lwjgl_330_nightly/lwjglnatives). Enable “Do not check game integrity” and “Do not check JVM compatibility”.

Run the Game

Return to the launcher’s main screen and click “Launch”. Minecraft starts, loads Fabric API and all installed mods (the author used 40 mods), with launch times under 20 seconds, CPU usage around 50 % and memory consumption about 5.5 GB.

Conclusion

Minecraft provides a physics‑accurate sandbox that can serve as a metaverse prototype; running it natively on Apple Silicon showcases the platform’s flexibility and opens possibilities for large‑scale creative projects.

References

“Run Minecraft+Forge on M1 Mac without Rosetta”

“Solve Minecraft Error 255 on M1 Mac”