Released 2024-04-29
Minecraft 1.20.6 needs Java 21
With 1.20.6 the Java requirement rises to 21. The line itself is short; what makes it important is the boundary it marks — from 1.20.5 onward, nothing runs on less than Java 21.
Java version required
21or newer
An older Java will not start it. A much newer Java normally does, but that is up to the server software rather than Minecraft.
Availability
Paper is available for 1.20.6
It accepts Bukkit / Spigot / Paper plugins.
Will the file I downloaded work?
Mods and plugins are two different things that both come as a .jar. Use the wrong kind and there is usually no error: the server boots and the content is simply missing.
running on Paper
No. Forge is a mod platform and Paper runs plugins — two separate systems that just share a file extension. Nothing loads, and you get no warning.
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Things to know about this version
This trips up anyone upgrading a server they already have. A host or start script still aimed at Java 17 fails straight away with an unsupported class file version error — and because that error quotes a number instead of a Java release, people go looking in the wrong place. Learn to recognise 65: it means Java 21.
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This version on the Java timeline
- Java 81.7 through 1.16.5
- Java 161.17 and 1.17.1
- Java 171.18 through 1.20.4
- Java 211.20.5 and everything after