Installing Forge for Minecraft for Ubuntu 20.04

These instructions were created for Spark Crafters — the community of builders and players who use MineCraft as a play-space and test bed. Our MineCraft world uses the Forge crafting engine to

Install OpenSDK’s Java JDK/JRE

In order to install and use Forge, you need a version of the Java Development Kit (JDK) installed, version 8 or newer. Something weird happens when Ubuntu users set up MC useing the Ubuntu Software app or mc-installer snap. It seems the included Java Runtime Environment (JRE) necessary to run MC isn’t accessible to Ubuntu in general. Our work-around is installing a separate install of the Java JDK so you can install Forge.

First, let’s check to see if you have a version of Java’s JDK. Open a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and type in the following command:

java -version

If you already have Java, you should see something like this:

openjdk version "11.0.8" 2020-07-14
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 11.0.8+10-post-Ubuntu-0ubuntu120.04)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 11.0.8+10-post-Ubuntu-0ubuntu120.04, mixed mode, sharing)

If that shows up, you can skip to the next step.

If not, you’ll probably see a message like this:

'java' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
	operable program or batch file.

If that’s the case, let’s install Java.

The best way to do this is using Synaptic Package manager, in my opinion, since it’s a one-stop shop for finding and installing the best ubuntu packages and all their dependencies.

Download and Install Forge