- 1Your version
- 2Install
- 3Start once
- 4The basics
- 5Link in console
Which Minecraft line?
There are three builds because Minecraft's Java requirement changed twice across the versions this supports, and one jar cannot satisfy all three. Picking wrong here is the most common way a first start fails.
1.16.5 needs Java 8 to 16. Paper on 1.16.5 hard-refuses Java 17 and above, so this build is compiled to a low bytecode target on purpose. If your host runs a newer Java by default, this is the build that needs the older one.