How to play older versions of Minecraft

The Minecraft launcher has a neat feature that allows you to install and play older versions of Minecraft Java Edition. This is useful when you have minigame maps that only work on old versions of Minecraft, or if you just want some nostalgic fun :)

Before we get started, do you need to learn how to download and install Minecraft Maps?
If so, click this link: https://www.planetminecraft.com/blog/how-to-download-and-install-minecraft-maps/

Why would I need older versions of Minecraft?

Playing a Minecraft map in the wrong version may cause things to break. As the game gets updated, things like commands, block names, and other details about tools that map makers use get changed.
For example, how a potion ID is listed in commands got changed years ago, and Minecraft 1.20.4 finally deleted the old way. This means that potion effects in some maps that worked in 1.20.1 won't work in 1.20.4.

Steps

Open the Minecraft Launcher. Take note of a couple of things: (red) This works with Minecraft: Java Edition. If you're playing "Minecraft for Windows" (i.e. Bedrock) this will not work. (green) This is the installation selector. Click here to select from any of the versions you have installed. More on this button later. (blue) These are the 'Play' and 'Installations' tabs. Currently I have the play tab selected.
Select the 'Installations' tab (circled in blue in the above screenshot). This will bring you to a new screen that will show all the installations you have created. This will probably be empty, or may contain some stuff already. Click the 'New Installation' button.
In this menu that pops up, you get to change some settings. Select an icon for this installation. (optional) Name your installation. This can be anything you want, but I suggest that whatever you choose makes sense. Select the version you want to play from this drop-down menu. Click the green 'Create' button when you're done! Once you've completed those 4 things, you should be taken back to the Installations menu, and you should see your new installation. Now, go back to the 'Play' tab.
Finally, it's time to select and play! Select the installation selector, and a pop-up menu will appear. Click the installation you just created, and hit play! The launcher might warn you that the older version does not support safety features. Give the pop-up a quick read and just click 'Play'.
The launcher will download your selected version of Minecraft. Be patient and smile while you wait :) Maybe put on some Donkey Kong tunes or something. (That's what I did while writing this)
Ta-Da! Be careful when loading worlds in old versions of Minecraft. If you load a newer world in an older version of Minecraft, you can lose your items and builds!

How to tell what version of Minecraft a map is made for

There's a couple of ways that usually work to telling what version of Minecraft a map is made for.

The first and easiest is to install it in your latest version of Minecraft, and see what it says! The underlined version in the screenshot below is the Minecraft version that the map was last loaded with. This means whatever the map maker last used before publishing the map!




Some map makers, including myself, also include the Minecraft version in the map's file name. Sometimes they put 'MC' before the Minecraft version to make it clear. See the underlined 'MC1.20.1' in the little screenshot below.



On CurseForge, the map maker selects what version of Minecraft the map is for, and shows it to you before you download it, see the circled area in the screenshot below:

That's all!

How to download and install maps: https://www.planetminecraft.com/blog/how-to-download-and-install-minecraft-maps/

If you have any questions, join my Discord server and ask away! Click here to join my Discord server

Check out my maps here on my PMC profile :)

Have fun! Happy Minecrafting!