Creating and Editing Launch Profiles in PojavLauncher

A profile in PojavLauncher is a saved configuration that controls which Minecraft version is launched, where the game files live, which Java runtime is used, and many other per-session options. Every time you tap Play, the launcher reads the currently active profile and uses its settings to build the Java command line and locate game assets. You can maintain as many profiles as you like — one for each Minecraft version, a separate one for modded play, or a dedicated profile with a custom game directory for a specific modpack.

PojavLauncher has been discontinued. Its successor is Amethyst Android. These docs describe the final released state of PojavLauncher.

Profile Storage

All profiles are stored together in a single JSON file that follows the official Minecraft launcher profile format:

<game_home>/.minecraft/launcher_profiles.json

Where <game_home> defaults to <external_storage>/games/PojavLauncher. Each profile is stored as a key–value entry in the profiles map; the keys are UUIDs assigned by the launcher. A minimal file with one profile looks like:

{
  "profiles": {
    "3f2504e0-4f89-11d3-9a0c-0305e82c3301": {
      "name": "My Profile",
      "lastVersionId": "1.20.4"
    }
  }
}

Opening the Profile Editor

From the main screen, tap the pencil (edit) icon next to the version spinner. This opens the Profile Editor for the currently active profile. To create a brand-new profile instead, look for the New profile option in the version spinner dropdown. When you are finished making changes, tap Save to write the updated profile back to launcher_profiles.json and refresh the version spinner. Tap Delete to permanently remove the profile (the launcher requires at least one profile to exist, so deletion is blocked when only one profile remains).

Profile Fields

Name

name

The display name shown in the version spinner dropdown and in the profile editor title bar. Use something descriptive, such as "Vanilla 1.20.4" or "Forge 1.19.2 – Tech Pack".

Minecraft Version (`lastVersionId`)

lastVersionId

The Minecraft version this profile launches. Three special values are understood:

Value	Meaning
`latest-release`	Always resolves to the most recent stable release at launch time
`latest-snapshot`	Always resolves to the most recent snapshot at launch time
`<version string>`	A specific version such as `1.20.4` or `1.20.1-forge-47.3.0`

Tap the version select button in the profile editor to pick from a filterable list of all available versions (including snapshots if you enable them in the version selector dialog).

If the version string does not match any known version, the launcher shows an “Unknown” label and refuses to start the game. This can happen if the version list has not loaded yet — wait a few seconds and reopen the profile editor.

Game Directory (`gameDir`)

gameDir

Overrides the default .minecraft folder used for saves, resource packs, mods, and all other game data. Leave this field empty to use the global default (<game_home>/.minecraft). PojavLauncher recognises a special pojav:// URI prefix for launcher-relative paths:

pojav://my-modpack

This resolves to <game_home>/my-modpack at runtime, making the path portable across different devices even if the absolute storage path differs. If you supply an absolute path (without the prefix) it is used as-is.

Use separate game directories for different modpacks so their mods, config, and saves folders never interfere with each other.

Java Runtime (`javaDir`)

javaDir

Overrides the JRE used to launch this profile. The value uses the same pojav:// prefix to point at a runtime installed by PojavLauncher’s Multi-Runtime manager:

pojav://java-17-openjdk

Leave blank to use the launcher’s globally selected default runtime. In the profile editor, this field is presented as a spinner populated with all installed runtimes; selecting <Default> clears the override.

JVM Arguments (`javaArgs`)

javaArgs

Additional arguments passed to the Java virtual machine before the game’s main class. Common uses include adjusting the heap size or enabling experimental JVM flags:

-Xmx2G -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=50

These arguments are appended to the launcher’s own generated command line. Leave the field empty to use no extra arguments.

Specifying -Xmx here overrides the global memory allocation set in launcher settings. Set it to an appropriate value for your device — allocating more RAM than is physically available causes the game to crash immediately.

Renderer (`pojavRendererName`)

pojavRendererName

Selects the graphics translation layer for this profile, overriding the global renderer chosen in settings. Available options depend on device capabilities:

Renderer ID	Display Name	Notes
`opengles2`	Holy GL4ES	Works on all devices; translates OpenGL to OpenGL ES 2/3
`vulkan_zink`	Zink (Vulkan)	Requires Vulkan support; uses virglrenderer
`opengles3_ltw`	LTW (OpenGL ES 3)	Requires OpenGL ES 3 and the LTW binary; Minecraft 1.17+ only

Setting this field to null (or leaving it as “Global default” in the editor spinner) means the global renderer preference is used.

Control Layout File (`controlFile`)

controlFile

Path to a custom touch-control layout JSON file used when this profile is active. The file is selected from <game_home>/controlmap/ via the file picker in the profile editor. Leave empty to use the globally configured default control layout.

Resolution (`resolution`)

resolution

An optional array of two resolution objects that override the game’s render resolution. When set, the game renders at the specified width and height rather than the device’s native resolution. This can improve performance on high-DPI screens or fix display issues on certain devices.

Editing a Profile Step by Step

Open the profile editor

On the main screen, tap the pencil icon next to the version spinner.

Set a name

Enter a descriptive name in the Profile name field.

Choose a Minecraft version

Tap the version select button and pick the version you want, or type it directly in the version field.

Configure optional overrides

Fill in Game directory, JVM arguments, Runtime, Renderer, or Control layout as needed. All of these fields are optional — leave them blank to inherit global defaults.

Save

Tap Save. The version spinner on the main screen updates to reflect the new profile settings.

Next Steps

Playing the Game

Launch Minecraft once your profile is configured.

Controls

Assign a custom control layout to this profile.

Forge

Install Forge and point a profile at the resulting modded version.

Get Started

Using the Launcher

Mod Loaders & Mods

Configuration

Advanced Topics

Creating and Editing Launch Profiles in PojavLauncher

Profile Storage

Opening the Profile Editor

Profile Fields

Name

Minecraft Version (`lastVersionId`)

Game Directory (`gameDir`)

Java Runtime (`javaDir`)

JVM Arguments (`javaArgs`)

Renderer (`pojavRendererName`)

Control Layout File (`controlFile`)

Resolution (`resolution`)

Editing a Profile Step by Step

Next Steps

Playing the Game

Controls

Forge

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Using the Launcher

Mod Loaders & Mods

Configuration

Advanced Topics

Documentation Index

​Profile Storage

​Opening the Profile Editor

​Profile Fields

​Name

​Minecraft Version (lastVersionId)

​Game Directory (gameDir)

​Java Runtime (javaDir)

​JVM Arguments (javaArgs)

​Renderer (pojavRendererName)

​Control Layout File (controlFile)

​Resolution (resolution)

​Editing a Profile Step by Step

​Next Steps

Playing the Game

Controls

Forge

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Profile Storage

Opening the Profile Editor

Profile Fields

Name

Minecraft Version (`lastVersionId`)

Game Directory (`gameDir`)

Java Runtime (`javaDir`)

JVM Arguments (`javaArgs`)

Renderer (`pojavRendererName`)

Control Layout File (`controlFile`)

Resolution (`resolution`)

Editing a Profile Step by Step

Next Steps