How to Fix OpenGL Error 1281 in Minecraft?

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Do you love playing Minecraft but keep getting OpenGL Error 1281? Don’t worry, I’m here to help!

Minecraft is a game about building blocks and adventuring out in the world. Although the game is incredibly exciting and breathtaking, some errors are usually encountered while playing.

Users often encounter the “OpenGL Error 1281” while launching or playing the Minecraft game. Generally, this appears in the Minecraft game because of the default OpenGL debugging setting that is turned on.

Through OpenGL (Open Graphics Library), Minecraft can utilize the GPU on the machine to the fullest extent.

While OpenGL is completely safe to use, it may sometimes cause errors when used with Minecraft. Players often experience this issue when playing with mods that affect graphics, such as shaders.

In this blog post, I’ll show you how to fix OpenGL Error 1281 in Minecraft so you can get back to enjoying your favorite game.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

Also, Read: Fix: Failed to verify Username Error in Minecraft

Table of Contents

What Causes OpenGL Error 1281?

This error message may appear if you are playing a modded version of Minecraft. It’s possible that one of the modules interferes with your game. We found the following reasons for the error during our initial survey:

Outdated Graphics driver: This error may occur due to an outdated or incompatible driver. If you update the graphics driver with the latest version, you may be able to fix this problem.

Fault or corrupted shaders: Shaders are graphics (or mods) that players usually import in their modded Minecraft to enhance their Gameplay. When one of them is incorrect or corrupted, the game displays the “OpenGL Error 1281” error.

Outdated OptiFine: OptiFine is a third-party app that gives players more control over how the game plays. This can cause the OpenGL error if it’s not updated or is in an error state.

Java Files: Minecraft’s game application uses Java. Generally, games automatically download all Java requirements, but if they are left out, this OpenGL Error occurs.

How To Fix OpenGL Error 1281 In Minecraft?

Before starting to solve the problem, make sure you are logged in as an administrator and that you have an active open internet connection. You can easily fix OpenGL errors by following the troubleshooting solutions below.

Update Your Graphics Card Driver

An outdated or corrupt graphics card driver may cause Minecraft OpenGL Error 1281. You need to update your graphics card driver to resolve this issue.

Here are the steps you need to follow to update your graphics card driver:

First of all, press Windows key + R to open the Run box.

Type devmgmt.msc in the search box and press Enter or click OK.

After that search for the Display Adapters option in Device Manager, then expand it by clicking on it.

Next, right-click on the graphics card and select Update Driver, and then click on it.

Now click on Search automatically for drivers.

If a new driver is available, download and install it.

Note: If Windows does not detect your new driver automatically, you can go to the manufacturer’s website and follow their instructions.

After you install a new driver, restart your PC. Then start your Minecraft to see if OpenGL Error 1281 goes away.

Remove all Shaders

In Minecraft, shaders are used to change the texture, such as changing from winter to summer. Sometimes These mod modules can clash with other mod modules and cause OpenGL Error 1281.

If this happens, you need to remove shaders from Minecraft.

Follow the below-given instructions to remove these shaders:

Firstly, open Minecraft and then click on the Menu button.

Now choose Other options.

Next, click the Video Settings option.

After that click on the Shaders button.

On the Shaders page, click the OFF button.

Finally, click Done. It will disable shaders entirely from the game.

If you use a lot of shaders in your game, you’ll need to disable each one individually so that you can identify which one is corrupted so you can determine whether it fixes the problem.

Update OptiFine

With the OptiFine mod, we can improve the performance of Minecraft by increasing the FPS (frames per second). In case you use the same OptiFine for your Minecraft, then this is the reason you have this OpenGL Error 1281.

You need to update OptiFine to resolve this problem. Follow these instructions to update OptiFine if you don’t know-how:

First, visit the OptiFine official website.

Now find the latest version of OptiFine and download it.

Then restart the computer before you launch the game again.

Once you’ve done that, open Minecraft and see if your problem has been resolved or not.

Update Your Java File

Java files are contained in Java file packages, and Minecraft uses them for its operations. Every mod that Minecraft uses is Java-based.

Because of this, if the Java file packages are not properly installed on your computer, the “Open GL Error 1281” will appear. You can manually install these Java packages by following the steps below:

On your desktop, right-click This-PC and click Properties to determine whether your computer’s operating system is a 32-bit or 64-bit.

Now download the Java files from here if your computer is 32-bit, and from here if it’s 64-bit.

Once the file has been downloaded, extract it to a folder and copy the version folder.

Open Windows File Explorer (Windows + E) and navigate to the following path:

For 32-bit: C:\Program Files\Java

For 64-bit: C:\Program Files (x86)\Java

Now paste the file you copied in STEP 3 to the location and copy the name of the folder.

After that launch Minecraft Mod manager and click Edit Profile at the bottom of the screen.

In Advanced Java settings, check the box next to Executable and paste the correct path.

Now check if the error code is gone by restarting your computer and launching Minecraft.

Reinstall Minecraft

If none of the solutions above worked for you, you can simply reinstall Minecraft as a whole. Make sure you backup or save your user data before you uninstall the game.

Alternatively, you can copy the user data from the game directory to a new location.

First, press Windows + R and type appwiz.cpl in the dialogue box, and then press Enter.

After that locate Minecraft in the application manager, right-click on it.

And then select Uninstall.

Note: Also, you can uninstall the game by using the uninstaller in the folder directory. Make sure you delete all mods and temporary setup files as well.

Now go to the official Minecraft website, enter your credentials, and download the game again.

Conclusion

Above, I have provided five solutions with detailed instructions on how to fix OpenGL Error 1281 in Minecraft. And I hope you found this post helpful.

If you try all the solutions one by one, you should be able to fix the Minecraft OpenGL error without any issues. It’s a problem that most Minecraft players have experienced, and they have easily fixed in just a few steps.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this topic, please let me know in the comment section and let me know which methods worked for you.

Thanks for taking the time to visit our website and have a wonderful day!

Also, Read: How to Allocate More RAM for Minecraft?