How to download Minecraft Education Edition: Step-by-step guide for beginners

Minecraft has gone through a ton of updates over the years and there are a few editions of the game now, with the two most prominent ones being the Java Edition and the Bedrock Edition.

The Java Edition is essentially the original PC version of the game, built on the Java language. Bedrock Edition is Microsoft's version of the game, that is available both on PC and Console, which allows for cross platform play as well. There is a third edition of Minecraft that isn't based as much on the version to play on, and rather its purpose. Minecraft Education Edition is used for multiple reasons in education, and is easy to download.

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How to download Minecraft Education Edition

Image Credit: Minecraft Education Edition/Microsoft

The first step to getting the Education Edition of Minecraft is to have an Office 365 Education account. Given that the edition is meant for teachers or any other kinds of education, it's no surprise that the step is needed.

Office 365 is also a program connected to Microsoft, which owns both the Office Suite and Minecraft. Once an Office 365 Education account is made, whether paid for or obtained somewhere else, the next steps can be made.

Next, a license will need to be purchased for the Minecraft Education Edition. Subscriptions for the Education Edition are required and are based around a yearly model. The license can be obtained either through Authorized Education Partners or through purchasing a yearly license directly on the Microsoft Store.

For anyone that is skeptical on the program and doesn't want to shell out for a yearly subscription just yet, there is a demo on the site for the Minecraft Education Edition. The Demo provides an hour long lesson on how to code, which includes stopping forest fires, among other things. It explores other concepts along with the coding aspect of the demo. If the demo is sufficient, and an educator has both the Office account and a subscription, the last step can be made.

Once all verifications and payments check out, all that needs to be done is sign into the Minecraft site and go the Education Edition section. There, the Education Edition can simply be downloaded for a given platform.

The platforms include Windows, the Chromebook, and other Apple products. On top of the standard download, are a couple of alternate downloads, that include a classroom mode and code connection as well.

Note: This article is for beginners. While it may seem obvious to you, several new players often search for these ‘newbie’ methods!