Quick Summary
GLFW error 65542 in Minecraft typically indicates an issue with your OpenGL drivers or the graphics card's ability to initialize a necessary OpenGL context. This error often arises due to outdated, corrupted, or incompatible graphics drivers.
Common Causes
- Outdated Graphics Drivers: Your graphics card drivers are too old and do not properly support the OpenGL version required by Minecraft. This is a common cause, especially after Minecraft updates.
- Corrupted Graphics Drivers: The graphics driver installation has become corrupted, leading to errors when trying to initialize the OpenGL context.
- Incompatible Graphics Card: Your graphics card may not meet the minimum OpenGL version requirements specified by Minecraft. Even if your card functions generally, certain features might be unavailable or unstable, leading to this error.
- Conflicting Software: Other software running on your computer, such as overlays or screen recording software, might be interfering with the OpenGL context initialization.
- Damaged Minecraft Installation: While less common, the Minecraft installation files may be corrupted or incomplete, leading to initialization problems. This is more likely if the game crashed during an update.
Step-by-Step Fixes
Method 1: Update Graphics Drivers
Step 1: Identify your graphics card. Press the Windows key, type 'device manager,' and press Enter. Expand the 'Display adapters' section to see your graphics card model.
Step 2: Visit the website of your graphics card manufacturer (NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel).
Step 3: Download the latest drivers for your specific graphics card model and operating system.
Step 4: Run the downloaded installer and follow the on-screen instructions to update your graphics drivers. A clean installation is recommended.
Step 5: Restart your computer after the installation is complete.
Method 2: Reinstall Graphics Drivers (Clean Installation)
Step 1: Download Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) from a reputable source (e.g., guru3d.com). This tool completely removes old drivers.
Step 2: Boot your computer into Safe Mode (search online for instructions specific to your operating system).
Step 3: Run DDU and follow the prompts to completely uninstall your graphics drivers. Choose the option to 'Clean and restart'.
Step 4: After restarting, download and install the latest graphics drivers from the manufacturer's website (as described in the previous method).
Method 3: Update Java
Step 1: Minecraft uses Java. Make sure you have the latest version of Java installed, even if you've already updated your graphics drivers. The newer Minecraft versions bundle their own Java runtime, but older versions may rely on the system's Java installation.
Step 2: Visit the official Java website (java.com) and download the latest version.
Step 3: Install Java, following the on-screen instructions.
Step 4: Restart your computer after the installation.
Method 4: Close Conflicting Applications
Step 1: Close any unnecessary applications running in the background, especially those that use overlays (e.g., Discord, MSI Afterburner, screen recording software).
Step 2: Restart Minecraft to see if the error is resolved.
Method 5: Reinstall Minecraft
Step 1: Backup your Minecraft saves (typically located in the '.minecraft/saves' folder in your user directory).
Step 2: Uninstall Minecraft completely.
Step 3: Download the latest version of Minecraft from the official website.
Step 4: Install Minecraft and restore your saved games.
Method 6: Lower Graphics Settings
Step 1: If you can launch the game at all, go to Options --> Video Settings.
Step 2: Reduce the render distance, graphics quality (from fancy to fast), and other performance-intensive settings.