error problem playing game that i bought

Question

Hello, i bought Minecraft about 1 year ago and now i cant play the game, because its asking me to buy it again. What can i do?

Answer 1

Hi, I'm John!

To help narrow down the issue:

1. Are you signed into the Minecraft Launcher, Microsoft Store, and Xbox app with the same Microsoft account?
2. Do you see Minecraft in your Microsoft account order history?
3. Which version do you own: Java Edition, Bedrock Edition, or both?
4. Are you seeing a "Buy Now" button in the launcher or an error message?

Answer 2

Check the following to restore access to Minecraft without buying it again:

1. Verify the correct Microsoft account

• On Windows, open Microsoft Store.
• Select your profile picture and confirm the email shown is the same account that was used to buy Minecraft.
• If not, sign out and sign back in with the account that originally purchased the game.
• Then go to More info → My Library and look for Minecraft. If it shows a Download icon, select it to install.

2. Install from Order history

• In a browser, sign in with the account that bought Minecraft and open Order history: https://account.microsoft.com/billing/orders
• Find the Minecraft purchase.
  • If it shows Install, select it to start download/installation.
  • If selecting the product name opens the Microsoft Store page and the button says Install instead of Buy, select Install.

3. If Install/Product key options are missing If Product key/Install does not appear for the Minecraft entry in Order history, try:

• Select the product name in Order history and use the Install button on the product page if available.
• If you only see Install (no product key), use that; some apps/games do not use product keys.
• If the game still does not appear, reset Microsoft Store:
  1. Press Windows logo key + R.
  2. Type wsreset.exe and select OK.
  3. After the blank window closes and Microsoft Store reopens, check My Library again.

4. Check region, device, and updates If Minecraft does not appear or cannot be installed:

• Make sure Windows is fully updated.
• Restart the PC if it was recently updated.
• Confirm the PC is signed in and authorized with the same Microsoft account used to buy the game.

If the purchase does not appear in Order history under any Microsoft account used, contact Microsoft Support for billing assistance, as community support cannot access account billing data.

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References:

• Get trusted apps and games from Microsoft Store on Windows
• Find and install your Microsoft downloads from Microsoft Store
• Troubleshoot buying issues with Microsoft Store
• I can't find or install an app from Microsoft Store
• Error 0x80131500 in Microsoft Store