Pkix Path Building Failed Minecraft (Solution)

Pkix path building failed minecraft is a common error that can occur when attempting to connect to a Minecraft server.

The error usually occurs when the Java framework fails to verify the SSL certificate of the download URL being requested by minecraft, to put it simply. 

There are a few things that can be done to fix this error, but it is important to understand why it happens before attempting to fix it.

What Causes The Pkix Path Building Failed Error

The reason for the pkix path building failed error in minecraft is that the Java framework has failed to verify the SSL certificate of the URL being requested by minecraft, and it will not download the file. 

Any Java application, whether it be a third-party library, a build process, or even custom code, will first check to see if it is familiar with the domain’s certificate when attempting to access an HTTPS URL. 

Also read: couldn’t load launcher core from minecraft

This is accomplished by comparing the domain’s certificate to a list that Java maintains internally. A trust store is the name for this list. 

Java can terminate connections to any malicious URL thanks to the trust store, which also guards against client system intrusions that may come from such malicious entities.

This behaviour has the logical extension that any URLs that use a self-signed certificate will have issues. This is because, absent explicit addition, a self-signed certificate will never be included in the Java trust store. 

But how do libraries or other programs that attempt to access well-known domains experience this error?

A corrupted trust store on your Java client system is usually the reason for this. 

This may occur as a result of a botched update attempt or incorrect installation. Your Java client programs won’t be able to connect to HTTPS URLs though until the trust store is updated. 

Now let’s look at how to fix this:

How To Fix Pkix Path Building Failed Minecraft Error

To fix the Pkix path building failed minecraft error, you need to download the server certificate of the url minecraft wants to access and add it to the java trust store.

The first step is to check if your network configuration or firewall rule is causing this problem with java. To rule out this possibility, load the URL in the error and see if it loads. 

Also read: fatally missing registry entries minecraft

If the browser loads it without errors, the client application’s certificate setup is the source of the issue.

To fix this, follow these steps: 

Step 01 – Download The Certificate Manually

First up, you have to download the server’s certificate of the URL that needs to be downloaded. 

You can do it from the browser or through the command prompt. This is done so that we can manually add the certificate to the trust store.

This downloaded certificate is often the root certificate, but in most cases, there will be a certificate chain and intermediate CAs.

If you don’t want to use a browser to download the certificate, use the command below on an admin command prompt: 

openssl s_client -showcerts -servername [DOMAIN] -connect [DOMAIN]:443

The output will look like this which contains all of the certificates in the chain:

Copy each certificate as a separate file with a unique name. Both the BEGIN CERTIFICATE and END CERTIFICATE sections should be present in your files.

Step 02 – Add The Certificate To Java Trust Store

The downloaded certificates can now be added to the internal Java trust store. The Keytool utility can be used to accomplish this.

Read this guide on how to add it to java keystore

The default password for the JRE trust store is ‘changeit.’ If you’ve changed the password, make sure you’re using the correct one.

Make sure that the alias name for each certificate should be unique. 

Step 03 – Confirm The Certificates

Once you have imported the certificates, use the following command to confirm that the certificates have been added.

keytool -list -keystore "/usr/local/java/jdk1.8.0_60/jre/lib/security/

Step 04 – Restart Minecraft

Now, restart minecraft. If all steps are followed correctly, there should be no pkix path building failed errors this time.

Bottom Line

The Pkix path building failed minecraft error can be a frustrating error to deal with, but it can be fixed. Manually download and import the server certificates and you should be good to go.

If by any chance it doesn’t work, let me know in the comments and I’ll try to help you out.