How to download Minecraft Java snapshot 23w07a 

Minecraft: Java Edition's latest snapshot, 23w07a, was released on February 15, 2023. Players who download it and boot it up will find plenty of new additions and changes earmarked to be released in update 1.20 later this spring.

Among the new inclusions are the recently-announced cherry blossom biomes, the Sniffer mob that won last year's Mob Vote, and the long-awaited archeology feature.

These features are still in development and may change over time. However, players can still experience them in their current capacity by downloading and playing the latest Java snapshot.

Even better, Minecraft's official launcher has made it incredibly easy for fans to do so.

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How to download and play Minecraft Java Snapshot 23w07a via official launcher

A sniffer takes a snooze in snapshot 23w07a (Image via AlanHunter/YouTube)

Thanks to the introduction of Minecraft's official launcher, players no longer have to worry about downloading specific .jar files to enjoy new gameplay snapshots. All that's required now is for them to have an active Microsoft account (or one merged over from Mojang) and a legally-downloaded copy of Java Edition.

The official launcher can be found on Minecraft.net if players don't have it already. Once the launcher has been installed, the process of updating to snapshot 23w07a becomes very simple.

Here's how you can play the latest snapshot via the Minecraft Launcher:

1. Open the launcher and wait for it to load. Enter your Microsoft/Xbox account credentials if prompted.
2. Once the launcher has loaded, select Java Edition from the list of games on the left.
3. To the left of the play button, you'll find a small drop-down menu. This will say "Latest Installation" by default if you're playing the current stable build of the game. Click this drop-down list.
4. Select "Latest Snapshot" on the drop-down list.
5. Press the green play button. The necessary files should be downloaded, and Java Edition will start up in the new snapshot.
6. To ensure you can access all of the new content provided in the snapshot, you'll need to make certain you have experimental features enabled. This can be accomplished by going into the world creation menu and selecting the experiments button. You must then toggle on bundles and update 1.20 content before making a new world.

It's important to note that the steps listed above will also work for future Minecraft Java snapshots. By default, the game's official launcher will list the latest snapshot to be released by Mojang in the drop-down menu. All a player needs to do to access it is to pick it from the drop-down list and press the play button.

It's also possible to use the installations function within the launcher to create separate game installations for previous snapshots or even older stable game versions. Bedrock Edition players have to go through a different process to access preview content due to the different code bases between the editions.

Fortunately, Bedrock has a preview program available that will allow players to enjoy the new content on Xbox, Android, iOS, and Windows PCs. It simply requires a slightly different process compared to Java Edition.