HOW TO START OLD MINECRAFT ACCOUNT ON A NEW COMPUTER

Hello Russell. It seems you are trying to sign into your Minecraft account from a different computer and it is telling you to buy Minecraft again. This situation usually occurs when the account you're signing into is not the account that purchased the game, or your legacy Mojang account was not migrated to a Microsoft account prior to the deadline.

Mojang accounts all migrated to Microsoft accounts on December 18, 2023 in order to be able to sign into Minecraft: Java Edition. If you did not complete your migration, Minecraft Support can no longer assist with the recovery of those accounts. If you miss this migration window and the Mojang credentials were never moved to a Microsoft account, you will have to purchase it again through a Microsoft account.

If you did complete your migration, please check that you are signing into the Minecraft Launcher using the Microsoft account that holds the license. If you want access to the game without repurchasing, you can get the launcher from the official Minecraft website to log in with that account.

If you bought two separate copies, one for you and one for your kid, each license will be tied to its own Microsoft account, and you will have to log in with the specific account that owns the license in order to play.

Best regards,

Hello Russell. Thanks for getting back. The fact that your former username is still available is a great indicator that your account is intact. The problem is probably that the Minecraft Launcher on you new computer isn't recognizing the Microsoft account that owns your license.

Just because you see your login name, does not mean the launcher is signed into the same Microsoft account you used at the time of migration. Minecraft licenses are associated with the Microsoft account used to purchase or migrate the game, so you can have multiple accounts signed into the launcher at the same time, but if it signed into the wrong account then it will ask you to purchase the game.

To resolve this issue, ensure you are using the official Minecraft Launcher from Minecraft.net, and ensure you are signed into the identical Microsoft account that owns the license. Also check you are launching the right edition - Java and Bedrock editions are stand-alone editions, each needing their own licenses. If the "buy again" message persists, try uninstalling the launcher, restarting your computer, and installing a fresh Launcher. This often removes any cached log-in information.

If that does not work, Mojang Support can help confirm your license is associated with whichever account. You just need to use the email used during the migration or proof of purchase.

Best regards,