What speaks for the tool itself

• It is open source under the MIT licence. The full source code is public in the Querz/mcaselector repository on GitHub, so anyone can read exactly what the program does before running it — the strongest safety property a small tool can have.
• It is widely used and publicly maintained. The repository had 4,933 GitHub stars and more than two million downloads across all releases when we last checked (October 2026), with bugs tracked in public issues.
• It does not need your Minecraft account. MCA Selector works on world files on your disk, outside the game; it never asks for Mojang or Microsoft credentials.

The only official download source

The project’s README states it plainly: the only official and safe place to download MCA Selector is directly from the official GitHub repository (github.com/Querz/mcaselector). That warning exists because lookalike sites redistribute the tool through third-party file hosts where nobody can vouch for the file you actually receive.

To be transparent about this site: mcaselector.org is an unofficial resource site, not the project’s home. Our download page links the official GitHub release files as the main channel, clearly labels the one mirror we also list as a site mirror, and publishes the SHA-256 hashes of the official 2.9 packages so you can verify the file you downloaded is byte-identical to the one on GitHub.

How to verify your download with SHA-256

A SHA-256 hash is a fingerprint of a file: if even one byte differs, the fingerprint differs. Checking it takes under a minute:

• Windows (PowerShell): Get-FileHash .\mcaselector-2.9-setup.exe -Algorithm SHA256
• macOS (Terminal): shasum -a 256 mcaselector-2.9-aarch64.dmg
• Linux (Terminal): sha256sum mcaselector-2.9-x64.deb

Compare the output with the hash published on our download page (taken from the GitHub release data). A match means the file is exactly the official package. A mismatch means you should delete it and download again from GitHub.

The fake-site risk is real

Impersonation is not hypothetical for this project: in GitHub issue #593 the author flagged a lookalike domain as an untrusted impersonation of the project. “MCA Selector” plus a download button on an unfamiliar site is precisely how unofficial bundles travel. Two habits protect you: download from the GitHub repository (or a page that links you there), and verify the SHA-256 hash before running anything.

The other risk: what the tool does to your world

Even a genuine copy of MCA Selector is a powerful editor, and this is the risk nobody can waive for you: the tool modifies and deletes chunk data by design. Deletions and NBT Changer edits are written to your world files immediately and there is no undo. Used carelessly — deleting the wrong region, editing a world that is still open in the game — it can damage a save. That is not malware; it is the tool doing its job on the wrong target. The defence is boring and total: back up your world before every edit, work on the copy for risky operations, and close the world in Minecraft first. See our backup workflow and the full picture in what an .mca file is.

So, is it safe?

Downloaded from the official GitHub repository and verified against the published SHA-256 hashes, MCA Selector is the same open-source tool its public code shows it to be — we are not aware of a stronger, checkable claim than that, and we will not print one. Downloaded from a random mirror, no site can honestly promise you anything about the file. Source and hash first; backup always.

Download MCA Selector 2.9

Get the current release from the MCA Selector download page — official GitHub files for Windows, macOS, Linux and the cross-platform .jar, with SHA-256 hashes listed for every package.

One last backup reminder: keep the copy of your world you made before editing until you have loaded the edited world in Minecraft and confirmed it looks right. Deletions and NBT changes in MCA Selector are permanent once applied.

Related guides

Background reading on sources, formats and safe workflows:

• What is an .mca file? Minecraft’s region format, explained
• MCA Selector version history — 2.9, 2.8 and what changed
• How to back up a Minecraft world — the local + cloud workflow
• MCA Selector troubleshooting hub

The short answer

An .mca file is a region file in Minecraft’s Anvil storage format (the extension is short for “Minecraft Anvil”). One region file holds a grid of 32 × 32 chunks — an area of 512 × 512 blocks — including the blocks, heightmaps and chunk-level data for that part of the world. The coordinates in the file name tell you which region of the world it covers: r.0.0.mca is the region at region coordinates 0, 0. Region coordinates are chunk coordinates divided by 32.

One world, three kinds of region files

Chunk data is not all stored in one place. A Java Edition world folder keeps three sibling folders of .mca files, and a complete backup or copy of a world needs all three:

• region — the terrain itself: blocks, biomes, structures and the chunk data MCA Selector renders as its top-down map.
• entities — entity data for the same chunks (mobs, item frames, dropped items and similar), stored in its own set of region files with matching coordinates.
• poi — points-of-interest data for the same chunks, such as the blocks villagers and other game systems track.

Each dimension keeps its own set of these folders. This is also why MCA Selector asks you to open the world folder itself — the folder that directly contains region or poi — and reports “No Dimensions found” when you point it one level too high or too deep.

Where level.dat fits in

Not everything lives in .mca files. The world folder also holds level.dat, the world’s central data file, which stores world-level information rather than terrain — things like world settings and player data. The division of labour is simple: level.dat describes the world, the .mca files contain the world. Editing tools reflect that split: MCA Selector operates on the region, poi and entities files, while a raw NBT editor such as NBTExplorer is the tool you would open level.dat itself with (see MCA Selector vs NBTExplorer).

Why the game must be closed while you edit

MCA Selector is an external tool: it reads and writes the .mca files directly on disk, outside the game. Minecraft and a running server also write to those same files. If the world is open in the game while you edit it, the game can overwrite your changes — or your changes can land in a world the game then saves over. Always close the world (and stop the server) before opening it in MCA Selector. This is also why there is no save button to forget: deletions and NBT changes are written to the .mca files immediately, as explained in why MCA Selector changes “don’t save”.

.mca is Java Edition only

The Anvil .mca format belongs to Minecraft Java Edition. Bedrock Edition stores its worlds in a LevelDB database instead, which is a completely different format — there are no region, poi or entities .mca folders in a Bedrock world. That is why MCA Selector cannot open Bedrock saves, and why the author has stated there are no plans to add Bedrock support. The full story, and what Bedrock players can use instead, is in does MCA Selector work with Bedrock?

Working with .mca files, safely

• Back up the whole world folder first — region, poi, entities and level.dat together. Deletions in MCA Selector are instant and cannot be undone. Our world backup workflow shows the local + cloud routine.
• Close the world in Minecraft and stop any server using it before editing.
• Keep the three folders together when copying or moving a world — terrain without its matching entities and poi files is an incomplete save.

Download MCA Selector 2.9

To view, select and edit the chunks inside your world’s .mca files, get the current release from the MCA Selector download page — the Windows installer, the cross-platform .jar, the macOS .dmg and the Linux .deb / .rpm packages, with SHA-256 hashes for verification. New to the tool? Start with how to use MCA Selector.

One last backup reminder: keep the copy of your world you made before editing until you have loaded the edited world in Minecraft and confirmed it looks right. Deletions and NBT changes in MCA Selector are permanent once applied.

Related guides

Go deeper on the formats and the workflows around them:

• Minecraft DataVersion table — which MCA Selector version opens your world
• Does MCA Selector work with Bedrock? The honest answer
• MCA Selector changes not saving? How its instant saving works
• How to back up a Minecraft world — the local + cloud workflow

What the official release list actually contains

The current release, 2.9, ships exactly eight files: a Windows installer (.exe), a universal .jar, two macOS .dmg builds and four Linux packages (.deb / .rpm). That has been the pattern across all 77 releases: desktop downloads only. There has never been a web app, an APK, or an iOS version, and the official README states it plainly:

“The only official and safe place to download MCA Selector is directly from the official GitHub repository.”

Impersonation is a documented problem

This is not hypothetical. The developer opened GitHub issue #593, titled “Untrusted impersonation of the project at mcaselector.com”, flagging that domain for impersonating the project. The pattern is common for popular free tools: a lookalike site or “online edition” trades on the name, and what you actually get ranges from adware bundles to outright malware — or an upload form that takes your world file and gives nothing back.

For the record: this site, mcaselector.org, is an unofficial community resource. We do not host the program ourselves — every download button here points to the developer’s own files on GitHub, with the SHA-256 hashes published on the download page so you can verify the file you received is byte-for-byte the official release.

Staying safe: a 30-second checklist

• Download only from GitHub (directly, or via the verified links on our download page).
• Check the SHA-256 hash of the file against the published value before you run it.
• Never upload your world to a site offering an “online MCA Selector” — there is no such official service.
• Treat any “MCA Selector APK”, “for Android/iOS” or “portable online” offer as fake by default.

If you do not have a computer that can run the desktop app — a Chromebook or a phone is all you have — there is unfortunately no official workaround today: editing a Java Edition world with MCA Selector requires the Windows, Mac or Linux program, and it only works on Java Edition worlds in the first place (see MCA Selector and Bedrock).

Download MCA Selector 2.9

Get the real thing: download MCA Selector 2.9 — every link points at the official GitHub release.

Back up your world first: MCA Selector writes deletions and NBT changes straight to disk and they cannot be undone, so copy your world folder somewhere safe before you edit it.

Related guides

• Does MCA Selector work with Bedrock?
• MCA Selector for Mac: install the .dmg
• MCA Selector for Linux: install the .deb or .rpm

The complete DataVersion chart

Two things worth noticing. First, the oldest supported versions read “None – 1343”: the DataVersion field did not exist in the earliest formats, so those worlds simply have no number until the range starts. Second, the range jumps are not uniform — a major update can move the number by a few points (1.16) or by hundreds (1.18), which is why you cannot guess a DataVersion from the version name alone.

How to check your world’s DataVersion

The value is stored in the world’s level.dat file. In practice the easiest check inside MCA Selector is the Chunk Filter: DataVersion is one of its filter conditions, so you can test which range your chunks actually fall into — useful because a long-lived world usually contains chunks saved by several different game versions side by side. Raw NBT tools such as NBTExplorer can also read the value straight out of level.dat.

Why DataVersion matters when you edit

• Pruning before an update: filtering by DataVersion lets you select only the chunks generated by older versions and delete them, so the game regenerates that terrain with the new version’s content — while keeping the chunks you built in.
• Tool compatibility: a chunk’s DataVersion tells you whether your MCA Selector build understands it. A world at 5023 needs the 2.9 release; an older tool build can fail on newer worlds.
• Batch changes: DataVersion is also a field the NBT Changer can rewrite across selected chunks, which is an advanced, deliberate operation — not something to change casually, since the number is a claim about the data format, not just a label.

The official README adds one caution that applies to this whole table: there is no guarantee that worlds generated in a Snapshot version will work, and old Snapshots of past releases are not officially supported.

Download MCA Selector 2.9

Working with a current world? Download MCA Selector 2.9, the release that covers DataVersions up to 5023+.

Back up your world first: MCA Selector writes deletions and NBT changes straight to disk and they cannot be undone, so copy your world folder somewhere safe before you edit it.

Related guides

• MCA Selector version history: 2.9, 2.8 and 2.7
• Does MCA Selector work with Bedrock?
• Download MCA Selector 2.9

2.9 — released September 15, 2026

• Updates for Minecraft 26.3: mappings, rendering and parsing refreshed for the new game version.
• New zoom options, including new low-detail zoom levels for viewing large worlds, plus improved coordinate rendering.
• A new RemoveLightingInfo field in the NBT Changer.
• Ships in all current formats: Windows .exe, universal .jar, macOS .dmg (Apple Silicon and Intel), Linux .deb / .rpm (x64 and ARM64).

If your world was created or last played in Minecraft 26.3, this is the version you need. Get it from the download page.

2.8 — released June 15, 2026

• Updates for Minecraft 26.2.
• New download options: the first native macOS .dmg builds and Linux .deb / .rpm packages. Before 2.8, non-Windows users only had the universal jar.
• The Windows installer now pre-packages the Java runtime — it no longer downloads Java during setup, so it installs fully offline.

2.7 — released March 24, 2026

• Updates for Minecraft 26.1.
• A new Subtraction mode: imported selections and chunk filters can now subtract from a selection instead of only adding to it.
• Support for Java 25 was fixed (richtextfx update), so the filter, NBT and overlay dialogs open correctly on Java 25.

Getting an older release

Every release back to the earliest builds is kept on the project’s GitHub Releases page. Note the naming change: up to 2.7 the Windows installer was called MCA_Selector_Setup.exe and the release had just two files (installer + jar); from 2.8 the installer is mcaselector-<version>-setup.exe and the package formats above were added. No version of MCA Selector has ever shipped an .msi installer.

Match the tool to your world

The rule is simple: the newer the world, the newer the MCA Selector you need. Running an old build against a world from a newer Minecraft version can crash or freeze — a long-standing pattern in the project’s issue tracker — so after Minecraft updates, update MCA Selector first. Tool support is expressed in DataVersions: 2.9 covers worlds up to DataVersion 5023+ (Minecraft 26.3+). Worlds generated in Snapshot versions carry no compatibility guarantee, per the official README.

Download MCA Selector 2.9

The current release is always on the download page — today that is MCA Selector 2.9 from the official GitHub release.

Back up your world first: MCA Selector writes deletions and NBT changes straight to disk and they cannot be undone, so copy your world folder somewhere safe before you edit it.

Related guides

• Minecraft DataVersion chart: 1.2.1 to 26.3
• How to install Java 21 with JavaFX for MCA Selector
• Download MCA Selector 2.9

Why Bedrock worlds do not work

Java Edition stores world terrain in Anvil region files — the .mca files inside a world’s region folder — and selecting, deleting and editing those chunks is exactly what MCA Selector does. Bedrock Edition (Windows 10/11, consoles, phones) stores its worlds in a LevelDB database instead. The two formats are not compatible, so there is nothing for MCA Selector to open; pointing it at a Bedrock world typically ends in an error such as “No Dimensions found”.

The developer, Querz, addressed this directly in GitHub issue #12:

“I do not plan to implement support for the bedrock edition world format anytime soon.”

That answer has stood for years, and the current 2.9 release is still Java-only.

What to use for a Bedrock world instead

If your world is Bedrock, the tool built for both formats is Amulet Editor. Amulet supports Java Edition worlds from 1.12+ and Bedrock worlds from 1.7+, lets you copy, paste, fill, replace and delete blocks and chunks in a 3D view, and can convert worlds between Java and Bedrock formats and versions. Its compiled builds cost $10+/year (Windows and Docker), and the source code is available if you would rather build it yourself. World conversion is never something to run on your only copy of a world — back the world up first, convert a copy, and check the result in game before you trust it.

Two related dead ends to avoid: there is no official MCA Selector APK or phone version, and no online web version, so anything sold or advertised under those names is not the real tool — see MCA Selector online and mobile. And if someone suggests “just open the Bedrock world in MCA Selector anyway”, the LevelDB format difference above is why that cannot work.

If your world is Java Edition

Then you are in the right place: MCA Selector 2.9 handles Java worlds from Minecraft 1.2.1 through 26.3+, including deleting chunks to reset terrain, exporting chunks between worlds, and batch NBT changes. Get it from the download page — every file there links to the official GitHub release with a published SHA-256 hash.

Download MCA Selector 2.9

On Java Edition? Download MCA Selector 2.9 from the download page. On Bedrock, your world needs a Bedrock-capable editor such as Amulet instead.

Back up your world first: MCA Selector writes deletions and NBT changes straight to disk and they cannot be undone, so copy your world folder somewhere safe before you edit it.

Related guides

• MCA Selector online and mobile: does an official version exist?
• Minecraft DataVersion chart: 1.2.1 to 26.3
• Download MCA Selector 2.9 for Java Edition

Step 1: Check what Java you have

java -version

The version line needs to say 21 or higher, and the runtime needs to be 64-bit. If the command is not found, or reports Java 8, 11 or 17, your Java is too old for current MCA Selector releases: the failure you will see is UnsupportedClassVersionError, which simply means the program was built for a newer Java than the one trying to run it. The official requirements also call for at least 6 GB of RAM; with less, assign more memory to the JVM with the -Xmx argument — assigning 4 GB is the recommended starting point.

Step 2 (easiest): Install a runtime with JavaFX pre-packed

The official Wiki recommends using a JRE that already bundles JavaFX, naming Azul Zulu JRE-FX 21 as the example. Download the 21 (or newer) JRE-FX build for your operating system and architecture, install it, and the universal jar will start with a double-click or with:

java -jar mcaselector-2.9.jar

This route skips every module-path flag, which is where most manual setups go wrong.

Step 3 (alternative): Add JavaFX separately

If your JRE 21+ does not include JavaFX, download the JavaFX SDK separately and point Java at it when launching, exactly as the official Wiki documents:

java --module-path <path-to-javafx>/lib --add-modules ALL-MODULE-PATH -jar mcaselector-2.9.jar

Replace <path-to-javafx> with the folder where you unpacked the JavaFX SDK. On Linux, many distributions also offer an openjfx package that provides JavaFX system-wide.

Errors this fixes

• UnsupportedClassVersionError — your Java is older than 21. Install a current JRE.
• “Missing JavaFX” dialog / Fails to find JavaFX (GitHub issues #379 and #518) — the runtime has no JavaFX. Use a JRE-FX build or the module-path command above.
• Crash on Java 8 with NoClassDefFoundError: javafx/scene/paint/Color (issue #6) — same root cause: far too old a runtime, with no JavaFX at all.

Who does not need any of this

If you use the Windows .exe installer, you never have to touch Java: since version 2.8 the installer pre-packages the Java runtime, and it no longer needs an internet connection to fetch it. On macOS and Linux, the native .dmg, .deb and .rpm packages are likewise the easiest path — see the Mac and Linux install guides. The jar remains the flexible option for unusual setups, and it is the only one that needs a runtime you manage yourself.

Download MCA Selector 2.9

The universal jar is on the download page with its SHA-256 hash, or download mcaselector-2.9.jar from the official GitHub release.

Back up your world first: MCA Selector writes deletions and NBT changes straight to disk and they cannot be undone, so copy your world folder somewhere safe before you edit it.

Related guides

• MCA Selector for Mac: install the .dmg
• MCA Selector for Linux: install the .deb or .rpm
• MCA Selector version history: 2.9, 2.8 and 2.7

Step 1: Pick the package for your system and CPU

Run uname -m in a terminal. If it prints x86_64, you need an x64 package; if it prints aarch64, you need the aarch64 (ARM64) package. Then match the package format to your distribution family:

Download links: .deb x64, .deb ARM64, .rpm x64, .rpm ARM64 — all point at the official GitHub release. The download page lists the SHA-256 hash of each file; check yours with sha256sum <file>.

Step 2: Install the package

On Debian or Ubuntu, install the downloaded .deb with apt so dependencies are resolved for you:

sudo apt install ./mcaselector-2.9-x64.deb

On Fedora or another rpm-based distribution, use dnf the same way:

sudo dnf install ./mcaselector-2.9-x64.rpm

Swap in the aarch64 filename if that is the build you downloaded. After installation, launch MCA Selector from your applications menu.

The .jar fallback

The universal mcaselector-2.9.jar runs on any Linux setup, but only if you provide the runtime yourself: a 64-bit JRE 21 or newer with JavaFX, either pre-packed into the runtime or installed separately. Our Java & JavaFX setup guide walks through both options and the exact launch command.

There is no official Flatpak

Some older guides tell Linux users to install MCA Selector with a command like flatpak install flathub mcaselector. That does not work, because MCA Selector is not published on Flathub — on GitHub, Flatpak support is still just an open feature request (issues #126 and #507). If a site offers you an “MCA Selector Flatpak” or another unofficial package format, it did not come from the developer. The packages above and the jar are the only official Linux options for 2.9.

Download MCA Selector 2.9

All four Linux packages are listed with hashes on the download page, or grab the .deb / .rpm directly.

Back up your world first: MCA Selector writes deletions and NBT changes straight to disk and they cannot be undone, so copy your world folder somewhere safe before you edit it.

Related guides

• MCA Selector for Mac: install the .dmg
• How to install Java 21 with JavaFX for MCA Selector
• MCA Selector online and mobile: does an official version exist?

Step 1: Check which chip your Mac has

Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and choose About This Mac. If the chip line says Apple M1, M2, M3 or M4 (any variant), your Mac is Apple Silicon and you need the aarch64 build. If it says Intel Core i5, i7 or i9, you need the x64 build.

Step 2: Download the right .dmg

Download the Apple Silicon build from /go/mcaselector-dmg-arm or the Intel build from /go/mcaselector-dmg-x64. Both links point at the official GitHub release files. The download page lists the full SHA-256 hashes for both files, and on macOS you can verify your download with shasum -a 256 <file> in Terminal.

Step 3: Install and open it for the first time

Open the downloaded .dmg and drag the MCA Selector app into your Applications folder, the way you install most Mac software. Then launch it from Applications.

Because MCA Selector is distributed from GitHub rather than the App Store, macOS Gatekeeper may refuse the first launch with a message that the app is from an unidentified developer. The standard fix is to right-click (or Control-click) the app in Applications, choose Open from the menu, and confirm Open in the dialog. macOS remembers your choice, so later launches open normally.

How this differs from the old .jar route

Before version 2.8, Mac users only had the universal .jar, which meant installing a Java runtime with JavaFX and launching the tool from a command line — the source of most old “MCA Selector not working on Mac” threads. The .dmg is now the official, current install form for macOS. The jar still works if you already run a 64-bit JRE 21+ with JavaFX — see the Java & JavaFX setup guide — but new Mac installs should start with the .dmg.

One requirement from the official installation guide applies either way: your computer should have at least 6 GB of RAM, and the worlds you can edit are Minecraft Java Edition worlds from 1.2.1 through 26.3+. There is no Bedrock support — see MCA Selector and Bedrock for what to use instead.

Download MCA Selector 2.9

Get the Mac build on the download page, or jump straight to the Apple Silicon .dmg / Intel .dmg on GitHub.

Back up your world first: MCA Selector writes deletions and NBT changes straight to disk and they cannot be undone, so copy your world folder somewhere safe before you edit it.

Related guides

• MCA Selector for Linux: install the .deb or .rpm
• How to install Java 21 with JavaFX for MCA Selector
• Download MCA Selector 2.9 for all platforms