To stop Minecraft from pausing when you tab out (Alt-Tab), especially in the Java Edition, you can use several methods:

1. Toggle "Pause on Lost Focus" Setting

• Press F3 + P together while in the game. This toggles the "pause on lost focus" feature on or off. When off, Minecraft will keep running even if you Alt-Tab out

• Alternatively, you can manually edit the options.txt file in your Minecraft folder:
  • Open options.txt with a text editor.
  • Find the line pauseOnLostFocus:true and change it to pauseOnLostFocus:false.
  • Save the file and restart Minecraft

2. Use Inventory or Chat Screen Before Tabbing Out

• Open your inventory (press E) or the chat window (press T) before Alt-Tabbing. The game does not pause if you are in these screens when losing focus

3. Play in LAN Mode

• Open your single-player world to LAN (from the pause menu, select "Open to LAN").
• The game will continue running in the background because it treats the world like a multiplayer server, which does not pause when unfocused

4. Use Borderless Window or Fullscreen Windowed Mode

• Installing mods such as the "Borderless Window" mod or configuring Minecraft to run in a borderless windowed mode can help prevent pausing on focus loss

Summary Table

Method| Description| Works For
---|---|---
F3 + P toggle| Toggles pause on lost focus on/off| Java Edition
Edit options.txt| Set pauseOnLostFocus:false| Java Edition
Open Inventory or Chat before tab| Keeps game running while unfocused| Java Edition
Open to LAN| Runs world as server, preventing pause| Java Edition
Borderless Window Mode (mod)| Runs Minecraft in borderless window to avoid pausing| Java Edition

Note: These methods primarily apply to Minecraft Java Edition. The Bedrock Edition may not support all these options. By using these approaches, you can Alt-Tab out of Minecraft without the game pausing, allowing you to multitask or keep AFK farms running smoothly