Why can't I destroy blocks in minecraft single player survival mode, without them clipping back?

Question

I recently purchased Minecraft for the PC after playing the demo.

I was able to freely destroy blocks normally with my tools or dirt and stone with my hands (in the demo). However, now I am trying to destroy blocks in survival mode on the full game, the blocks disappear for a split second and then appear again, then disappear completely around 10 minutes later.

This really slows down gameplay and I haven't been able to easily mine wood to make a pickaxe. One time I managed to make one, but thee results didn't change and the blocks kept clipping back and taking forever to actually disappear.

Is there a reason why?

Answer 1

Possible solutions to this question can be found in several places, including this forum post on the Minecraft Forum website. Here are a few things you should try if you are having this problem:

1. Check to make sure you have the latest version of Java installed. To verify your Java version, you will need to use a browser other than Chrome. (As noted by Robotnik in the comments, skip this step if you have the latest version of Minecraft already installed)

2. Change Minecraft's performance settings (check here for details on video settings) in Options > Video Settings:

   • Set Mipmap Levels to OFF. Slide the menu bar or click on the far left side of the menu bar to set this to OFF.
   • Set Render Distance to a lower chunk size, as this will load less chunks around your location.
   • Change Graphics and Clouds to Fast (instead of Fancy) to lower the graphics.
   • Set Smooth Lighting to Minimum.
   • Change Particles to either Decreased (only half of all particle types appear) or Minimal (only the most important particles will appear).
   • Change Use VSync to OFF and instead lower your Max Framerate. See the link discussing performance settings for more information about this and other settings.

3. If you haven't already, update Minecraft. According to the forum post in the first link, the reappearance of broken blocks is a known bug for Minecraft versions before 1.8. The forum also suggests that the bug may be centralized around your spawn location, so if you do not wish to update, move about 50 blocks away from spawn.

Overall, checking Java and changing your Minecraft video settings should do the trick. Block reappearance usually means you're lagging and/or your graphics settings are too high for your computer.

Side Note: If you ever have this problem in Multiplayer, the problem may also lie with your internet connection or server plugins.

Answer 2

It is most likely an issue with your device's ability to process the game. The trial version is much smaller in terms of both space and memory, therefore it worked better. One way to fix this is to set the program to High Priority (if you're on Windows). To do this, go to the Start Menu and search for "taskmgr.exe" without the quotes. Run it as administrator, then right-click on Minecraft (It may show up as Java Platform SE Binary), and click Go To Process. Right-click its process, and then click on Set Priority, then click High.