How to Fix Corrupted Assets Index
The asset index lists every sound and language file the game downloads. What happens when it is missing or damaged, and how to get a clean copy back.
Quick Fix
Close the game, delete the damaged file in assets/indexes, for example 32.json for 26.2, and start that version again so the launcher downloads it.
Error Message
Can't open the resource index file: /home/steve/.minecraft/assets/indexes/32.jsonHow to Fix
Close the game and the launcher before deleting anything in the assets folder.
Delete the index for your version in assets/indexes. Minecraft 26.2 uses index 32, so the file is 32.json.
Start that version again. The launcher downloads the index from Mojang and fetches the asset files that are missing.
If sounds or languages are still missing, delete assets/objects too. The next start downloads about 458 MiB for 26.2.
To check a single file, compare its SHA-1 with the hash listed for it in the index, using certutil -hashfile on Windows or sha1sum on Linux.
Run a disk check if files keep breaking after a fresh download.
Common Causes
- The index file in assets/indexes can't be read, for example because a download stopped halfway. The game log then says Can't open the resource index file or Unable to parse resource index file.
- Files in assets/objects are missing or damaged. Each file is stored under its SHA-1 hash, in a folder named after the first two characters of that hash.
- The game was started with a different assets folder than the one you repaired. It reads the index named in --assetIndex from the folder given in --assetsDir.
- The disk has errors, so files break again after a fresh download.
Diagnostic Steps
- Close the game and the launcher.
- Delete the index file for your version.
- Start the version so the launcher downloads it again.
- Check that sounds and languages work.
FAQ
Will I lose game data?
No. The assets folder only holds downloaded sounds, language files and a few other game files. Worlds, settings and mods are stored elsewhere.
What happens if the asset index is broken?
The game logs the error and starts anyway, without the files the index would have provided. For 26.2 that is mostly sounds and music, plus every language except American English, which is built into the game.
Why are the files named after hashes?
Many versions share the same files, so the launcher stores each file once under its SHA-1 hash and every index points to it.
