How to Install the Java Software Development Kit

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Written by Travis Boylls

Last Updated: February 19, 2024 References

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Downloading the Java Software Development Kit

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Installing on Windows

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Installing on macOS

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Installing from an Archive on Linux or Solaris

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Installing from a Package on Linux

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Q&A

Before you can create and modify Java programs, you’ll need the Java Software Development Kit. You can download the kit (also known as Java SDK or JDK) for free from Oracle as a single installer file, which makes installation quick and easy. Learn the best way to download and install the Java Software Development Kit on your Windows, macOS, or Linux system.

Part 1

Part 1 of 5:

Downloading the Java Software Development Kit

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Navigate to https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html. You can download a simple Java Software Development Kit (JDK) installer for Windows, macOS, or Linux directly from Oracle.
This will open a new page containing several download options.^[1]

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Scroll to the latest version of Java SE Development Kit. You should always use the latest stable version of the toolkit. There may be more than one version listed, so look closely at the release number.^[2]
- For example, if you are presented with JDK 8u101 and 8u102, choose 8u102.
Before you can click the download link, you must accept the license agreement. The option is just beneath the JDK version number.
Before you can download the file, you must sign in an Oracle account. If you already have a account with Oracle, sign in with the email address and username associated with your account. If you do not have account, click Create account and fill out the form to create an account.
You can download Java SE JDK for Windows, macOS, or Linux. Once you click the link, follow the prompts to select a save location on your computer and start the download.

Part 2

Part 2 of 5:

Installing on Windows

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Double-click the JDK installer file. Once you’ve downloaded the Java Software Development Kit installer, navigate to the download location you chose earlier to launch the installer. By default, downloaded files can be found in your Downloads folder. You can also open the file from within your web browser.
- The file name for the Java Software Development Kit installer is "dk-13.0.2_windows-x64_bin.exe" or "jdk-13.0.2_windows-x64_bin.zip". If you download the ZIP file, you will need to extract the contents of the zip file.
Depending on your version of Windows, you may be prompted to give permission for JDK to install. Click “Yes” or “OK” when prompted, and the installer’s Welcome screen will appear.^[3]
Now you’ll move through a series of screens that will guide you through the JDK installation.
This will begin the installation, which may take a few minutes depending on your computer. The green progress bar will show the progress of the installation.^[4]
This button will not appear until the installer has finished.
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Open the Windows Advanced System Settings in the Control Panel. Use the following steps to navigate to the Advanced System Settings in the Control Panel:
- Click the Windows Start menu and type Control Panel.
- Click the Control Panel.
- Click System and Security.
- Click System.
- Click Advanced System Settings in the panel to the left.
You’ll see a few different areas where you can adjust various system settings.
This new dialog box displays two separate areas—one for User Variables (settings specific to your user account) and another for system-wide settings (System Variables).^[5]
Now you’ll add a new variable. Follow these instructions exactly, as there is no “undo” option.^[6]
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Edit the environment variables (Windows 10 only). This step only applies to Windows 10. Use the following steps to edit the environment variables:
- Click New
- Type c:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_xx\bin (but replace the “8.0_xx” part with the version number you installed).
- Click the Move Up button until the path you typed appears at the top of the list.
- Click OK.
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Set the variable (Older versions of Windows only). Skip this step if you’re using Windows 10. You should see the “Edit System Variable” window. Make the following changes to the “Variable value” field only (don’t delete what’s there though):
- Type C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_xx\bin (but replace the “8.0_xx” with the correct version number) in FRONT of the other directories.
- Add a semicolon (;) to the very end of what you just typed, just like this: C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_xx\bin;
- There should be no space before or after the semicolon, so the entire line should look something like this: C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_2\bin;C:\Program Files\Intel\xxx
- Click OK.
- Click OK until you’ve closed all open windows.
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Open the Command Prompt
. Use the following steps to open the Command Prompt:^[7]
- Right-click the windows start menu and type cmd.
- Click the Command Prompt icon.
You should see the full path to the JDK that you entered earlier.
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Type java –version and press ↵ Enter. The version of JDK you installed will now appear on the screen.
- If either part of this command-prompt test does not produce results, you may need to load the new environment variables by rebooting the computer.

Part 3

Part 3 of 5:

Installing on macOS

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After downloading the Java Software Development Kit installer, double-click the downloaded file in the Downloads window of your web browser or in Finder.^[8]
You can find downloaded files inside the "Downloads" folder or inside your web browser. The file name should be "jdk-13.0.2_osx-x64_bin.dmg" or something similar.
This icon looks like an open box. The JDK installer will launch.
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Click Continue on the Introduction window. You’ll now see the Installation Type window.
- If you see a window that says “Destination Select” after clicking continue, click “Install for all users of this computer.” Not all users will see this window. Then click Continue. ^[9]
You will see a window that says “Installer is trying to install new software. Type your password to allow this.”
Type your administrator username and password into the provided blanks.
This may take a few minutes, depending on the speed of your computer. When the confirmation window appears, you can close it.
Now you’ll run a quick test from a terminal window to make sure the installation was successful. You can get to this folder by clicking “Go” and selecting “Applications.”
Here you’ll see a list of system utilities.
Now you’ll see the command prompt.
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Type javac -version and press ⏎ Return. Just beneath the command you ran, you should see the JDK version number you installed (e.g. “1.8.0.1”). This means the installation was successful and you can get to your coding.
- Once you’ve made sure the installation is successful, you can delete the DMG installer file you downloaded to conserve hard drive space.

Part 4

Part 4 of 5:

Installing from an Archive on Linux or Solaris

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1
Open a terminal window. If you downloaded an archived tarball of the JDK ("jdk-13.0.2_linux-x64_bin.tar.gz" or similar), use this method to complete the installation.
- This method assumes you know how to use basic Unix shell commands.
- If you downloaded a .rpm package file instead of a tarball, see Installing the JDK from a Package on Linux.
You can install the JDK in any directory for which you have “write” permissions. Note that only the root user can install the JDK to a system directory.^[10]
This allows you to move the file into the current folder.
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Unzip and install the JDK. The command is different depending on your operating system (and in the case of Solaris, the processor type). Once installed, a new directory called "jdk<version>” will be created in the current directory. In these examples, replace the name of the *.tar.gz file with the name of the one you downloaded.^[11]
- Linux: tar zxvf jdk-7u<version>-linux-i586.tar.gz
- Solaris (SPARC): gzip -dc jdk-8uversion-solaris-sparcv9.tar.gz | tar xf -
- Solaris (x64/EM64T): gzip -dc jdk-8uversion-solaris-x64.tar.gz | tar xf -
Use the rm command to delete the archive file if you want to conserve disk space.

Part 5

Part 5 of 5:

Installing from a Package on Linux

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Become root. If you're using an RPM-based Linux system (such as SuSE or RedHat), you can install the Java Development Kit from an RPM package. Make sure you've downloaded the You'll need to su to root (su root) so that you have the correct permission to install the package.^[12]
- The file you downloaded should end with ".rpm"
- This method assumes you know how to use basic Unix shell commands.
The command is rpm -e <package_name>
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Install the new package. You'll be using the "rpm" command again, but this time with different flags:
- rpm -ivh jdk-7u<version>-linux-x64.rpm (replace "jdk-7u<version>-linux-x64.rpm" with the actual package name)
When the package is finished installing, you'll be returned to the command line. If you want to conserve disk space, you can delete the downloaded package file with the rm command.

Community Q&A

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Question

Is there an easier way to download Java?

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The easiest way is to download it directly from Oracle, as linked above.

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What can I do if I've followed all the steps and I'm still getting a "Java is not recognized" message?

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This message usually appears when there's a problem with environment variables in Windows. Reboot your computer and try the test once more. If you get the same message, double-check the steps that involve setting environment variables and make sure you followed them exactly--and remember, they require you installing the kit with all of the default settings.

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I followed all the steps in the article but it does not work. What do I do?

Community Answer

It depends on what's not working. If you are getting an error about Java not being installed, it's likely an issue with the environment variables in Windows. You may just need to reboot to refresh them. If it's still not working, start the process again and follow the instructions here from top to bottom.

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