Oracle Java 7 and Java 8

Java 7 and Java 8 for macOS are available from Oracle. This Oracle page answers a lot of questions about Java for Mac. Note that Java 7 prior to 7u25 have been disabled by Apple for security reasons.

In general, Oracle Java (Version 7 and later) requires an Intel-based Mac running macOS 10.7.3 or later.

Installation of Oracle Java

Java 7 & 8 JDK and JRE installers for macOS can be downloaded from Oracle’s website:

• Java 8 - Java SE Downloads
• Java 7 - Oracle Java Archive.

After downloading the relevant package, double click on the package and go through the normal installation process. A JDK should get installed here:

/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/<version>.jdk/Contents/Home

where corresponds to the installed version.

Command-Line Switching

When Java is installed, the installed version is automatically set as the default. To switch between different, use:

export JAVA_HOME=/usr/libexec/java_home -v 1.6 #Or 1.7 or 1.8

The following functions can be added to the ~/.bash_profile (If you use the default Bash shell) for ease of use:

function java_version {
   echo 'java -version';
}

function java_set {
   if [[ $1 == "6" ]]
   then
       export JAVA_HOME='/usr/libexec/java_home -v 1.6';
       echo "Setting Java to version 6..."
       echo "$JAVA_HOME"
   elif [[ $1 == "7" ]]
   then
       export JAVA_HOME='/usr/libexec/java_home -v 1.7';
       echo "Setting Java to version 7..."
       echo "$JAVA_HOME"
   elif [[ $1 == "8" ]]
   then
       export JAVA_HOME='/usr/libexec/java_home -v 1.8';
       echo "Setting Java to version 8..."
       echo "$JAVA_HOME"
   fi            
}

Apple Java 6 on macOS

On older versions of macOS (10.11 El Capitan and earlier), Apple’s release of Java 6 comes pre-installed. If installed, it can be be found at this location:

/System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home

Note that Java 6 passed its end-of-life long ago, so upgrading to a newer version is recommended. There is more information on reinstalling Apple Java 6 on the Oracle website.