How to Install Java 8 on MAC

How do I install Java on Mac OSX allowing version switching?

Note: These solutions work for various versions of Java including Java 8 through Java 18 (the LTS version). This includes alternative JDK's from OpenJDK, Oracle, IBM, Azul, Amazon Correto, Graal and more. Easily work with Java 7, Java 8, Java 9, Java 10, Java 11, Java 12, Java 13, Java 14, Java 15, Java 16, Java 17, and even Java 18!

You have a few options for how to do the installation as well as manage JDK switching. Installation can be done by Homebrew, SDKMAN, asdf, Jabba, or a manual install. Switching can be done by JEnv, SDKMAN, asdf, Jabba or manually by setting JAVA_HOME. All of these are described below.

TL;DR - Preferred Methods of Installation

You can install Java using whatever method you prefer including SDKMAN, asdf, Homebrew, or a manual install of the tar.gz file. The advantage of a manual install is that the location of the JDK can be placed in a standardized location for Mac OSX.

However, there are easier options such as SDKMAN and asdf that also will install other important and common tools for the JVM. These two primary options are described here.

Installing and Switching versions with SDKMAN

SDKMAN is a bit different and handles both the install and the switching. SDKMAN also places the installed JDK's into its own directory tree, which is typically ~/.sdkman/candidates/java. SDKMAN allows setting a global default version, and a version specific to the current shell.

Install SDKMAN from https://sdkman.io/install
List the Java versions available to make sure you know the version ID
```
sdk list java
```
Install one of those versions, for example, Java 17 LTS:
```
sdk install java 17-open 
```
Or java 18:
```
sdk install java 18-open
```
Make Java 17 the default version:
```
sdk default java 17-open
```
Or switch to 17 for the current terminal session:
```
sdk use java 17-open
```

When you list available versions for installation using the list command, you will see a wide variety of distributions of Java:

sdk list java

And install additional versions, such as JDK 11 from Amazon:

sdk install java 11.0.14.10.1-amzn

SDKMAN can work with previously installed existing versions. Just do a local install giving your own version label and the location of the JDK:

sdk install java my-local-13 /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk-13.jdk/Contents/Home

And use it freely:

sdk use java my-local-13

SDKMAN will automatically manage your PATH and JAVA_HOME for you as you change versions. And as a note, it installs Java versions to ~/.sdkman/candidates/java/.

More information is available in the SDKMAN Usage Guide along with other SDK's it can install and manage.

Installing and Switching versions with "asdf"

asdf is a version manager that supports installing and managing most languages, frameworks, and developer/devops tools. It has language specific plugins including one for Java.

First, install asdf via https://asdf-vm.com/guide/getting-started.html (read there to setup your shell correctly), or more simply:
```
brew reinstall asdf
```
and read the doc for setting up your shell correctly, but if you are using asdf from Homebrew with ZSH you can execute this command to finish setup:
```
echo -e "\n. $(brew --prefix asdf)/libexec/asdf.sh" >> ${ZDOTDIR:-~}/.zshrc
```
Then install the Java plugin via https://github.com/halcyon/asdf-java
```
asdf plugin add java
```
and read the doc for setting up your shell correctly before continuing. Basically it says to add the following to your ~/.zshrc file (assuming you are not using another shell):
```
. ~/.asdf/plugins/java/set-java-home.zsh
```
Now list Java versions:
```
asdf list-all java
```
Install your favorite flavor and version:
```
asdf install java openjdk-17
```
or install the latest:
```
asdf install java latest
```

Other important commands are...

List your installed versions:
```
asdf list java
```
Set a global Java version:
```
asdf global java openjdk-17
```
Set a local Java version for a directory:
```
asdf local java openjdk-17
```

It's that easy! asdf will automatically manage your PATH and JAVA_HOME for you as you change versions. As a note, asdf installs Java versions to ~/.asdf/installs/java.

There are other languages and plugins for asdf here from the repository page: https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf-plugins

Other Methods of Installation

Install with Homebrew

The version of Java available in Homebrew Cask previous to October 3, 2018 was indeed the Oracle JVM. Now, however, it has now been updated to OpenJDK. Be sure to update Homebrew and then you will see the lastest version available for install.

install Homebrew if you haven't already. Make sure it is updated:
```
 brew update
```
Add the casks tap:
```
 brew tap homebrew/cask-versions
```
These casks change their Java versions often, and there might be other taps out there with additional Java versions.
Look for installable versions:
```
 brew search java  
```
or for Eclipse Temurin versions:
```
 brew search temurin     
```
Check the details on the version that will be installed:
```
 brew info java
```
or for the Temurin version:
```
 brew info temurin
```
Install a specific version of the JDK such as java11, temurin8, temurin11, temurin17, or just java or temurin for the most current of that distribution. For example:
```
 brew install java

 brew install --cask temurin
```

And these will be installed into /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/ which is the traditional location expected on Mac OSX. There might be additional steps to make the JDK active reported at the end of the install process.

Install manually from OpenJDK download page:

If you need any and every version of Java, this is a good place to look.

Download OpenJDK for Mac OSX from http://jdk.java.net/ (for example Java 17 and Java 18)
Unarchive the OpenJDK tar, and place the resulting folder (i.e. jdk-17.jdk) into your /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/ folder since this is the standard and expected location of JDK installs. You can also install anywhere you want in reality.
Set JAVA_HOME environment variable to point at direction where you unarchived the JDK.

For further information see the answer specific to manual installation. Also see the section below "Switching versions manually" for more information on how to manage multiple manual installations.

Other installation options:

Some other flavours of OpenJDK are:

Azul Systems Java Zulu certified builds of OpenJDK can be installed by following the instructions on their site.

Zulu® is a certified build of OpenJDK that is fully compliant with the Java SE standard. Zulu is 100% open source and freely downloadable. Now Java developers, system administrators, and end-users can enjoy the full benefits of open source Java with deployment flexibility and control over upgrade timing.

Amazon Correto OpenJDK builds have an easy to use an installation package for Java 8, Java 11, Java 15, Java 16, Java 17, and Java 18. It installs to the standard /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/ directory on Mac OSX.

Amazon Corretto is a no-cost, multiplatform, production-ready distribution of the Open Java Development Kit (OpenJDK). Corretto comes with long-term support that will include performance enhancements and security fixes. Amazon runs Corretto internally on thousands of production services and Corretto is certified as compatible with the Java SE standard. With Corretto, you can develop and run Java applications on popular operating systems, including Linux, Windows, and macOS.

Where is my JDK?!?!

To find locations of previously installed Java JDK's installed at the default system locations, use:

/usr/libexec/java_home -V

Matching Java Virtual Machines (4):

18.0.1.1 (x86_64) "Homebrew" - "OpenJDK 18.0.1.1" /usr/local/Cellar/openjdk/18.0.1.1/libexec/openjdk.jdk/Contents/Home

17 (x86_64) "Homebrew" - "OpenJDK 17" /usr/local/Cellar/openjdk/17/libexec/openjdk.jdk/Contents/Home

11, x86_64: "Java SE 11" /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk-11.jdk/Contents/Home

1.8.301.09 (x86_64) "Oracle Corporation" - "Java" /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home /usr/local/Cellar/openjdk/17/libexec/openjdk.jdk/Contents/Home

You can also report just the location of a specific Java version using -v. For example for Java 17:

/usr/libexec/java_home -v 17

/usr/local/Cellar/openjdk/17/libexec/openjdk.jdk/Contents/Home

Knowing the location of the installed JDK's is also useful when using tools like JEnv, or adding a local install manually to SDKMAN, or linking a system JDK in Jabba -- and you need to know where to find them.

If you need to find JDK's installed by other tools, check these locations:

SDKMAN installs to ~/.sdkman/candidates/java/
asdf install to ~/.asdf/installs/java
Jabba installs to ~/.jabba/jdk

Version Switching

If you are using SDKMAN or asdf you are already covered and can stop reading! Otherwise, here are some options to switch existing VM installations.

Switching versions manually

The Java executable is a wrapper that will use whatever JDK is configured in JAVA_HOME, so you can change that to also change which JDK is in use.

For example, if you installed or untar'd JDK 16 to /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk-16.jdk if it is the highest version number it should already be the default, if not you could simply set:

export JAVA_HOME=/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk-16.jdk/Contents/Home

And now whatever Java executable is in the path will see this and use the correct JDK.

A simple way to change JDKs is to create a function in your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc file:

jdk() {
    version=$1
    export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home -v"$version");
    java -version
}

And then change JDKs simply by:

jdk 1.8
jdk 9
jdk 11
jdk 13

Switching versions with JEnv

JEnv expects the Java JDK's to already exist on the machine and can be in any location. Typically you will find installed Java JDK's in /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/. JEnv allows setting the global version of Java, one for the current shell, and a per-directory local version which is handy when some projects require different versions than others.

Install JEnv if you haven't already, instructions on the site http://www.jenv.be/ for manual install or using Homebrew.
Add any Java version to JEnv (adjust the directory if you placed this elsewhere):
```
jenv add /usr/local/Cellar/openjdk/17/libexec/openjdk.jdk/Contents/Home
```
Set your global version using this command:
```
jenv global 17
```

You can also add other existing versions using jenv add in a similar manner, and list those that are available. For example Java 8:

jenv add /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk1.8.0_144.jdk/Contents/Home 
jenv versions

See the JEnv docs for more commands. You may now switch between any Java versions (Oracle, OpenJDK, other) at any time either for the whole system, for shells, or per local directory.

To help manage JAVA_HOME while using JEnv you can add the export plugin to do this for you.

$ jenv enable-plugin export
  You may restart your session to activate jenv export plugin echo export plugin activated

The export plugin may not adjust JAVA_HOME if it is already set, so you may need to clear this variable in your profile so that it can be managed by JEnv.

You can also use jenv exec <command> <parms...> to run single commands with JAVA_HOME and PATH set correctly for that one command, which could include opening another shell.

Installing and Switching versions with Jabba

Jabba also handles both the install and the switching. Jabba also places the installed JDK's into its own directory tree, which is typically ~/.jabba/jdk.

Install Jabba by following the instructions on the home page.
List available JDK's
```
jabba ls-remote
```
Install Java JDK 12
```
jabba install openjdk@1.12.0
```
Use it:
```
jabba use openjdk@1.12.0
```

You can also alias version names, link to existing JDK's already installed, and find a mix of interesting JDK's such as GraalVM, Adopt JDK, IBM JDK, and more. The complete usage guide is available on the home page as well.

Jabba will automatically manage your PATH and JAVA_HOME for you as you change versions.

How to install Java 8 on osx macOS Mojave with Homebrew?

The older Oracle JDKs are gone from Homebrew now. Use OpenJDK instead:

brew tap adoptopenjdk/openjdk
brew cask install adoptopenjdk8

OpenJDK is a drop-in replacement for the Oracle JDK in most places, so this should work fine for you with no code or build process changes.

How to brew install java?

Turns out java has been moved into brew core recently, so the correct command as of August 2022 is:

brew install java

Then check your installation by running

java --version

If the result does not looks like this:

openjdk 18.0.2 2022-07-19
OpenJDK Runtime Environment Homebrew (build 18.0.2+0)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM Homebrew (build 18.0.2+0, mixed mode, sharing)

but like this:

The operation couldn’t be completed. Unable to locate a Java Runtime.
Please visit http://www.java.com for information on installing Java.

Then you also need to create a symlink for the system Java wrappers to find this JDK:

sudo ln -sfn /opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk/libexec/openjdk.jdk \
     /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/openjdk.jdk

bundling jdk 8 with Mac OS X installer

You can unzip OpenJDK 8 into a non-system folder (or folder of your application) and use it without affecting other already installed JDKs. There is no need for an installation or modification of global environment variables. Therefore, technically it is not a problem.

Note: Oracle's (not open) JDK has different rules regarding installation and distribution.

If starting your application produces an error:

Error: could not find libjava.dylib Failed to GetJREPath()

This means it uses a JDK native library directly. (See bugs.openjdk.java.net/browse/JDK-8213362 for more information.) In order to solve this either:

provide the JRE path like -vm /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk1.8.0_31.jdk/Contents/Home as described in eclipse.org/forums/index.php/t/1102885

or:

set $JAVA_HOME in a script for your app.

macOS - How to install Java 17

Java doesn't mind if you install multiple versions. This is often required; java is not backwards compatible (it tries to change little, but e.g. the java8 to java9 transition broke a ton of stuff, much of it needless and much of it not reasonably expectable or fixable by libraries and apps, so a bunch of java apps and libraries only run on java8 - just an example).

So, yes, you have installed JDK17. Also, yes, if you just run java without specifying which one you want, you so happen to get java13 here.

To see all installed javas, you can run:

/usr/libexec/java_home -V

to 'override', you can use something like (depends on which shell you're using on your mac):

export JAVA_HOME=`/usr/libexec/java_home -v 17`

(the backticks mean: Run this then take the output of it and treat that as the 'value' of the expression. here, assign it to the JAVA_HOME env var. -v 17 requests a path to java 17. The -V option lists all and is meant for your eyeballs, not for scripts. The -v option is mostly for scripting, and that's how we're using it here).

JAVA_HOME decides which java is used by some things, but the java you get when you just type java is /usr/bin/java, and that executable is actually just a wrapper that picks a java to run from amongst all installed versions. It uses JAVA_HOME to decide which java to actually run. There are wrappers for all the common commands (javac, too). You can always run e.g. which javac to see what that actually runs; you probably see /usr/bin/javac. Everything in /usr/bin is one of these wrapper thingies that looks at JAVA_HOME and then runs the binary it finds there.

Unable to install java8 with homebrew

New command is now :

brew install --cask homebrew/cask-versions/adoptopenjdk8

IntelliJ Idea - Install JDK 1.8 on Mac

Here you can download the Java JDK 1.8. After installing it, it should appear as an option inside IntelliJ.

UPDATE:

Find File -> Project structure menu and go to Project Settings -> Project tab. If on Project SDK the Java version 1.8 SDK is not selected, change it and click OK.