Newest post on how to install Oracle JDK 8 / Java SE 8 on Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite can be found here. At the time of this writing, there is no official release of Java SE 7 / Oracle JDK 1.7 on Mac OS X. Mac OS X Port Project. The goal of this Project is to produce a high-quality, open source version of JDK 7 for the Mac. The final release has the following goals: Pass all appropriate certification tests for Java SE 7; Include a complete, native Cocoa-based UI Toolkit; Provide excellent performance; This Project is sponsored by the Porters.

I would like to use the WatchService API as mentioned in this link:
http://download.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/essential/io/notification.html

After reading around, I found out that WatchService is part of the NIO class which is scheduled for JDK 7. So, it is in beta form. It’s fine.

http://jdk7.java.net/download.html has the JDK which I downloaded and extracted. I got a bunch of folders. I don’t know what to do with them.

Then, I read around some more and found that some nice group of people created JDK 7 as a binary so someone like me can install it easily. It is called Open JDK:
http://code.google.com/p/openjdk-osx-build/

So, I downloaded the .dmg file and install it. Then I open “Java Preference” and see that OpenJDK7 is available.

So, now I feel that I can start trying out WatchService API. From the tutorial in the first link, the author gave a .java file to test it out first and make sure that it is running. Here is the link to the file:
http://download.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/essential/io/examples/WatchDir.java

So, I boot up Eclipse (actually I use STS) and create a new Java project and choose JaveSE-1.7 in the “use an execution environment JRE:”. Under the src folder, I copy pasted the WatchDir.java file.

And I still see tons of squiggly red lines. All the “import.java.nio.*” are all red and I cannot run it as a Java app.

What do I need to do?

EDIT: I actually did not pursue using Java 7 but there are a lot of interest in it and it seems like people keep answering this question. What should I do to make it more relevant to people who search for it? Let me know by PMing me.

This is how I got 1.7 to work with Eclipse. I hope it helps.

1. I Downloaded the latest OpenJDK 1.7 universal (32/64 bits) JDK
   from Mac OS/X branch from http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jdk7-downloads-1880260.html
2. copied the jdk to /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/ next to the
   default 1.6.0 one
3. In Eclipse > Preferences > Java > Installed JREs you add a new one, of type MacOS X VM, and set the home as /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.7.0.jdk/Contents/Home and
   name Java SE 7 (OpenJDK)
4. Click Finish
5. Set the added JRE as default

that should be it 🙂

You can download the Java Development Kit (JDK) for Java 8 for the supported versions of Mac OS X:

• Mountain Lion (10.8.3+)
• Mavericks (10.9)
• Yosemite (10.10)
• El Capitan (10.11)

Each version of JVM you install can be found here:

For more instructions and FAQ, see this Oracle Guide.

For every release of Java 7 since Update 4, a Mac version has been ready alongside the other platforms. Runs on Macs with 64-bit hardware on Lion (10.7.3+), Mountain Lion (10.8.3+), and Mavericks (10.9.x).

Installation Of The JDK On MacOS

Oracle announced the official release of the JDK for Java SE 7 Update 4 on Mac OS X (Lion), as of 2012-04-26. No more need for the tricks discussed on this page.

Installation is simple per these instructions:

1. Download from the usual place on the Oracle web site.
2. Mount the DMG.
3. Run the installer.

This release has a few limitations, most notably the lack of support for Java Web Start and the Java Plugin for web browsers. That support is expected later this year.

After installing, read the JDK for Mac ReadMe. Most importantly, if you want Java 7 to be the default, drag it to the top of the list in the Java Preferences app found in your Utilities folder.

Mac OS X easily supports multiple JVMs simultaneously. Each is now found here:

Congratulations to the Apple & Oracle teams for their achievement. This geek gets a thrill seeing Mac OS X listed as a “Certified System Configuration“.

Tip: To start Eclipse on a Mac with only Java 7 installed, open the alias file named eclipse rather than the file named Eclipse.app.

Apple continues to supply an up-to-date implementation of Java 6 for all versions of Mac OS X up through Mountain Lion.

If you do something that requires Java, such as type “java -version” in Terminal.app, a dialog appears offering to install Java for you. If you accept, installation happens automatically similar to other “Software Updates” from Apple.

You will find Java installed in this location, different than Java 7 & 8:

Java 6 has reached end-of-life with Oracle as of 2013-02 (unless you have a commercial support agreement with Oracle). So you should be moving to Java 7 or 8.

In Terminal.app, type java -version to verify which version is the current default.

After installing a fresh version, you may want to visit the folder described above to delete old versions. Move the folder to the Trash, and provide your System password complete the move.

By the way, Apple provides a mailing list for developers’ technical issues related to Java on OS X.

An easy way to install Java 7 on a Mac is by using Homebrew, thanks to the Homebrew Cask plugin (which is now installed by default).

Run this command to install Java 7:

I know that some may want to smack me for re-opening old post, but if you feel so do it I just hope this may help someone else trying to set JDK 7 on Mac OS (using IntelliJ).

What I did to get this working on my machine is to:

• followed instructions on Oracle JDK7 Mac OS X Port for general installation
• in IntelliJ open/create new project so you can add new SDK (File > Project Structure)
• select Platform Settings > SDKs, press “+” (plus) sign to add new SDK
• select JSDK and navigate to /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/JDK 1.7.0 Developer Preview.jdk/Contents/Home. Do not get it mistaken with /Users/YOUR_USERNAME/Library/Java/. This will link 4 JARs from “lib” directory (dt.jar, jconsole.jar, sa-jdi.jar and tools.jar)
• you will need also add JARs from /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/JDK 1.7.0 Developer Preview.jdk/Contents/Home/jre/lib (charsets.jar, jce.jar, JObjC.jar, jsse.jar, management-agent.jar, resources.jar and rt.jar)

It’s possible that you still need to add the JDK into Eclipse (STS). Just because the JDK is on the system doesn’t mean Eclipse knows where to find it.

Go to
Preferences > Java > Installed JREs

If there is not an entry for the 1.7 JDK, add it. You’ll have to point Eclipse to where you installed your 1.7 JDK.

If Eclipse can’t find a JRE that is 1.7 compatible, I’m guessing that it just uses your default JRE, and that’s probably still pointing at Java 1.6, which would be causing your red squiggly lines.

after installing the 1.7jdk from oracle, i changed my bash scripts to add:

and then running java -version showed the right version.

Get cask

Install java7:

(I had difficulty finding the download link of java7 on oracle website, as they’re just “recommending” java8 )

How about Netbeans, here is an article how to set it up with NB7:

Maybe similar steps for Eclipse.

As of April 27th there is an offical Oracle release of Java SE 7u4. Download the disk image and run the installer – then see the Mac readme.

The instructions by peter_budo worked perfectly. I had to add the jars under /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/JDK 1.7.0 Developer Preview.jdk/Contents/Home/jre/lib/ to my IntelliJ project libraries. Now it works like a charm. Note that I didn’t need my IDE itself to run under 1.7; rather, I only needed to be able to compile and run against 1.7. I’ll most likely continue to use Apple’s JRE for running the IDE since it’s probably more stable with respect to graphics routines (Swing, AWT). Like the OP, I was really keen on testing out the new NIO2 API. Looking good so far. Thanks, Peter.

What worked for me on Lion was installing the JDK7_u17 from Oracle, then editing ~/.bash_profile to include:
export JAVA_HOME=/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk1.7.0_13.jdk/Contents/Home

Uninstalling The JDK

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I updated to Yosemite and Android Studio wouldn’t clean my projects or Run them on virtual or real device because of the following error:

After some research and trouble shooting, I found that the JDK file that was being pointed to at “/System/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home” wasn’t there; all of “JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home” was missing from “/System/Library/Java”. So, I copied “JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk/Contents/Home” over from “/Library/Java/” to “/System/Library/Java/” and cha ching! I was back in business.

JDK 7 Installation Instructions

Tags: osx