What should I set JAVA_HOME environment variable on macOS X 10.6?

Question

Many Java applications that use shell scripts to configure their environment use the JAVA_HOME environment variable to start the correct version of Java, locate JRE JARs, and so on.

In macOS X 10.6, the following paths seem to be valid for this variable

/Library/Java/Home
/System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Home
/System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/Current

Some of these are symlinks to the actual current VM (as defined in the Java Preference pane).

But which one should be used—or is it okay to use any of them?

possible duplicate of [Where is JAVA\_HOME on OSX Lion (10.7) , Mountain Lion (10.8) or Mavericks (10.9)?](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6588390/where-is-java-home-on-osx-lion-10-7-mountain-lion-10-8-or-mavericks-10-9) — Olivier Refalo, Aug 30 '13 at 13:51

score 881 · Accepted Answer · edited Jan 11 '20 at 01:07

881

I just set JAVA_HOME to the output of that command, which should give you the Java path specified in your Java preferences. Here's a snippet from my .bashrc file, which sets this variable:

export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home)

I haven't experienced any problems with that technique.

Occasionally I do have to change the value of JAVA_HOME to an earlier version of Java. For example, one program I'm maintaining requires 32-bit Java 5 on OS X, so when using that program, I set JAVA_HOME by running:

export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home -v 1.5)

For those of you who don't have java_home in your path add it like this.

sudo ln -s /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/Current/Commands/java_home /usr/libexec/java_home

References:

edited Jan 11 '20 at 01:07

Lance Kind

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answered Aug 28 '09 at 19:36

mipadi

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Snow Leopard does still have /usr/libexec/java_home. Thanks – Robert Christie Aug 28 '09 at 20:40
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what is this "/usr/libexec/java_home" ? – drlobo Apr 05 '13 at 22:40
@drlobo: It's a tool for figuring out where `JAVA_HOME` is that ships with Macs. – mipadi Apr 05 '13 at 23:01
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Still valid for Mavericks – Pascal Aug 09 '13 at 02:36
I like to conditionalize it (in zsh) with `if /usr/libexec/java_home &> /dev/null; then export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home); fi`, so I can use the same .rc file on multiple machines whether they have the JDK installed or not. Unconditionalized; you'll get a warning on each shell startup. – Andrew Janke Mar 16 '14 at 04:19
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In Mavericks I had to put it in `~/.bash_profile` instead of `~/.bashrc`. – Jake Stoeffler Jun 20 '14 at 18:27
thanks especially for the part with the -v extension ;) – Heckscheibe Aug 07 '14 at 07:57
If you want to share this environment variable with all users, you must update /etc/profile – Stéphane B. Sep 03 '14 at 14:02
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Still valid for Yosemite. ;) – Geoffrey Wiseman Oct 28 '14 at 20:06
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I get an error when setting the path: `ln: /usr/libexec/java_home: Operation not permitted`. Anybody knows what could be the problem? – Sergiu Apr 07 '16 at 07:06
I have multiple versions installed. I did what you wrote but it still shows the newest version. Running on El Capitan. Like someone else posted elsewhere, if you don't want it using the newest version, then you will have to rename the directory where it is installed, move it elsewhere or delete it. Seriously, this is 2016 and nobody has bothered to post a comment here on this??? – Johann Apr 16 '16 at 14:22
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For fish shell users, use something like the following: `alias java7 "set -gx JAVA_HOME (/usr/libexec/java_home -v1.7)"` (Works on El Capitan) – Yichuan Wang Apr 28 '16 at 01:00
https://www.mkyong.com/java/how-to-set-java_home-environment-variable-on-mac-os-x/ – vikramvi Nov 11 '16 at 15:26
@JakeStoeffler I think that's true for all versions of mac. I'm on Sierra right now – Robert Moore Nov 17 '16 at 13:25
I can not FIND Java path anywhere for Java 8 Update 121. (macOS 10.12.3) Any ideas? – jwilleke Feb 08 '17 at 12:17
Works for High Sierra 10.13.1 with modification of version to 9.0 (possibly due to Homebrew) – Gary Nov 11 '17 at 20:23
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High Sierra 10.13.1 check!! – Crysfel Nov 19 '17 at 17:24
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Works on High Sierra 10.13.4 – DiableNoir Apr 02 '18 at 18:51
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Still valid for Mojave – Keuha Nov 29 '18 at 14:37
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Still valid for Mojave – Akhilesh Sharma Sep 19 '19 at 09:37
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As mentioned by Kristopher Johnson below, this is officially documented at [Technical Q&A QA1170 - Important Java Directories on Mac OS X](https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/qa/qa1170/_index.html). – Franklin Yu Oct 23 '19 at 03:44
Remember to log in and log out, otherwise you will not see the change – KeepLearning Apr 04 '20 at 12:07
Big Sur 11.2.1 check! – Vikas Prasad Feb 17 '21 at 08:41

score 42 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 08 '10 at 18:55

42

Also, it`s interesting to set your PATH to reflect the JDK. After adding JAVA_HOME (which can be done with the example cited by 'mipadi'):

export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home)

Add also in ~/.profile:

export PATH=${JAVA_HOME}/bin:$PATH

P.S.: For OSX, I generally use .profile in the HOME dir instead of .bashrc

answered Mar 08 '10 at 18:55

lucasarruda

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For OSX running default bash, I generally use the bash `.bash_profile` — why do you use than the generic `.profile`? – Lee Goddard Jul 28 '14 at 09:12
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Since `.profile` is generic, it will work with `sh` or `bash`, while `.bash_profile` is exclusive to `bash`. Also this isolates settings from apps that use `.bash_profile`, like `MacPorts`. But you can safely use any of the two. See more about it [here](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6751252/difference-between-profile-and-bash-profile-on-snow-leopard) – lucasarruda Jul 30 '14 at 20:13
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— FYI, the link you provided confirms my suspicion that under bash (ie by default), use of `.bash_profile` overrides `.profile`. – Lee Goddard Jul 31 '14 at 09:43
@LeeGee yes, and it does that because `.bash_profile` is specific, whereas `.profile` is generic, for all `sh` variations. – lucasarruda Aug 04 '14 at 21:08
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Since OS/X puts a link to `java` in your `/usr/bin` there shouldn't be a need to explicitly add `$JAVA_HOME` to your path. – Zaphod Mar 19 '17 at 20:24

score 23 · Answer 3 · answered Jun 21 '17 at 06:02

23

I am having MAC OS X(Sierra) 10.12.2.

I set JAVA_HOME to work on React Native(for Android apps) by following the following steps.

Open Terminal (Command+R, type Terminal, Hit ENTER).
Add the following lines to ~/.bash_profile. export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home)
Now run the following command. source ~/.bash_profile
You can check the exact value of JAVA_HOME by typing the following command. echo $JAVA_HOME

The value(output) returned will be something like below. /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk1.8.0_131.jdk/Contents/Home

That's it.

answered Jun 21 '17 at 06:02

hygull

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This is helpful, thanks. But I believe you missed including the last step, which is then setting JAVA_HOME to the returned value in .bashrc / .bash_profile / .zshrc / etc. Please correct me if I'm mistaken. – TheProletariat Mar 15 '18 at 16:13
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It is not required. In my case, `$JAVA_HOME` refers `$(/usr/libexec/java_home)` and `$(/usr/libexec/java_home)` is internally referred as `/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk1.8.0_131.jdk/Contents/Home` by the System. – hygull Mar 16 '18 at 11:14
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Got it. It was required in my case. Thanks. – TheProletariat Mar 19 '18 at 17:40

score 15 · Answer 4 · answered Feb 12 '15 at 20:40

I'm on Mac OS 10.6.8

The easiest solution works for me is simply put in

$ export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home)

To test whether it works, put in

$ echo $JAVA_HOME

it shows

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

you can also test

$ which java

score 14 · Answer 5 · edited Feb 06 '19 at 15:22

14

Nowadays Java seems to be installed in /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines

edited Feb 06 '19 at 15:22

Christian Giupponi

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answered May 07 '13 at 21:13

Nicolas Mommaerts

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Related: [Where is JAVA_HOME on OSX Lion (10.7) or Mountain Lion (10.8)?](http://stackoverflow.com/q/6588390/320399) – blong May 16 '13 at 21:30

score 9 · Answer 6 · answered Aug 28 '09 at 19:23

9

I tend to use /Library/Java/Home. The way the preferences pane works this should be up to date with your preferred version.

answered Aug 28 '09 at 19:23

Clint

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/bin . and check that it points to the /Library/java and not /System/Library/.. as that one may be outdated. – JRun Feb 27 '14 at 11:10
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This is no longer accurate. On OS X 10.5 and later, use /usr/libexec/java_home to find the path. – Kristopher Johnson Apr 27 '16 at 14:56

score 8 · Answer 7 · edited Feb 06 '19 at 15:22

That above works not any more in YOSEMITE for GRAPHICAL APPLICATIONS! Like eclipse, or anything started with Spotlight. (.bash_profile, launchd.conf works for terminal sessions only.) Before starting eclipse, just open a terminal window, and give out the following command:

launchctl setenv JAVA_HOME /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk1.7.0_45.jdk/Contents/Home

(With your installation path! Perhaps works with $(/usr/libexec/java_home) instead of the full path too.)

View the whole excellent article about the permanent solution here: Setting environment variables via launchd.conf no longer works in OS X Yosemite/El Capitan/macOS Sierra?

score 4 · Answer 8 · answered Dec 28 '16 at 18:07

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Create file ~/.mavenrc

then paste this into the file

export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home)

test

mvn -v

answered Dec 28 '16 at 18:07

KhaledMohamedP

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I like this approach, because it allows me to change the Java version very easy within the .mavenrc file. – Spindizzy Oct 27 '18 at 10:36

score 3 · Answer 9 · answered Apr 14 '20 at 09:35

It is recommended to check default terminal shell before set JAVA_HOME environment variable, via following commands:

$ echo $SHELL
/bin/bash

If your default terminal is /bin/bash (Bash), then you should use @hygull method

If your default terminal is /bin/zsh (Z Shell), then you should set these environment variable in ~/.zshenv file with following contents:

export JAVA_HOME="$(/usr/libexec/java_home)"

Similarly, any other terminal type not mentioned above, you should set environment variable in its respective terminal env file.

This method tested working in macOS Mojave Version 10.14.6.

score 2 · Answer 10 · edited May 23 '17 at 11:47

2

I've found this stack to help, i was having the same issue and i could fix:

My java path was here:

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home

and was needed to put into my .bash_profile:

export JAVA_HOME=\"/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home\"

Hope help

edited May 23 '17 at 11:47

Community

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answered Oct 13 '15 at 19:42

Shirow

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score 2 · Answer 11 · answered Apr 27 '16 at 15:01

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As other answers note, the correct way to find the Java home directory is to use /usr/libexec/java_home.

The official documentation for this is in Apple's Technical Q&A QA1170: Important Java Directories on OS X: https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/qa/qa1170/_index.html

answered Apr 27 '16 at 15:01

Kristopher Johnson

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This is a duplicate! – Franklin Yu Aug 30 '19 at 20:27
I think the inclusion of the link to official Apple documentation makes it not redundant. But if it is, the correct action is to flag it as a Duplicate, not make a comment. – Kristopher Johnson Oct 22 '19 at 17:14
I made a comment because I cannot mark an *answer* as a duplicate. Stack Overflow only allows user to mark a *question* as a duplicate (unfortunately). The link is helpful, but I think a comment to the current answer (or just edit it with the link since you already have the capability) would be better since it concentrates all useful information in one single answer. I believe there was guideline somewhere that Stack Overflow prefers fixing current answers over writing a new one. – Franklin Yu Oct 23 '19 at 01:01

score 2 · Answer 12 · answered Nov 08 '16 at 19:22

2

For me maven seems to work off the .mavenrc file:

echo "export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home -v 1.8)" > ~/.mavenrc

I'm sure I picked it up on SO too, just can't remember where.

answered Nov 08 '16 at 19:22

maksimov

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score 2 · Answer 13 · answered Jun 11 '17 at 10:04

Skipping Terminal setup since you mentioned applications, permanent system environment variable set up (works for macOS Sierra; should work for El Capitan too):

launchctl setenv JAVA_HOME $(/usr/libexec/java_home -v 1.8)

(this will set JAVA_HOME to the latest 1.8 JDK, chances are you have gone through serveral updates e.g. javac 1.8.0_101, javac 1.8.0_131)
Of course, change 1.8 to 1.7 or 1.6 (really?) to suit your need and your system

score 0 · Answer 14 · edited Mar 02 '23 at 13:22

MacBook Pro machine - MAC OS Ventura 13

I set JAVA_HOME to work with the following the following steps:

Open Command prompt/Terminal (Command+R, type Terminal in search and hit Enter)
Open ~/.bash_profile file (vi ~/.bash_profile)
Add/Update this lines to ~/.bash_profile (export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home))
Run the following command (source ~/.bash_profile)
Verify the java home path (echo $JAVA_HOME)

Output: It will be similar to your java path ( /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/applejdk-17.0.5.8.2.jdk/Contents/Home)

score -1 · Answer 15 · answered Apr 28 '16 at 01:01

-1

For Fish Shell users, use something like the following: alias java7 "set -gx JAVA_HOME (/usr/libexec/java_home -v1.7)"

answered Apr 28 '16 at 01:01

Yichuan Wang

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What should I set JAVA_HOME environment variable on macOS X 10.6?

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