Install Java on macOS

Using Homebrew (Recommended)

# Install Homebrew if not already installed
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Install OpenJDK 17
brew install openjdk@17

# Create symbolic link
sudo ln -sfn /opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk@17/libexec/openjdk.jdk /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/openjdk-17.jdk

Using Package Manager (MacPorts)

# Install OpenJDK 17
sudo port install openjdk17

Manual Installation

Step 1 - Download Java JDK

Download the macOS version from Oracle Java Downloads or get OpenJDK from Adoptium.

Step 2 - Install the Package

Double-click the .dmg file and follow the installation wizard.

Step 3 - Set Environment Variables

# Open zshrc (for zsh) or bash_profile (for bash)
nano ~/.zshrc

# Add these lines
export JAVA_HOME=/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk-17.jdk/Contents/Home
export PATH=$PATH:$JAVA_HOME/bin

# Apply changes
source ~/.zshrc

Step 4 - Verify Installation

java -version
javac -version
echo $JAVA_HOME

ℹ️

If you see version numbers and JAVA_HOME path, installation was successful!

Multiple Java Versions

If you need multiple Java versions:

# List installed versions
/usr/libexec/java_home -V

# Switch between versions
export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home -v 17)
export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home -v 11)

Last updated on January 4, 2026

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