How to Install Java on Windows

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Java is one of the most used programming languages over the globe. It is a platform-independent language which means we can write Java program anywhere and run it on any platform having the JRE. For example, we can write a Java program on a Windows platform and can run it on a Linux system or Mac OS. In this section, we will see how to install Java on Windows. We will download and install JDK 8 (Java Development Kit) on Windows 10.

Let’s have a look at quick index of the topic:

Let’s start:

What is Java?

Java is a high-level programming language used to develop different types of applications such as web applications, mobile applications, desktop applications, etc. we can easily write, compile and debug a Java program.

Java provides several advanced features to make the development process easy and productive.

Java is a platform-independent language. The main motive of developing the Java language is to “write once and run anywhere”.

Some key features of Java programming languages are as follows:

  • Object-Oriented
  • Simple
  • Platform Independent
  • Secure
  • Architecture-neutral
  • Robust
  • Portable
  • Multi-threaded
  • Distributed
  • Dynamic
  • High-performance

See more about what is Java?

System Requirements for Installing Java on Windows

We are discussing the minimum system requirements for installing Java 8. Because Java 8 is a stable release of Java. These requirements is also about the same for the other Java versions:

  • Windows 10 (8u51 and above)
  • Windows 8.x (Desktop)
  • Windows 7 SP1
  • Windows Vista SP2
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (64-bit)
  • Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 (64-bit)
  • RAM: 128 MB
  • Disk space: 124 MB for JRE; 2 MB for Java Update
  • Processor: Minimum Pentium 2 266 MHz processor
  • Browsers: Internet Explorer 9 and above, Firefox

We will install Java 8 on Windows 10.

See more about the system Requirements to install java.

Download and Install JDK 8 on Windows 10

Download JDK 8

Follow the below steps to download JDK 8 from the official Oracle website:

Step1: Open Oracle Website

Follow this link, it will redirect you to oracle’s website. Here you can find all the releases of Java. To download Java 8 scroll down the page and navigate to Java SE 8 section:

jdk download

Click on the JDK download option.

Step2: Select the Windows Version

Now, select your windows version for which you want to install. In our case, the Window is 64 bit.

windows version

Step3: Select License Agreement

Select the license agreement and click on the Download JDK button. It will redirect you to the oracle login page:

licesnse agreement

Step4: Login or Create Oracle Account

If you have an Oracle account then login with your credentials, otherwise create a new account by clicking on the Create Account button:

oracle login

It will start downloading the .exe file. By following the above steps, we have successfully downloaded the JDK 8. Now install it on your system:

Install JDK 8 on Windows

To install the JDK 8 on Windows, follow the below steps:

Step1: Run the installer File

Now, run the downloaded .exe file by clicking on it. It will ask for the confirmation click Yes to continue. It will display the following window:

install java on windows step1

Click on the Next button to continue.

Step2: Select optional features to install

This window asks for the optional features to install. Our requirement is only for the Development tools select it and click on Next to continue the installation process:

installation step2

It will start installing the setup.

installation status

Step3: Select the Destination Folder

If you want to use a custom installation folder then you can change it by clicking on the Change option. Otherwise, it will be installed on its default folder which is c:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_281.

default directory for java

Click Next to continue. It will start downloading the required packages under the specified directory.

installation status

Step4: Installation Successful Status

Now, Java is successfully installed on our machine. It will display the successful status. Click on the Close button to exit from the process.

installation complete

Now, we can verify the installation status.

Verify the Installation

To verify the installation status, open the command prompt on your windows system and execute the below command:

java -version
verification

As we can see from the above output, Java is successfully installed on our machine.

Offline Installation of Java

To install Java offline, we need an executable installer file. In offline installation, there is no need for our system to be connected to the internet during the installation process. We can also copy this file for other systems. Follow the below steps to install Java offline on Windows:

  1. Go to the Manual download page
  2. Click on Windows Offline.
  3. Save the file
  4. After downloading the installer file, close all applications including the browser.
  5. Run the downloaded file to start the installation process.
  6. The installation process starts. Click the Install button to accept the license terms and to continue with the installation.

How to Remove Older Versions of Java from Windows

The latest version of Java is always recommended by the Java community because it contains several updates and bug-fixes. Thus, it provides an improved performance and several additional features. To confirm the installed version of Java, execute the below command:

java –version

It will list all the installed versions.

Removing a Java version from windows is a similar process as uninstalling software.

  • Open control panel and
  • navigate to uninstall software.
  • Find the Java and select it.
  • Now, click uninstall to remove it from your system.

How to Set Java Environment Variable On Windows

Before setting the environment variable it is necessary to understand why we set the environment variable and why they are crucial for our system?

The Environment variables are global system variables that can be accessed by all the processes/users running on the system. They are useful to store system-wide values such as PATH, OS, PC name, User Name, System Root, HomePath, etc.

Let’s understand how to set the environment variable in Windows.

First, verify whether the environment variable is set on your machine or not by executing the below command:

javac

If the environment variable is not set on your machine it will throw an error message “ ‘javac’ is not recognized as an internal or external command”. Consider the following output:

set env

Now, Follow the below steps to set the environment variable in Windows:

Step1: Open the System Properties

To open the system properties right-click on This PC and select the properties option.

system properties

Step2: Select Advanced System Settings

The next step is to select the Advanced System Settings from the left menu.

advance system setting

Step3: Select Environment Variables option

It will open a dialog window, select the Select Environment Variable option from this window.

set env

Step4:  Select New Class Variable

Now, select the New class variable from this window.

add new path

Step5: Enter Path Name & Value

Type the variable name as PATH andvariable Value.

enter value

The Variable can be found from the installed directory of the JDK under the bin folder. Navigate your directory where you have installed Java and copy the bin folder location of the JDK.

path

Paste this value in the above Variable Value field and click OK to continue.

Step5: Click OK to Finalize

Now, click OK on the main window of the environment variable.

finalize set up

Now, we have successfully set the environment variable in our system. We can save and run the Java program in any location of our system.

Step6: verify the Process

To verify the process run the javac command. It will display the output as follows:

verify the process

If your command prompt is not recognizing the javac command, restart your system.

Now, we can save and run the Java program anywhere on the system. Let’s test it by creating our First Java Program:

First Java Program

To create a first Java program, it will be good to create a separate workspace, create a folder with the choice of your name. We are creating a Java_Program folder under our user’s home location.

Now, create a text file with the name Hello.Java using any of favorite text editor in our workspace. Put the below code in it:

Hello.java:

public class Hello
{
public static void main (String args[])
{
System.out.println ("Hello JavaSterling");
}
}

Now save this file. We are using Notepad to create this file. Save it as follows:

save program

Now compile this program using the below command:

javac Hello.Java

The above program will compile the program and create a .class file having the machine code. Now, we can execute this class file by executing the below command:

java Hello

It will display the output as follows:

Run first program

Summary:

Hence, we have seen how to install Java on Windows. Further, we have seen how to set environment variables and run our first Java program. So, this is it for this article. Check out other section for more Java tutorials.

Also See,
How to install Java on Linux
How to Install Java on Mac OS