How to Install Java on macOS Sierra

Jun 29, 2017 - 10 Comments

How to install Java on macOS

Some Mac users may need to install Java into macOS Sierra or MacOS High Sierra. Typically the need for Java is for specific app usage, particular app compatibility, or for developers, and it’s worth mentioning that most Mac users won’t need to bother installing Java at all. For those that do need Java however, you will find it’s easy to get onto the latest versions of MacOS.


As you may know by now, MacOS no longer ships with Java preinstalled, so you’ll need to download and install java on your own if you need it in MacOS 10.13 or 10.12. This is to insure that the most recent version of Java is installed on the Mac if it’s needed, aiming to lessen potential security issues that may come up with older versions of the Java software (though older versions of Java can be installed if need be for a specific reason).

Note: if you do not specifically need Java, you should not install it onto a Mac.

How to Install Java in macOS High Sierra & Sierra

The best approach to install Java on the Mac is to get the latest version of Java JRE directly from Oracle. This is fairly straight forward and you can either initiate the process from the terminal application in macOS or by going directly to the Java download page on Oracles website.

  1. Open the Terminal app and type the following:
  2. java

  3. Click on the “More Info” button to jump to the Java downloads page in a web browser

Start installing Java on MacOS

This will allow you to download and install the newest most recent version of Java available for the Mac, which is currently JRE8.

Additionally, you can choose to go directly to the Java downloads page on Oracle.com where you can find the latest release of Java JRE and as well as the JDK if you need one, the other, or both. If you need an older version of Java for whatever reason, some Mac OS releases support JRE 6 as described here.

How to Install Java JRE 6 on macOS High Sierra

Some users may need to run JRE6 in modern MacOS releases, in which case you can download an updated installer appropriate for macOS High Sierra, Sierra, El Cap, and Mavericks too.

The download notes from Apple for that releases are as follows:

Java for macOS 2017-001 installs the legacy Java 6 runtime for macOS 10.13 High Sierra, macOS 10.12 Sierra, macOS 10.11 El Capitan, macOS 10.10 Yosemite, macOS 10.9 Mavericks, macOS 10.8 Mountain Lion, and macOS 10.7 Lion.

This package is exclusively intended for support of legacy software and installs the same deprecated version of Java 6 included in the 2015-001, 2014-001, and 2013-005 releases.

Quit any Java applications before installing this update.

Download and run that Java installer to install Java Runtime Environment 6 in modern Mac OS versions if needed.

Users might need to turn off SIP protection on the Mac before being allowed to complete the installation of Java.

You can also uninstall Java from a Mac if need be after the fact, or you can just disable Java too.

Know of another approach to installing Java in macOS 10.13 or macOS 10.12? Have any opinions or thoughts on the matter? Let us know in the comments!

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Posted by: Paul Horowitz in Mac OS, Tips & Tricks

10 Comments

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  1. Terry M says:

    If I install this version of Java (in order for my old Adobe Dreamweaver to work) using this method, will it wipe out my newer version? If both versions are installed how will newer programs know to use the latest version?

  2. Rusty says:

    To install 2017-001 on Mac OSX 10.13.2 (High Sierra), visit https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1572?locale=en_US using Chrome browser. Safari will not present the download link. Rather inconsiderate of them. The installer works and Adobe CS5.1 works!

  3. MikeH says:

    Found it. Apple has released a new installer for the legacy JRE 6 called 2017-001. This fixes the “newer version…” error. Download it here:

    https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1572?locale=en_US

  4. MikeH says:

    OS 10.13.1 will not let you install the legacy JRE 6 (10.13 did). Looking for a workaround.

  5. Gordon Hayduk says:

    Alert States: “To open Adobe Photoshop CS4 you need to install the legacy Java SE 6 runtime.” I installed this several times, restarted several times, but I keep getting the same message and cannot use Photoshop CS4. What gives?

  6. expobill says:

    HEY! last week we weren’t supposed ta use java…..what gives?

    • Patrick says:

      “Some Mac users may need to install Java into macOS Sierra or MacOS High Sierra. Typically the need for Java is for specific app usage, particular app compatibility, or for developers, and it’s worth mentioning that most Mac users won’t need to bother installing Java at all.”

    • FlyingFruit says:

      If you need to use Java, you have to install Java to use Java.

      If you don’t need to use Java, you don’t need to install or use Java, and you should not install or use Java.

      This is not complicated, so don’t over think it.

  7. Al Maloney says:

    LibreOffice requires jdk rather than jre

  8. Chris Wrinn says:

    Needed Java for Photoshop CS6. I still get one error, but it’s not a problem. Might be worth trying another reinstall.

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