Setting JAVA_HOME environment variable in MS Windows

Question

I'm having a problem when running programs that use Java from the command line. I get back a message saying Java.exe could not be found.

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I've followed the instructions found in several places for setting JAVA_HOME in Windows 7.

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As can be seen in the image I'm pointing to the JDK folder as instructed, I've also tried several variations including linking to the bin folder(where java.exe is located).

What am I doing wrong, and how can I debug this.

EDIT:

Typing Set in Command Prompt outputs

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Did you restart your command console? environment variable changes don't take effect until the console has been closed and re-opened. Also you may need to add JAVA_HOME to your PATH environment variable. You can do this by editing the path and adding the entry %JAVA_HOME%; — Hunter McMillen
– Hunter McMillen, Commented Jun 22, 2012 at 17:29

Sathiamoorthy · Accepted Answer · 2021-01-11 05:33:40Z

37

If you don't have admin rights, use the below command to set environment variables for java using the command prompt

setx JAVA_HOME "C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0"
setx PATH "%PATH%;%JAVA_HOME%\bin";

Modify the environment variable.

setx -m JAVA_HOME "C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0"
setx -m PATH "%PATH%;%JAVA_HOME%\bin";

answered Jan 11, 2021 at 5:33

Sathiamoorthy

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Community · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-23 11:56:20Z

13

As many have mentioned I had to add...

C:\Program Files\Java\jdk_version\bin

...to the path variable.

However what was not mentioned and was stopping this from working was that I had to make sure java\bin directory is in the path statement before the windows\system32 directory, otherwise this will not work.

I was able to find the information here.

edited May 23, 2017 at 11:56

CommunityBot

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answered Jun 25, 2012 at 16:46

Philip Kirkbride

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Taras Melnyk · Accepted Answer · 2018-10-10 12:41:24Z

12

Set the JAVA_HOME Variable

Windows 7 – Right click My Computer and select Properties > Advanced

Windows 8 – Go to Control Panel > System > Advanced System Settings

Windows 10 – Search for Environment Variables then select Edit the system environment variables

Click the Environment Variables button.
Under System Variables, click New.
In the Variable Name field, enter either:

JAVA_HOME if you installed the JDK (Java Development Kit)

or

JRE_HOME if you installed the JRE (Java Runtime Environment). In the Variable Value field, enter your JDK or JRE installation path .

Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
Set the value of the Environment variable to your JDK (or JRE) installation path as follows:

setx -m JAVA_HOME "C:\path_to_Java\jdk_version"

edited Oct 10, 2018 at 12:41

answered Oct 10, 2018 at 12:35

Taras Melnyk

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Jeremy · Accepted Answer · 2012-06-22 17:37:11Z

8

Make sure that the jdk.xxxxx/jre/bin folder is in your PATH

edited Jun 22, 2012 at 17:37

answered Jun 22, 2012 at 17:29

Jeremy

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7 Comments

Philip Kirkbride Over a year ago

Notice the part of my question where I say " I've also tried several variations including linking to the bin folder(where java.exe is located)." Have tried it from the bin and I still get the same behavior. Restarted the command prompt but not the computer.

Jeremy Over a year ago

JAVA_HOME and PATH are different, I didn't say point JAVA_HOME to the jre/bin directory. Try making sure that the PATH environment variable includes the jre/bin directory. For example, type java from the command prompt, does that work?

Philip Kirkbride Over a year ago

When I type Java in command prompt it seems to work, tells me the usage

Jeremy Over a year ago

Can you update your answer with the output from typing 'set' at the command prompt?

Philip Kirkbride Over a year ago

@Jeremy I ran 'set' and added to question.

|

user827992 · Accepted Answer · 2012-06-22 17:36:42Z

2

2 errors:

You are missing the bin folder. Usually the correct path is C:\Program Files\Java\jdk_version\bin
JAVA_HOME is usually used by some script or program, if you are interested on running java tools from cmd you have to add that directory to PATH

answered Jun 22, 2012 at 17:36

user827992

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user3001834 · Accepted Answer · 2025-07-12 20:06:15Z

0

I am running Linux. I had JAVA_HOME working well over a year ago, but during the last few months, the published formulas have all resulted in tracebacks. This is a sign of an unstable, unusable OS.

answered Jul 12 at 20:06

user3001834

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Community Jul 12 at 22:12

As it’s currently written, your answer is unclear. Please edit to add additional details that will help others understand how this addresses the question asked. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.

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