Why won't sdkman change my default java version?

stackoverflow.com › questions › 62816754 › why-wont-sdkman-change-my-default-java-version

I just happen to get that error, on Manjaro ..after an update of the S.O., so the error is the /usr/bin/java now points to the default java installed on the update.

So i just removed all Java versions installed on the updates cause I need only to use the sdkman.

Copysdk home java 8.0.232.hs-adpt

With this i can see where are the candidates on my case:

Copy/home/xxxx/.sdkman/candidates/java/8.0.232.hs-adpt

So after removed all java: i run java -version i found there is no java anymore.

So i force update sdkman

Copysdk selfupdate force

Then after install

Copysource "$HOME/.sdkman/bin/sdkman-init.sh"

And to be sure i ran :

Copyls -al /usr/bin/java

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 37 may 16 2020 /usr/bin/java -> /usr/lib/jvm/default-runtime/bin/java

and now it points to where sdkman supposed to:

And thats it now i can change versions again with sdkman.

Copysdk use java 11.0.5.hs-adpt

Answer from cabaji99 on Stack Overflow

SDKMAN!

sdkman.io › usage

Usage | SDKMAN! the Software Development Kit Manager

Install the latest stable version of your SDK of choice (say, Java JDK) by running the following command: ... In progress... ######################################################################## 100.0% ... Done installing! Now you will be prompted if you want this version to be set as default.

Stack Overflow

stackoverflow.com › questions › 62816754 › why-wont-sdkman-change-my-default-java-version

Why won't sdkman change my default java version? - Stack Overflow

Top answer

1 of 3

I just happen to get that error, on Manjaro ..after an update of the S.O., so the error is the /usr/bin/java now points to the default java installed on the update.

So i just removed all Java versions installed on the updates cause I need only to use the sdkman.

Copysdk home java 8.0.232.hs-adpt

With this i can see where are the candidates on my case:

Copy/home/xxxx/.sdkman/candidates/java/8.0.232.hs-adpt

So after removed all java: i run java -version i found there is no java anymore.

So i force update sdkman

Copysdk selfupdate force

Then after install

Copysource "$HOME/.sdkman/bin/sdkman-init.sh"

And to be sure i ran :

Copyls -al /usr/bin/java

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 37 may 16 2020 /usr/bin/java -> /usr/lib/jvm/default-runtime/bin/java

and now it points to where sdkman supposed to:

And thats it now i can change versions again with sdkman.

Copysdk use java 11.0.5.hs-adpt

2 of 3

For me, the problem was the ending of .bashrc. I know, it explicitly says there "THIS MUST BE AT THE END OF THE FILE FOR SDKMAN TO WORK!!!", but I still decided to ignore that and wrote a few of my own lines after those ones 🤡. When I made sure the sdkman's lines were indeed at the very end of the file and after running sdk selfupdate force, setting the version started working properly across different terminals.

Discussions

How do you change java version using SDKMAN without needing to close Intellij IDEA first? - Stack Overflow

Since P2 uses Java 8, I will open a terminal and use sdkman to change my pc to use Java 8. However, when I attempt this, I get 2 error messages: Copyuser1@ bin $ sdk default java 8.322.06.2-amzn rm: cannot remove '/c/Users/user1/.sdkman/candidates/java/current/lib/jrt-fs.jar': Device or resource ... More on stackoverflow.com

stackoverflow.com

How do I change default version of java from my terminal?

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r/javahelp

December 22, 2023

Easily switch between java versions with SDKMAN! and 'j'

Gradle and toolchain is my personal best solution. So you don't need to configure your environment on each project if you have to manage different java version. And in addition it works very well together with sdkman. More on reddit.com

r/java

December 30, 2022

Switching versions of Java on Mac OSX

Not standard, but easier, try using sdkman. More on reddit.com

r/javahelp

January 7, 2023

Videos

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opensource.com › article › 22 › 3 › manage-java-versions-sdkman

Manage Java versions with SDKMan | Opensource.com

March 15, 2022 - Instead you can type sdk install java 11 and then press Tab a few times to get the options. Alternately, you can just install the default latest version: ... You can do more customization with SDKMan, including updating and upgrading Java versions ...

Stack Overflow

stackoverflow.com › questions › 77284252 › how-do-you-change-java-version-using-sdkman-without-needing-to-close-intellij-id

How do you change java version using SDKMAN without needing to close Intellij IDEA first? - Stack Overflow

Top answer

1 of 2

After some additional effort to figure this out, it turned out to be an easy fix. SDKman stores the JDKs in this folder:

C:\Users\yourUserName\.sdkman\candidates\java

When you issue the command

sdk default java 8.322.06.2-amzn

it copies the JDK from the java 8 folder

C:\Users\yourUserName\.sdkman\candidates\java\8.322.06.2-amzn

and pastes it into the current folder.

C:\Users\yourUserName\.sdkman\candidates\java\current

The idea is that you point your pc to the "current/" directory so that when you change java version with SDKman, the pc environment variable never needs to be updated.

But for the ide, instead of pointing it to the "current/" directory, you can point it directly to the JDK folder

C:\Users\yourUserName\.sdkman\candidates\java\8.322.06.2-amzn

You can specify the JDK for each project, P1 and P2, separately. So even if you change java version with SDKman, that only effects the "current/" directory, which the ides are no longer pointing at.

Since I did this, I dont have to change java version if I want to switch working on my java 8 project to working on my java 11 project. And that means I dont have to close my java 8 project to open my java 11 project. I can have them both open at the same time, and switch between them easily.

2 of 2

Inside IntelliJ versus outside IntelliJ

For running a project from within IntelliJ, you specify which JDK to use by configuring within IntelliJ.
The current default JDK set by SDKMAN! only applies to Java apps being executed on their own, outside IntelliJ.

Unfortunately, configuring which JDK to run your app within IntelliJ is complicated and confusing, requiring you to go spelunking through various buried panels.

These panels include some for the JDK, and some for the language level (which version of Java to target):

File | Project Structure | Project Settings | Project | SDK … and Language Level.
File | Project Structure | Project Settings | Project | Modules | Language Level.
Settings | Build, Execution, Deployment | Compiler | Java Compiler | Per-module bytecode version.

There may be others I don't recall at the moment. Search Stack Overflow to learn more.

If you are building a Web app in IntelliJ Ultimate edition, and running that app from within IntelliJ via an external application server such as Tomcat, Jetty, Glassfish, OpenLiberty, etc., then you need to also specify in another IntelliJ panel which JDK should be used to launch that app server.

If using Maven or Gradle, you need to specify language level there too.

Medium

medium.com › @zorozeri › manage-java-version-using-sdkman-including-maven-gradle-scala-kotlin-and-many-more-82532be9437e

Manage Java Version using SDKMAN! (including Maven, Gradle, Scala, Kotlin… and many more!) | by Ahmad Azeri Chandra Bhuana | Medium

January 16, 2025 - And you can use this Java version, using same switch sdk default command. For example on my case : ... And if you check using sdk list java, it would have >>> mark on it. ... Now, you might be wondering again.

JDriven

jdriven.com › blog › 2020 › 10 › Automatic-Switching-Of-Java-Versions-With-SDKMAN

Automatic Switching Of Java Versions With SDKMAN! - JDriven Blog

October 16, 2020 - This is already useful, because we simply go to our project directory, invoke the env command and the Java version is set to the version we expect for our poject. In the next example we start with Java 15 as default version, next we run the env command in the directory with the .sdkmanrc file:

Wimdeblauwe

wimdeblauwe.com › blog › 2018 › 2018-09-26-switching-between-jdk-8-and-11-using-sdkman-

Switching between JDK 8 and 11 using SDKMAN - Wim Deblauwe

September 26, 2018 - To temporarily switch to another version, use the sdk use command. For instance, if you made JDK 8 the default, then switch to JDK 11 in the current session by typing: ... 21:08 $ java -version openjdk version "11" 2018-09-25 OpenJDK Runtime ...

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reddit.com › r/javahelp › how do i change default version of java from my terminal?

r/javahelp on Reddit: How do I change default version of java from my terminal?

December 22, 2023 -

Currently, when I input "java -version", I get an output of "20.0.1". When I input "/usr/libexec/java_home -V", It says I have 20.0.1, 17.0.9, and 11.0.9.
When I input "export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home -v 17.0.9);" to change the version and run "java -version" again, It shows as 17.0.9.
The problem is when I close my terminal and check my java version, it returns back to version 20. How do I permanently change my default java version. Thanks.

Top answer

1 of 7

Have a look in https://sdkman.io It's awesome, specially if you need diferent versions for different projects

2 of 7

Use sdkman to manage the JDK versions on your machine: https://sdkman.io It installs them in `~/.sdkman/candidates/java/

Azul

azul.com › home › blog › easily manage different java versions on your machine with sdkman!

Easily Manage Different Java Versions on Your Machine with SDKMan!

August 30, 2023 - SDKMan!stands for Software Development Kit Manager, a shell script that allows you to manage parallel versions of multiple Software Development Kits for JVM-based languages like Java, Groovy, and Kotlin. With a simple command, you can switch between different versions, set a default version, ...

Medium

medium.com › @layani.malsha › use-multiple-java-versions-using-sdkman-ef56d71fc3ce

Use Multiple Java versions using SDKMAN | by Layani Malsha | Medium

May 9, 2023 - Do you want java 11.0.19-amzn to be set as default? (Y/n): Y ... Once you have installed multiple versions of Java using SDKMAN, you can easily switch between them using the below command.🥳 ... Replace this with the version of Java you want to use with the identifier.

Baeldung

baeldung.com › home › devops › guide to sdkman!

Guide to SDKMAN! | Baeldung

November 13, 2025 - Therefore, we copy its identifier, which is the version from the table, and we add it as an argument in the install command: $ sdk install java 14.0.2-zulu Downloading: java 14.0.2-zulu In progress... ########### 100.0% Repackaging Java 14.0.2-zulu... Done repackaging... Installing: java 14.0.2-zulu Done installing! Setting java 14.0.2-zulu as default. SDKMAN!

reddit.com › r/java › easily switch between java versions with sdkman! and 'j'

r/java on Reddit: Easily switch between java versions with SDKMAN! and 'j'

December 30, 2022 -

https://joerg-pfruender.github.io/software/java/2022/12/30/sdkman_j.html

Top answer

1 of 5

2 of 5

Unlike some other language runtimes, the JDK doesn't require setting up a "current environment" and doesn't even have a concept of one (although some may find it more convenient to create such a concept). Running jdk17/bin/java ... or jdk19/bin/java ... will pick up the right runtime and standard libraries. From the JDK's perspective, the identity of the "Java environment" you're currently "in" is nothing more than the path used for the Java launcher (the java executable) or other JDK tools, like javac. Back in the day, when there was such thing as a JRE, there was a concept of a Java runtime installation, or an environment, but that's gone and so the JDK doesn't even really have a concept of being installed (although I think that on Windows it might still benefit from setting some things in the registry). Running a JDK tool from whatever Java library the JDK has been extracted to is all there is to it.

Linux Uprising

linuxuprising.com › 2020 › 07 › how-to-install-switch-between-multiple.html

How To Install / Switch Between Multiple Java Versions Using SDKMAN - Linux Uprising Blog

June 17, 2021 - sdk default java IDENTIFIER Replace IDENTIFIER with the Java version identifier, as seen in the sdk list java command output. For example, to make AdoptOpenJDK version 11.0.8.hs the default system Java version, use: sdk default java 11.0.8.hs-adpt ...

My Developer Planet

mydeveloperplanet.com › 2022 › 04 › 05 › how-to-manage-your-jdks-with-sdkman

How to Manage Your JDKs With SDKMAN – My Developer Planet

April 5, 2022 - From SDKMAN, choose the AdoptOpenJDK JDK which is now provided by Adoptium and is called Eclipse Temurin. Install the latest JDK 17 LTS version. $ sdk install java 17.0.2-tem Downloading: java 17.0.2-tem In progress... ... Repackaging Java 17.0.2-tem... Done repackaging... Installing: java 17.0.2-tem Done installing! Setting java 17.0.2-tem as default. Verify again what the default Java version is. It has changed to the one you just installed.

WafaiCloud

wafaicloud.com › home › system administrators › linux › managing java versions with sdkman for linux users

Managing Java Versions with SDKMAN for Linux Users - WafaiCloud Blogs

December 29, 2025 - Once SDKMAN is installed and initialized, you can begin managing Java versions. To see the available Java versions you can install, execute: ... => 11.0.11-open | 11.0.11+9 | OpenJDK 11 LTS 8.0.292-open | 8.0.292+10 | OpenJDK 8 LTS 17.0.0-open | 17.0.0+35 | OpenJDK 17 LTS … · To install a specific version of Java, use the following command, replacing {version} with your desired version: ... This will only change the version for the current terminal session.

OpenRewrite

docs.openrewrite.org › recipe catalog › java › modernize › update sdkman java version

Update SDKMan Java version | OpenRewrite Docs

Given a major release (e.g., 17), the recipe will update the current distribution to the current default SDKMAN version of the specified major release. The distribution option can be used to specify a specific JVM distribution. Note that these must correspond to valid SDKMAN distributions. GitHub: UpdateSdkMan.java, Issue Tracker, Maven Central

Published 1 month ago

Nidhalnaffati

nidhalnaffati.dev › blog › how-to-update-to-java21

How to Update to Java 21 Using SDKMAN

March 15, 2026 - Replace "21-oracle" with the exact ... a newer version available or if you want another Java vendor. SDKMAN will download and install Java 21 for you. This process may take a few minutes depending on your internet connection and system performance.

Apache Pulsar

pulsar.apache.org › setting up jdks using sdkman

Setting up JDKs using SDKMAN | Apache Pulsar

With auto-switching, when there's a .sdkmanrc file in a directory, SDKMAN will switch to the defined Java version.