I've recently dealed with a very similar situation. The following code does almost exactly what you need. It searches for java JREs and JDKs, not only JDKs, but should be pretty easy to edit to your needs. Beware: windows-only
/**
* Java Finder by petrucio@stackoverflow(828681) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
* Needs WinRegistry.java. Get it at: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/62289/read-write-to-windows-registry-using-java
*
* JavaFinder - Windows-specific classes to search for all installed versions of java on this system
* Author: petrucio@stackoverflow (828681)
*****************************************************************************/
import java.util.*;
import java.io.*;
/**
* Helper class to fetch the stdout and stderr outputs from started Runtime execs
* Modified from http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-12-2000/jw-1229-traps.html?page=4
*****************************************************************************/
class RuntimeStreamer extends Thread {
InputStream is;
String lines;
RuntimeStreamer(InputStream is) {
this.is = is;
this.lines = "";
}
public String contents() {
return this.lines;
}
public void run() {
try {
InputStreamReader isr = new InputStreamReader(is);
BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(isr);
String line = null;
while ( (line = br.readLine()) != null) {
this.lines += line + "\n";
}
} catch (IOException ioe) {
ioe.printStackTrace();
}
}
/**
* Execute a command and wait for it to finish
* @return The resulting stdout and stderr outputs concatenated
****************************************************************************/
public static String execute(String[] cmdArray) {
try {
Runtime runtime = Runtime.getRuntime();
Process proc = runtime.exec(cmdArray);
RuntimeStreamer outputStreamer = new RuntimeStreamer(proc.getInputStream());
RuntimeStreamer errorStreamer = new RuntimeStreamer(proc.getErrorStream());
outputStreamer.start();
errorStreamer.start();
proc.waitFor();
return outputStreamer.contents() + errorStreamer.contents();
} catch (Throwable t) {
t.printStackTrace();
}
return null;
}
public static String execute(String cmd) {
String[] cmdArray = { cmd };
return RuntimeStreamer.execute(cmdArray);
}
}
/**
* Helper struct to hold information about one installed java version
****************************************************************************/
class JavaInfo {
public String path; //! Full path to java.exe executable file
public String version; //! Version string. "Unkown" if the java process returned non-standard version string
public boolean is64bits; //! true for 64-bit javas, false for 32
/**
* Calls 'javaPath -version' and parses the results
* @param javaPath: path to a java.exe executable
****************************************************************************/
public JavaInfo(String javaPath) {
String versionInfo = RuntimeStreamer.execute( new String[] { javaPath, "-version" } );
String[] tokens = versionInfo.split("\"");
if (tokens.length < 2) this.version = "Unkown";
else this.version = tokens[1];
this.is64bits = versionInfo.toUpperCase().contains("64-BIT");
this.path = javaPath;
}
/**
* @return Human-readable contents of this JavaInfo instance
****************************************************************************/
public String toString() {
return this.path + ":\n Version: " + this.version + "\n Bitness: " + (this.is64bits ? "64-bits" : "32-bits");
}
}
/**
* Windows-specific java versions finder
*****************************************************************************/
public class JavaFinder {
/**
* @return: A list of javaExec paths found under this registry key (rooted at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE)
* @param wow64 0 for standard registry access (32-bits for 32-bit app, 64-bits for 64-bits app)
* or WinRegistry.KEY_WOW64_32KEY to force access to 32-bit registry view,
* or WinRegistry.KEY_WOW64_64KEY to force access to 64-bit registry view
* @param previous: Insert all entries from this list at the beggining of the results
*************************************************************************/
private static List<String> searchRegistry(String key, int wow64, List<String> previous) {
List<String> result = previous;
try {
List<String> entries = WinRegistry.readStringSubKeys(WinRegistry.HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, key, wow64);
for (int i = 0; entries != null && i < entries.size(); i++) {
String val = WinRegistry.readString(WinRegistry.HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, key + "\\" + entries.get(i), "JavaHome", wow64);
if (!result.contains(val + "\\bin\\java.exe")) {
result.add(val + "\\bin\\java.exe");
}
}
} catch (Throwable t) {
t.printStackTrace();
}
return result;
}
/**
* @return: A list of JavaInfo with informations about all javas installed on this machine
* Searches and returns results in this order:
* HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Runtime Environment (32-bits view)
* HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Runtime Environment (64-bits view)
* HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Development Kit (32-bits view)
* HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Development Kit (64-bits view)
* WINDIR\system32
* WINDIR\SysWOW64
****************************************************************************/
public static List<JavaInfo> findJavas() {
List<String> javaExecs = new ArrayList<String>();
javaExecs = JavaFinder.searchRegistry("SOFTWARE\\JavaSoft\\Java Runtime Environment", WinRegistry.KEY_WOW64_32KEY, javaExecs);
javaExecs = JavaFinder.searchRegistry("SOFTWARE\\JavaSoft\\Java Runtime Environment", WinRegistry.KEY_WOW64_64KEY, javaExecs);
javaExecs = JavaFinder.searchRegistry("SOFTWARE\\JavaSoft\\Java Development Kit", WinRegistry.KEY_WOW64_32KEY, javaExecs);
javaExecs = JavaFinder.searchRegistry("SOFTWARE\\JavaSoft\\Java Development Kit", WinRegistry.KEY_WOW64_64KEY, javaExecs);
javaExecs.add(System.getenv("WINDIR") + "\\system32\\java.exe");
javaExecs.add(System.getenv("WINDIR") + "\\SysWOW64\\java.exe");
List<JavaInfo> result = new ArrayList<JavaInfo>();
for (String javaPath: javaExecs) {
if (!(new File(javaPath).exists())) continue;
result.add(new JavaInfo(javaPath));
}
return result;
}
/**
* @return: The path to a java.exe that has the same bitness as the OS
* (or null if no matching java is found)
****************************************************************************/
public static String getOSBitnessJava() {
String arch = System.getenv("PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE");
String wow64Arch = System.getenv("PROCESSOR_ARCHITEW6432");
boolean isOS64 = arch.endsWith("64") || (wow64Arch != null && wow64Arch.endsWith("64"));
List<JavaInfo> javas = JavaFinder.findJavas();
for (int i = 0; i < javas.size(); i++) {
if (javas.get(i).is64bits == isOS64) return javas.get(i).path;
}
return null;
}
/**
* Standalone testing - lists all Javas in the system
****************************************************************************/
public static void main(String [] args) {
List<JavaInfo> javas = JavaFinder.findJavas();
for (int i = 0; i < javas.size(); i++) {
System.out.println("\n" + javas.get(i));
}
}
}
You will also need the updated WinRegistry.java to read values from both the from 32-bits and 64-bits sections of the windows registry: https://stackoverflow.com/a/11854901/828681
I'm not usually a java programmer, so my code probably does not follow java conventions. Sue me.
Here is a sample run from my Win 7 64-bits machine:
>java JavaFinder
C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre6\bin\java.exe:
Version: 1.6.0_31
Bitness: 32-bits
C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\java.exe:
Version: 1.6.0_31
Bitness: 64-bits
D:\Dev\Java\jdk1.6.0_31\bin\java.exe:
Version: 1.6.0_31
Bitness: 64-bits
C:\Windows\system32\java.exe:
Version: 1.6.0_31
Bitness: 64-bits
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\java.exe:
Version: 1.6.0_31
Bitness: 32-bits
Answer from Petrucio on Stack OverflowI've recently dealed with a very similar situation. The following code does almost exactly what you need. It searches for java JREs and JDKs, not only JDKs, but should be pretty easy to edit to your needs. Beware: windows-only
/**
* Java Finder by petrucio@stackoverflow(828681) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
* Needs WinRegistry.java. Get it at: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/62289/read-write-to-windows-registry-using-java
*
* JavaFinder - Windows-specific classes to search for all installed versions of java on this system
* Author: petrucio@stackoverflow (828681)
*****************************************************************************/
import java.util.*;
import java.io.*;
/**
* Helper class to fetch the stdout and stderr outputs from started Runtime execs
* Modified from http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-12-2000/jw-1229-traps.html?page=4
*****************************************************************************/
class RuntimeStreamer extends Thread {
InputStream is;
String lines;
RuntimeStreamer(InputStream is) {
this.is = is;
this.lines = "";
}
public String contents() {
return this.lines;
}
public void run() {
try {
InputStreamReader isr = new InputStreamReader(is);
BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(isr);
String line = null;
while ( (line = br.readLine()) != null) {
this.lines += line + "\n";
}
} catch (IOException ioe) {
ioe.printStackTrace();
}
}
/**
* Execute a command and wait for it to finish
* @return The resulting stdout and stderr outputs concatenated
****************************************************************************/
public static String execute(String[] cmdArray) {
try {
Runtime runtime = Runtime.getRuntime();
Process proc = runtime.exec(cmdArray);
RuntimeStreamer outputStreamer = new RuntimeStreamer(proc.getInputStream());
RuntimeStreamer errorStreamer = new RuntimeStreamer(proc.getErrorStream());
outputStreamer.start();
errorStreamer.start();
proc.waitFor();
return outputStreamer.contents() + errorStreamer.contents();
} catch (Throwable t) {
t.printStackTrace();
}
return null;
}
public static String execute(String cmd) {
String[] cmdArray = { cmd };
return RuntimeStreamer.execute(cmdArray);
}
}
/**
* Helper struct to hold information about one installed java version
****************************************************************************/
class JavaInfo {
public String path; //! Full path to java.exe executable file
public String version; //! Version string. "Unkown" if the java process returned non-standard version string
public boolean is64bits; //! true for 64-bit javas, false for 32
/**
* Calls 'javaPath -version' and parses the results
* @param javaPath: path to a java.exe executable
****************************************************************************/
public JavaInfo(String javaPath) {
String versionInfo = RuntimeStreamer.execute( new String[] { javaPath, "-version" } );
String[] tokens = versionInfo.split("\"");
if (tokens.length < 2) this.version = "Unkown";
else this.version = tokens[1];
this.is64bits = versionInfo.toUpperCase().contains("64-BIT");
this.path = javaPath;
}
/**
* @return Human-readable contents of this JavaInfo instance
****************************************************************************/
public String toString() {
return this.path + ":\n Version: " + this.version + "\n Bitness: " + (this.is64bits ? "64-bits" : "32-bits");
}
}
/**
* Windows-specific java versions finder
*****************************************************************************/
public class JavaFinder {
/**
* @return: A list of javaExec paths found under this registry key (rooted at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE)
* @param wow64 0 for standard registry access (32-bits for 32-bit app, 64-bits for 64-bits app)
* or WinRegistry.KEY_WOW64_32KEY to force access to 32-bit registry view,
* or WinRegistry.KEY_WOW64_64KEY to force access to 64-bit registry view
* @param previous: Insert all entries from this list at the beggining of the results
*************************************************************************/
private static List<String> searchRegistry(String key, int wow64, List<String> previous) {
List<String> result = previous;
try {
List<String> entries = WinRegistry.readStringSubKeys(WinRegistry.HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, key, wow64);
for (int i = 0; entries != null && i < entries.size(); i++) {
String val = WinRegistry.readString(WinRegistry.HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, key + "\\" + entries.get(i), "JavaHome", wow64);
if (!result.contains(val + "\\bin\\java.exe")) {
result.add(val + "\\bin\\java.exe");
}
}
} catch (Throwable t) {
t.printStackTrace();
}
return result;
}
/**
* @return: A list of JavaInfo with informations about all javas installed on this machine
* Searches and returns results in this order:
* HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Runtime Environment (32-bits view)
* HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Runtime Environment (64-bits view)
* HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Development Kit (32-bits view)
* HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Development Kit (64-bits view)
* WINDIR\system32
* WINDIR\SysWOW64
****************************************************************************/
public static List<JavaInfo> findJavas() {
List<String> javaExecs = new ArrayList<String>();
javaExecs = JavaFinder.searchRegistry("SOFTWARE\\JavaSoft\\Java Runtime Environment", WinRegistry.KEY_WOW64_32KEY, javaExecs);
javaExecs = JavaFinder.searchRegistry("SOFTWARE\\JavaSoft\\Java Runtime Environment", WinRegistry.KEY_WOW64_64KEY, javaExecs);
javaExecs = JavaFinder.searchRegistry("SOFTWARE\\JavaSoft\\Java Development Kit", WinRegistry.KEY_WOW64_32KEY, javaExecs);
javaExecs = JavaFinder.searchRegistry("SOFTWARE\\JavaSoft\\Java Development Kit", WinRegistry.KEY_WOW64_64KEY, javaExecs);
javaExecs.add(System.getenv("WINDIR") + "\\system32\\java.exe");
javaExecs.add(System.getenv("WINDIR") + "\\SysWOW64\\java.exe");
List<JavaInfo> result = new ArrayList<JavaInfo>();
for (String javaPath: javaExecs) {
if (!(new File(javaPath).exists())) continue;
result.add(new JavaInfo(javaPath));
}
return result;
}
/**
* @return: The path to a java.exe that has the same bitness as the OS
* (or null if no matching java is found)
****************************************************************************/
public static String getOSBitnessJava() {
String arch = System.getenv("PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE");
String wow64Arch = System.getenv("PROCESSOR_ARCHITEW6432");
boolean isOS64 = arch.endsWith("64") || (wow64Arch != null && wow64Arch.endsWith("64"));
List<JavaInfo> javas = JavaFinder.findJavas();
for (int i = 0; i < javas.size(); i++) {
if (javas.get(i).is64bits == isOS64) return javas.get(i).path;
}
return null;
}
/**
* Standalone testing - lists all Javas in the system
****************************************************************************/
public static void main(String [] args) {
List<JavaInfo> javas = JavaFinder.findJavas();
for (int i = 0; i < javas.size(); i++) {
System.out.println("\n" + javas.get(i));
}
}
}
You will also need the updated WinRegistry.java to read values from both the from 32-bits and 64-bits sections of the windows registry: https://stackoverflow.com/a/11854901/828681
I'm not usually a java programmer, so my code probably does not follow java conventions. Sue me.
Here is a sample run from my Win 7 64-bits machine:
>java JavaFinder
C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre6\bin\java.exe:
Version: 1.6.0_31
Bitness: 32-bits
C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\java.exe:
Version: 1.6.0_31
Bitness: 64-bits
D:\Dev\Java\jdk1.6.0_31\bin\java.exe:
Version: 1.6.0_31
Bitness: 64-bits
C:\Windows\system32\java.exe:
Version: 1.6.0_31
Bitness: 64-bits
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\java.exe:
Version: 1.6.0_31
Bitness: 32-bits
I did a quick check of the windows registry, and this key seems to provide the various Java version installed on the system
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Runtime Environment
On further google search, it was confirmed that this is the correct location. Read these articles for the details...
Quickly retrieve available Java JVM on a workstation (Windows)
Java 2 Runtime Environment for Microsoft Windows
How can I see all installed Java versions?
Licensed Java version number listing (Windows)
java - How to know the jdk version on my machine? - Stack Overflow
Uninstall All Java Versions
Videos
When I write "java --version" in the command line I only get one java version, which just happens to be the one in the environment variables. However I know that I have at least two versions installed, because I had to install an old version in order for some program to work. How does this stuff work? Thanks in advance
You can check your version of Java with any of the following methods.
Java Control Panel (Windows)
- Open the Start Menu and select Control Panel.
- From the Control Panel, select Programs -> Java to open the Java Control Panel.

- Select About to view your current version of Java.

Command Line (Windows)
- Press ⊞ Win+R and type cmd to open the Command Prompt.

- Type
java -versionand press Enter

Control Panel (Windows)
Note: This method may give inaccurate results if Java's PATH has not been updated.
- Open the Start Menu and select Control Panel.
- From the Control Panel, select Programs -> Programs and Features.
- Scroll down the list of programs until you find the most recently installed version of Java

Terminal (MacOS)
- In the Finder, search for Terminal and launch Terminal.app

- Type
java -versionand press Enter

Sources
- Tech FAQ - How to Check the Java Version
- Columbia - How to check what Java version you have
- Open CMD (In Windows click Start then type cmd, Command Prompt or PowerShell) and execute the following commands.
- For multiple java installations:
wmic product where "name like 'Java%'" get name, version - For default java installation:
java -version
Has anyone in the community come across a listing of the licensed version numbers for Oracle's Java / Java SE / JRE / JDK etc.? By version number, I mean the reference when looking at the installed programs control panel or via WMI query. Example: the product named 'Java SE Development Kit 8 Update 211 (64-bit)' has a version number of '8.0.2110.12'
We're gathering data for a suspected audit from Oracle, and I'd like to be able to give my management as much information as possible on systems that have an installed Java product and whether or not that requires a license.
Edit: Forgot to mention, we have vendors who mandate that we use Oracle's JRE / JDK packages. I know that OpenJDK / Amazon Coretto / Eclipse Temurin / etc. are completely safe to replace Oracle's package; convincing vendors & app owners that they're safe is a different story. I'm not here to have that conversation, just to get info in front of folks so they can understand scope.
you might need to add path in environment variables which you can find in Control Panel
open the Jdk where you installed and add until /bin in the path in environment variables.
Add until /bin in path variable in System Variables which is residing in Environment Variables.
Then do
java -version
which might show up.
If still problem persists, try restarting your pc and see.
You need to update your Windows path to include your %JAVA_HOME%\bin directory. %JAVA_HOME% is the directory that you installed Java into and is also an environment variable that you need to configure for command line execution of your applications. You can edit both of these in the Windows control panel and you should restart.
When you run java -version you will see the internal version number. This is explained here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_version_history.
Basically, you can ignore the 1. when reading version number. The _xxx is a reference to the most recent patch or build release.