How to manage Oracle Java SE

Check for and remove Oracle Java SE

If your Windows, macOS or Linux device are managed for you then please contact your IT support team for guidance.

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Method 1 - basic check in Control Panel

  1. Choose Settings   > Apps > Programs and Features
  2. Wait for the list to populate, scroll down and look for Java entries
  3. Entries showing the publisher as Oracle Corporation indicate that Oracle Java SE is installed

Method 2 - thorough check in Command Prompt

  1. Select Start  , type command, and select Command Prompt
  2. At the prompt, type "where /r c:\ java.exe" and press Enter
  3. Wait for the command to finish (5 minutes on a typical laptop drive)
  4. Use Windows Explorer to open the Properties dialog for any matched files. Check the Digital Signatures tab to confirm whether the file is signed by Oracle Corporation.

Method 1 - basic check via Control Panel

  1. Choose Apple > System Preferences > Java > General > About
  2. About dialog showing Copyright Information confirming an Oracle product

Method 2 - thorough check via Command Prompt

  1. Open Terminal
  2. Run mdfind -name 'java' | grep '/bin/java$'
  3. Wait for the command to complete, then open the properties for each matched file and check the Additional Info tab for more information on confirming whether a java executable is part of an Oracle product installation or not.

Method 1 - basic check for Debian-based systems

  1. Run dpkg -l | grep java

You will need to empirically determine whether any installed versions are Oracle Java SE or not.

Method 2 - thorough check

  1. Run find / -name 'java' | grep '/bin/java$'

Again, you will need to empirically determine whether any installed versions are Oracle Java SE or not.

Once you have located java executables using one of the methods above, you can obtain full version information by running them from the command line using the full path and the “-version” option.

Typical Oracle output:

java version "1.8.0_401"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_401-b25)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 25.401-b25, mixed mode, sharing)

Typical OpenJDK output:

openjdk version "17.0.3" 2022-04-19
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 17.0.3+3)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 17.0.3+3, mixed mode)

We recommend that you start by using the application manager in system settings to remove Oracle Java as this provides an easy and comprehensive clean-up. You should restart your system afterwards, and re-run the earlier checks to confirm that Java has been fully removed.

You will need to have administrative rights on your PC, and should be a competent Windows desktop administrator as these steps could prevent your PC from working correctly.

  1. Uninstall each Oracle Java entry in the Apps list
  2. Review the folders containing any other Oracle Java installations that you found. You will need to delete any that are not licensed (a licensed example might be a folder containing Java that is shipped as part of a product from an independent software vendor under a Binary Licence and Redistribution Agreement)
  3. Remove any references to Oracle Java from the PATH environment variable

You will need to have administrative rights on your mac, and should be a competent macOS desktop administrator as these steps could prevent your mac from working correctly.

  1. Use the Java installer to remove Oracle Java
  2. Remove the Java control panel
  3. Review the folders containing any other Oracle Java installations that you found. You will need to delete any that are not licensed (a licensed example might be a folder containing Java that is shipped as part of a product from an independent software vendor under a Binary Licence and Redistribution Agreement)

Further details on how to perform these steps are included in the online guide “How to uninstall Java on Mac step by step” from macpaw.com.

You will need to have administrative rights on your Linux device, and should be a competent Linux desktop administrator as these steps could prevent your device from working correctly.

  1. Use the package manager for your Linux distro to search for and remove Oracle Java packages
  2. Review the folders containing any other Oracle Java installations that you found. You will need to delete any that are not licensed (a licensed example might be a folder containing Java that is shipped as part of a product from an independent software vendor under a Binary Licence and Redistribution Agreement)
  3. Remove any references to Oracle Java from the PATH environmental variable, and remove any associated JAVA_ environment variables

Details to follow...

The University has received vendor assurances that the Java Runtime Environment bundled with the following applications has a suitable Binary Licence and Redistribution Agreement:

  • None

The University is reviewing vendor assurances regarding the following products:

  • PeopleXD

Notice: limitation of scope

Please note that this does not licence the download, installation or use of Oracle Java SE other than exactly as prescribed by the vendor for use with their application.

 

For any other application you need to contact your supplier and ask for evidence of their Oracle Java Binary Licence and Redistribution Agreement.

Please could IT support staff share any further examples on the itss-discuss maillist so we can add them here.

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