failure on installing java on my macbook air 2020

Here’s what worked for me:

Download the ARM64 (aarch64) version – which you’ve done.

Use Terminal to verify installation:

After installing, open Terminal and run:

/usr/libexec/java_home -V

java -version

If it says command not found or throws an error, the install didn’t complete properly.

Try installing via Homebrew

:

This avoids .dmg issues entirely:

brew install openjdk@21

Then link it:

sudo ln -sfn /opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk@21/libexec/openjdk.jdk /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/openjdk-21.jdk

Check System Settings > Privacy & Security – If you see a block on Oracle or the JDK installer, allow it manually and retry.

As someone brushing up my Java skills, I recently enrolled in this Java Full Stack Developer course in Online

— it’s been super helpful with real-world projects and hands-on dev environment setup (especially for M1/M2 Macs). Might be worth checking out if you're doing this for learning or career growth

That's a Java development kit. You probably want the runtime engine. The name would be "jre-8u461-macosx-aarch64.dmg" You can download it from here: https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

Out of curiosity. Why do you need to install a separate Java package? Java, for nearly any remaining need for it, is already installed by Apple in the System folder.

The last app I had that used Java was ROES ordering software for Bay Photo. But at least two years back (maybe more) they made that a normal app which no longer required the user to install a separate Java package. Any Java functions it does use, the OS covers.