I installed Java 6 on Yosemite, because another install (IBM Notes) said I needed this. I did this using Apple's installer: Java for OS X 2015-001
Now I'd like to uninstall, but I can only find instructions for Java 7 and 8. Can anyone help?
iMac (21.5-inch Mid 2010), OS X Yosemite (10.10.4)
Believe it or not, the easiest way to uninstall Java 6 is to either restore a backup you made before installing Java 6, or reinstall the OS. Reinstalling the OS always removes the Apple versions of Java.
Java 6 installs over 1300 files and folders to numerous locations on the drive. There is no easy way to manually uninstall it, and Apple doesn't provide an uninstaller.
I installed the Java 8 Runtime Environment which overwrote Java 6 obviating any necessity to remove it. I did have an application that for some reason refused to recognize the Java 8 so I installed the Java 8 SE Java Development Kit from Oracle and that took care of that problem. I would start with the Java 8 Runtime Environment and only install the JDK if there were a problem.
I installed the Java 8 Runtime Environment which overwrote Java 6 obviating any necessity to remove it.
That is incorrect. Java 6 and 8 can and do exist at the same time. Java 8 is installed only to the /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/ folder in the single package file JavaAppletPlugin.plugin. Java 6 is not. It's all over the place, including hidden folders, and none of it in the /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/ folder. So it's not even possible for Java 8 to overwrite 6.
Thanks. I'm just about to switch to using a new macbook, arriving today. If I use migration assistant to set up my macbook, do you know if it will transfer the Java 6 over? If not, then once I have transferred to it, I can do a reinstall on my old machine, which my wife is going to use.
How can I tell if Java 6 is on my machine? Where, in the folder structure, would I find a file that would tell me?
I've never used Migration Assistant, so can't say if it would carry Java 6 over, but probably so.
In the root Library folder (not the one with the System folder or your user account), if you can navigate to:
/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/1.6.0.jdk
Then Java 6 is installed. You can double prove it by opening Terminal in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder and typing:
java -version
It should return something like this:
java version "1.6.0_65"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_65-b14-468-11M4828a)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 20.65-b04-468, mixed mode)
The 6 means version 6, and the 65 is the release number (version 65 of Java 6). It's unknown why Oracle puts the preceding 1 or trailing 0 in the version numbers for Java.
Thanks, again. That folder is certainly there at present, so I'll check after migrating. If it has been transferred, I might have to do a clean install on the new macbook and manually migrate.
It doesn't hurt anything to leave Java 6 installed, if that's your concern. Mavericks and Yosemite will not allow its own Java 6, or Oracle's Java 7 to connect to any web browser. The web is where the real dangers of Java are. On your Mac, it's only as dangerous as any other unknown third party app you install may be.
Ah, thanks, that's reassuring. So Apple have blocked the dangers that became apparent a few years ago.
I'd still rather get rid of it if I can.
If you have no need for it, then you can of course get rid of it.
I have both 6 and 8 installed. I still need Java 6 to run X-Rite's ColorPort software, and Java 8 to run ROES uploading software for our small business. Though you can trick apps looking for Java 6 into believing it's installed as long as Java 8 already exists.
Just migrated everything from old iMac to new Macbook using Migration Assistant. /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines is empty, so it did not transfer over. (Strictly, I migrated from a time machine back up, but it was a full back up of the iMac HD, so should be the same as migrating from the iMac itself.)
Interesting. Migration must intentionally skip copying over Java 6 for essentially the same reason reinstalling the same version of OS X, or a newer version removes it. Thanks for the update!
It may not be easy to remove (I haven't dug deeper) but it is fairly simple to at least disable. This may provide the extra piece of mind your look for.
You must have admin rights. Open terminal and type:
sudo mv /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines JavaVirtualMachines.old
(It will prompt you for your password.)
Done. Now if you type "java --version", as suggest above, you will see a prompt suggesting the Java JDK be installed. Any apps calling Java locally will do the same.
Kurt - another data point.
When I had both Apple Java 6 and Oracle JRE 8 installed, the commandline
java -version
returned 1.6.xxx.
After installing Oracle JDK 8, it returns
1.8.xxx
So, I think the JDK modifies all the old links to use 1.8.
My only useful test software is NIH ImageJ, which reports which java version it is using - and used to report 6 after installing JRE 8. And now reports java 8.
That's bizarre, since it shouldn't. When I had both Java 8 and 6 installed, with Java 8 having been installed second, the Terminal command always returned
java version "1.6.0_65".
Possibly a change in the latest version of Java 8?
I no longer install Java 6 for the apps that require it. I instead use the two Terminal commands that create empty stub files that make the apps that use Java 6 believe it's installed. They then run under Java 8 instead of complaining that the Java runtime environment is missing.
How can I uninstall java 6?
