How to install Java 8 on Mac

Question

I want to do some programming with the latest JavaFX, which requires Java 8. I'm using IntelliJ 13 CE and Mac OS X 9 Mavericks. I ran Oracle's Java 8 installer, and the files look like they ended up at

/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk1.8.0_05.jdk

but previous versions are at

/System/Library/Java/JavaFrameworks/jdk1.6....

Not sure why the latest installer puts this in /Library instead of /System/Library (nor what the difference is). But /usr/libexec/java_home doesn't find 1.8, so all the posts I've found on how to set your current java version don't work. I've tried adding a symbolic link to make it look like 1.8 is in the /System/Library... path, but it doesn't help. /usr/libexec/java_home -V still only lists the old Java 1.6.

Ironically, the "Java" control panel under System Preferences shows only Java 1.8!

Why doesn't Oracle's installer put it where it really goes? And how can I work around this problem?

Answer 1

Follow these steps to install Java on Mac

• Download the JRE-8u65-macosx-x64.pkg file from here. Examine and agree to the terms of the license agreement before downloading the file.
• Double-click the .pkg file to start it
• Double-click on the package icon to run install Wizard
• After this, the Install Wizard displays the Welcome to Java installation screen. Click Next 
• After the installation has finished, a confirmation screen appears. Click Close to end the installation.