Installed Java 7 on Mac OS X but Terminal is still using version 6

I've installed JDK 7u7 downloaded from oracle's website. But after installation, the terminal is still showing java version 6

$java -version
java version "1.6.0_35"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_35-b10-428-11M3811)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 20.10-b01-428, mixed mode)

any idea why java 7 is not showing up?

Ans: OK, the problem has been resolved. Here is the answer: I found that my Terminal has a .bash_profile and the java home variable is set to 1.6

export JAVA_HOME="/System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.6.0/Home"

So this is the line causing the problem every time I opened a new terminal window. Simply remove this line will solve the problem. You still need to follow what @aleroot said, but if that doesn't work for you, check the .bash_profile (or .bashrc) setting file to see if you've previously exported any java version.

Oracle's installer puts java inside the /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin. And it doesn't overwrite /usr/bin/java. So, if you issue a

whereis java

in the terminal, it'll return /usr/bin/java. (which in turn points to /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/A/Commands/java, which is Apple's 1.6 version).

So, if you want to use the new java version, replace the /usr/bin/java symlink so that it points to /Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home/bin/java instead:

sudo rm /usr/bin/java
sudo ln -s /Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home/bin/java /usr/bin

Install the JDK 7 and this problem will solve itself.

Be sure to get the Java Development Kit (JDK) which includes compilers and stuff like that, rather than just the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) .

vi ~/.bash_profile

add

export JAVA_HOME=`/usr/libexec/java_home -v 1.7`

This tells your /usr/bin/java link target to use the latest Java 7 Package installed in

/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/

So for JDK 1.7.0_17 JAVA_HOME would be:

/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk1.7.0_17.jdk/Contents/Home

Note: There were a lot of change in this area recently to move Mac OS X from Appels own System integrated Java packages to Oracle based Java Packages. The above solution is working fine as of Mac OS X 10.8.2

Because you need to enter in Java Preferences pane and flag only the JVM 7 in this way :

To easily and quickly open the Java Preferences pane in Mac OS X you can simply call spotlight with ⌘+SPACE and type System Preferences it will show up in the last row of the window.

In my case, the issue was that Oracle was installing it to a different location than I was used to.

Download from Oracle: http://java.com/en/download/mac_download.jsp?locale=en

1. Verify that it's installed properly by looking in System Prefs:

   • Command-Space to open Spotlight, type 'System Preferences', hit enter.
   • Click Java icon in bottom row. After the Java Control Panel opens, click 'Java' tab, 'View...', and verify that your install worked. You can see a 'Path' there also, which you can sub into the commands below in case they are different than mine.

2. Verify that the version is as you expect (sub in your path as needed):

   /Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home/bin/java -version

3. Create link from /usr/bin/java to your new install

   sudo ln -fs /Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home/bin/java /usr/bin/java

4. Sanity check your version:

   java -version