Re-Enable Apple Java 6 SE from Command Line?

Two things are needed worst case (and assuming you are still on 10.6 Snow Leopard):

  1. Re-download the SE 6 and install it
  2. Manually enable browser plug in if you care to have that functionality:
 ln -sf /System/Library/Java/Support/Deploy.bundle/Contents/Resources/JavaPlugin2_NPAPI.plugin "/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin"
 ln -sf /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Commands/javaws /usr/bin/javaws

There is great coverage of the how and why I came up with these steps from Rich Trouton's blog:

  • Re-enable the Apple Java 6 plug-in for use with web browsers
  • Java for OS X 2012-006 and Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 11

Apple also has similar steps in their KB article about the move from SE 6 to 7 here:

  • Java for OS X 2012-006: How to re-enable the Apple-provided Java SE 6 applet plug-in and Web Start functionality

https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/69670/8546 and https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/70418/8546 refer to Apple article HT5559, modified 2012-10-22:

Java for OS X 2012-006: How to re-enable the Apple-provided Java SE 6 applet plug-in and Web Start functionality

to disable Java 7 and re-enable the Apple-provided Java SE 6 plug-in

  • three commands
  • a fourth command to re-enable Apple's Java SE 6 Web Start.