Can I have two versions of the JDK on my computer?

Question

I'm trying to set the IntelliJ IDEA JDK to version 1.8 (because it's the latest). When I navigate to System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework IntelliJ IDEA shows 1.6. When I type java -version it shows 1.8. I found that command under "Finding default JDK on OSX" https://www.java.com/en/download/help/version_manual.xml

I'm confused what versions of the JDK I have... and where they are located. Appreciate any help.

Answer 1

Yes, you can. You have JDK 1.6 and 1.8 installed on your computer. According to the Jetbrains website , all their products require Apple JDK 1.6 to be installed in order to run on Mac.
To make IntelliJ IDEA use JDK 1.8, you will need to edit /Applications/<Product>.app/Contents/Info.plist file and change JVMVersion from 1.6* to 1.8* :

<key>JVMVersion</key>
<string>1.8*</string>

Answer 2

To start off java will usually uninstall any version of the JDK when you get an update. Secondly if you want to check to see what version you are running I would go into what ever you are using to program and see what version you are compiling under (For example netbeans or eclipse). If it says 1.8 that is what you are running and same for 1.6. If this is really becoming a super big problem all you have to is uninstall java then re install and it should fix it.

Answer 3

You can have many different versions of Java on your system. In general Java depends on environment variables and the PATH environment variable. Some programs and tools look for tool specific environment variables to allow you to use a specific version of Java for that particular tool.

In the case of IntellJ the link that Eddie B posted in his comment explains how IntellJ determines which "installation" of Java it should use.