Oracle SQLDeveloper on MacOS won't open after installation of correct Java

Question

I downloaded the Oracle SQLDeveloper, but when I opened it, it said that it requires a minimum of Java 8 and gave me the website for the download. I went on and downloaded Java 10.0.1, but when I went back on to open SQL, it continued saying it required a minimum of Java 8.

I checked that the Java 10.0.1 had installed correctly, and I'm pretty sure it has. It shows up in System Preferences and when clicked, it opens the Java Control Panel fine.

I had also found someone recommending trying this command:

c:\Program Files\Oracle\sqlcl\17.3\sqlcl\bin>java -version

After trying this in the Terminal, I ended up with command not found.

I'm on a MacOS X El Captain 10.11.6.

Answer 1

The post above is right: SQLDeveloper only runs under Java 8.

This is counter-intuitive as other programs runs under at least X version of a software (not only X version). I kept downloading Java 11 with no luck.

After 1 failed attempt a month ago and two hours of searching today, I found this easy fix worked for me.

Solution

1. Delete the following Java files and folders on your mac.

   • /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin
   • /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/(delete current java folder)

2. Download and install Java 8. https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jdk8-downloads-2133151.html

3. Launch SQLDeveloper.

Answer 2

SQL Developer runs this which checks for java 9 then 8. We don't yet support (lack of a ton of testing) java 10. You went to new for us. Back up to 8 or 9 and should be fine.

We use /usr/libexec/java_home which allows us to specify which version of java we'd like to run. So even if you have N javas installed, it should return the highest one that was passed in with flags.

   #!/bin/bash 
              ##### THIS IS CHECKING FOR JAVA 9 #####
   TMP_PATH=`/usr/libexec/java_home -F -v 9`

   if [ -z "$TMP_PATH" ] ; then

              ##### THIS IS CHECKING FOR JAVA 8 #####
     TMP_PATH=`/usr/libexec/java_home -F -v 1.8`

     if [ -z "$TMP_PATH" ] ; then
       osascript -e 'tell app "System Events" to display dialog "SQL Developer requires a     minimum of Java 8. \nJava 8 can be downloaded from:\n http://www.oracle.com/technetwork    /java/javase/downloads/"'
       exit 1
     fi
   fi

Answer 3

If you check the download page (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/sql-developer/downloads/index.html) it says JDK8 required. I don't think it supports Java 9 or 10. Many programs still don't.

As for the command you tried it is for Windows, there is no c:\Program Files on MacOS. It should be enough to run java -version.

You may want to check how you can run multiple Java versions, see Mac OS X and multiple Java versions. It is a bit messy, but sooner or later you will need it!

Answer 4

You have to set the Java home. Please follow the steps given below.

• find the installation directory by right-clicking the OracledataModeler icon and "Show Package Content" this will show you the installation directory on a Mac

• Go to the (installation directoy for example ) /Users/user directory/Downloads/OracleDataModeler.app/Contents/Resources/datamodeler/datamodeler/bin

• edit the datamodeler.conf file in the \datamodeler\datamodeler\bin directory and add SetJavaHome. (e.g. SetJavaHome /usr/lib/jdk18)

• SetJavaHome /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk1.8.0_221.jdk/Contents/Home

• Start the SQL data modeler from (installation directory) /Users/user directory/Downloads/OracleDataModeler.app/Contents/Resources/datamodeler/datamodeler.sh

Answer 5

If OpenJDK would work for you, and you are already using/willing to use Homebrew, AdoptOpenJDK works for me:

brew tap AdoptOpenJDK/openjdk
brew install adoptopenjdk8

I have not tested this thoroughly, but at the very least I am able to bring up SQL Developer 19.1.0.094, connect to a database, and run queries on it.

It did not work if I tried to use their instructions to install the "latest" version: brew cask install adoptopenjdk, as this seems to install OpenJDK 12.x as of May 2019.

There are other methods to install OpenJDK, but this was an easy one.

Answer 6

I had the same problem, and none of the above solutions worked for me. I am running MacOS 10.14.5

Instead, I had to uninstall Java12 which I had installed via home brew, and sqlDeveloper. After uninstalling and deleting both, I installed Java8 JDK directly from the oracle website via download, and then I reinstalled sqlDeveloper. After wasting three hours trying to get this to work, this set of steps finally did the trick. I hope this helps others.