How to run a JAR file on Windows

Windows applications are primarily packaged as installers or executable files. An application installer has the extension MSI and an executable file has the extension EXE. Sometimes a programmer may choose to compress an EXE file. This is done considering browsers block the download of an EXE thinking that information technology is malicious. Similarly, some email clients and services may non let users to attach or download an EXE file. Therefore, Windows users are used to extracting an EXE file from a compressed folder to run it. Although normal, this can be confusing if you take downloaded a JAR file. The JAR file will be associated with the 7zip or Winzip applications. The annal application will be able to extract the JAR file, but at that place will be nothing for it to run. Here'southward how you can run a JAR file on Windows.

What is a JAR file?

A JAR file is a Java file. JAR is the file extension for Java files. Applications are designed to run on the JAVA framework. Minecraft (the desktop version) is a mutual example of an application that requires Java installed on your organisation to run. Minecraft itself is packaged equally an EXE file so you lot never take to run a JAR file with it.

The JAR file is a pure Java application that has not been packaged into an EXE. Windows alone cannot run information technology.

Install Java

To run a JAR file on Windows, y'all demand to install Java on your system. Check if the file yous want to run requires a specific version of Java to run. If the developer has not specified a version, download and install the latest version of Java on your organization.

Run a JAR file

The file association of the JAR file volition non change once yous have installed Java. Browse to the folder where the JAR file is located. Right click and go to the 'Open With' option. Select 'Choose some other app'. You volition see 'Java (TM) Platform SE binary' in this context menu, but practice not select it. Select the 'Choose some other app' option.

The message "How do you want to open this file?" the menu will appear. Select 'Java (TM) Platform SE binary' and bank check the 'Ever apply this application to open .jar files' option at the bottom. Click OK'.

The file will at present open. All future JAR files that yous download volition at present be associated with Java. You lot will simply have to double-click on a JAR file to run it. The side by side JAR file you lot download will not exist associated with a file awarding. Instead, the file's icon volition be the official Coffee file icon.