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Configure Java Home on Windows

Published: December 1, 2025 (Updated: Dec 1, 2025)

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Configure JAVA_HOME Like a Pro: The Essential Windows Setup Guide (Win 10 & Server)

Hi there! It’s Darren here from Darren’s Tech Tutorials. Welcome back!

If you are working with Java-based applications, need to run development tools, or manage enterprise software on your Windows machine, setting the JAVA_HOME environment variable is an essential, foundational step. Without it, many tools simply won’t know where to look for your Java Development Kit (JDK) installation.

In this quick, practical tutorial, we’re going to walk through the exact steps needed to configure JAVA_HOME on Windows. We are demonstrating this on Windows Server 2016, but the process is virtually identical for Windows 10 and 11 users!

Prerequisites: JDK Installation

Before we begin setting the environment variable, you must have the Java Development Kit (JDK) already installed on your system.

If you don’t have the JDK installed yet, please check out the video link below where I walk you through the full installation process! Once that’s done, you’re ready for the next steps.

Step 1: Accessing Advanced System Settings

The first step is to open the specific properties menu where Windows manages environment variables.

  1. Open File Explorer or simply click the Windows Explorer icon on your taskbar.
  2. In the left-hand navigation pane, Right-click on “This PC”.
  3. Select “Properties” from the context menu.
  4. In the System window that opens, look for and click “Advanced system settings”. This will open the System Properties window.

Step 2: Opening Environment Variables

Inside the System Properties window, we need to navigate to the Environment Variables manager.

  1. In the System Properties dialog box, ensure you are on the “Advanced” tab.
  2. Near the bottom of the window, click the button labeled “Environment Variables…”.

This action will open a new window showing two main sections: User Variables (for your specific user profile) and System Variables (variables available to all users and the system). We will be focusing on System Variables.

Step 3: Identify Your JDK Installation Path

Before creating the variable, we need to find the exact location of your installed JDK folder. This path will be the value of our new variable.

  1. Navigate back to your File Explorer.
  2. Go to your main system drive (usually C:/).
  3. Browse to Program Files > Java.
  4. You will see one or more folders starting with jdk- (e.g., jdk-17.0.2).
  5. Crucially: Click into the main JDK folder (e.g., C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-17.0.2). This is the path we need. Do not go into the bin folder.
  6. Copy this path (e.g., C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-17.0.2).

Step 4: Setting the JAVA_HOME System Variable

Now that we have the path, let’s create the variable in the Environment Variables window (the one we opened in Step 2).

  1. Under the “System variables” section (the lower box), click the “New…” button.
  2. A small dialog box will pop up asking for the Variable Name and Variable Value.
  3. For Variable Name: Type JAVA_HOME (Use all caps and the underscore).
  4. For Variable Value: Paste the JDK installation path you copied in Step 3. (You can also click “Browse Directory” and navigate to the folder.)
  5. Click “OK” to save the new variable.
  6. Click “OK” again to close the Environment Variables window.
  7. Click “OK” again to close the System Properties window.

You have now successfully set the JAVA_HOME environment variable!

Step 5: Confirming the Configuration

It’s always a good practice to confirm that your new variable has been correctly set and registered by the operating system. We can do this quickly using the Command Prompt (CMD).

  1. Open the Command Prompt. (Type “CMD” in the Windows search bar.)

  2. In the new CMD window, type the following command exactly as written:

    echo %JAVA_HOME%

  3. Press Enter.

Success! If the variable was set correctly, the command prompt will output the path to your JDK folder (e.g., C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-17.0.2).

If you see an error or the output simply says %JAVA_HOME%, you might need to double-check your spelling in Step 4 or reboot your machine to ensure the system registered the change.

Conclusion

That’s all there is to it! In just a few easy steps, you have configured the essential JAVA_HOME variable on your Windows system, smoothing the way for all your Java development and application needs.

We love making tech accessible and easy to follow. If this tutorial helped you get your Java environment configured quickly, please give this post a big thumbs up!

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