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How do you set the java version to use in a windows git bash? Does it work via the environment variables? Java -version gives another version in dos command prompt than in git bash...

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  • How have you fixed this ? Commented Nov 9, 2013 at 23:36
  • 4
    I had PATH and JAVA_HOME set correctly, yet Git Bash kept on showing an older Java version. I'm running a 64 bit Win 7 and the catch was that I had an older 32 bit version on path 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre7\bin'. For some reason it got picked up by Git Bash although it was not explicitly referenced from anywhere. Commented Mar 11, 2014 at 8:28
  • Same issue here. On a "normal" command line prompt, JAVA_HOME points to the jdk8. In Git Shell, if I compile an android project for example, it complains JAVA_HOME points to the jre8. Commented Sep 6, 2014 at 5:50

5 Answers 5

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Let's say you want to try other Java versions but you don't want to alter the Windows environment variables.

Steps:

  • Go to your home folder. i.e. C:\Users\MyAccountName

  • Edit the .bashrc file and add the following code below.

    #For example:
export JAVA_HOME='/c/Program Files (x86)/Java/jdk1.8.0_45'
export PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH

  • .bashrc and .bash_profile are files created during the git-bash installation.

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You can also use both statements in a shell skript (executed by git bash) if you just want to change the java version for a specific shell skript. This worked in my case.
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You don't set the java version. You are seeking the $PATH (bash) and the %PATH% (Windows/DOS/cmd.exe) environment variables. When you run the command java -version, the shell searches the directories on the $PATH to locate the java program and run it with the given arguments. If you get different results in different shells then that means you have different PATHs such that a different installation of Java is found.

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Edit your $HOME/.bashrc or $HOME/.login. See man bash for details on how bash handles startup configuration.
for posterity: export PATH="/c/Program Files/Java/<jdk>/bin:$PATH"
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  1. Go to System Properties -> Advanced -> Environment Variables
  2. New System Variable
  3. 'Variable name': PATH
  4. 'Variable value': C\Program Files\Java\jdk-9\bin (or whatever your path is)
  5. Restart Git Bash

(Windows 10)

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I ended up doing the same. With multiple JDK, the first JDK found is used, i.e. switching between JDK by re-ordering path seems easier.
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Yes the environment variables affect which java is used in Git Bash. But if setting the $JAVA_HOME and $PATH variables doesn't seem work, try this:

  1. Go to the folder where Git Bash is installed (usually C:\Program Files\Git)
  2. Go to usr/bin folder, i.e. C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin
  3. There should be a file named "java" there. Rename it to "notjava".

  4. Now set the PATH variable as described in the other answers. I.e.

    export JAVA_HOME='{yourjavahome}'

  5. Restart Git Bash.

This is what worked for me. I'm using Git for Windows v2.17.0.

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Go the location where you want to set java path temporarily. Run below command. export PATH="/c/Program Files/Java/jdk-11.0.1/bin:$PATH"

User the jdk version you want in place of jdk-11.0.1

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I had to use Windows notation for the path: export JAVA_HOME="C:\JAVA\openjdk\jdk-17"

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