How to run .jar file

Question

I am currently running Windows 10 and am trying to open several installer .jar files for a game. In order to open the, I downloaded Java as that seems to be the most straight-forward way to do so. However, I am unable to actually "open" Java, I can go into the settings and such, and the whole folder appears to be there. When I go to launch the jar file with it, Java does not appear as an option to open it with. I have tried selecting "select a file to open with" and then navigating to the Java folder and have tried using many different files within the bin folder, however none of them do anything when I select them, except for "javaws" which just opens an error box reading "Could not launch parse file. Error at line 1."

I am happy to help with any additional information that may be necessary in order to figure this out, however I am not the most "code-literate" so the more detailed the instructions the better. Thanks so much for your help!

Answer 1

Open the command prompt by typing cmd in the Windows 10 search box ⊞ + S (Windows logo key+S).

1. Make sure you have Java installed on your system. Check this by typing java -version at the command prompt.

2. Run the .jar file using the command:

   java -jar \path\to\filename.jar  
   

   where \path\to\filename.jar in the above command should be replaced with the full path to the .jar file that you want to run.

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If you double-click on a .jar file and your Java application does not start, your .jar association has been hijacked.

The workaround is to reinstall the Java Runtime Environment or fix the Windows Registry manually each time this problem occurs.

There is also a free, third-party tool called Jarfix to fix the jar association on Windows.