How to See what Version of Java Your Computer is Running

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Need to know what version of Java your PC is running? Here is a quick guide.

Step 1: Click the Start menu and type ‘cmd’. A shortcut to the ‘Command Prompt’ application should come up. This application came pre-installed on your Windows 7 computer. Click this shortcut.

Start menu with 'cmd' typed in

Step 2: In Command Prompt, type exactly, “java -version” (without quotation marks, of course). Make it so that it looks exactly how I have mine.

java -version

Step 3: When you hit the ‘Enter’ or ‘Return’ key on your keyboard, the Java version should come up. It should look like this:

At this point in time, the latest version of Java is 1.6.0.29, as shown. If you are reading this article at a later date, it might be different.

Step 4: To exit Command Prompt, type “exit” (again, without quotation marks) and hit ‘Enter’/'Return’. The application should quit.

"exit"

To download Java, click here: http://java.com/en/download/manual.jsp