Java, just like Adobe Flash, is often a major security flaw waiting to happen for both Mac and PC owners.
Although Apple takes security very seriously and just about forces Mac users with Java to check for Java updates automatically, it’s still never a bad idea to check on your own from time to time.
Since we recently showed you how to check for Flash updates manually, it only made sense to follow up with a similar guide for Java, which is also a commonly-used web plugin.
In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to see if you have the latest version of Java installed on your computer or not.
Checking for Java updates on your Mac
Java is a little bit more of a pain in the butt to check for updates for.
Unlike Flash, which allowed you to check for updates directly from the System Preferences app, Java on your Mac is set to check for updates automatically, and your Mac really doesn’t want to let you disable this function despite how hard you might try (but why would you anyways?).
So, if the process is different, how is it done? We’ll show you… just follow these easy steps:
1) Launch your favorite web browser, such as Safari, and visit the Java version verification website.
2) Click on the big red Verify Java version button that shows on the website.
3) You may or may not be asked to trust the website to run Java, if you are asked, Trust it:
4) Your Mac should now ask you if you want to run Java (yes, it asks this immediately after you trust it). Click on the Run button.
5) The online tool will run and attempt to verify the Java version you have. If you’re up to date, you’ll get this message:
If you see any other message, you will need to update Java immediately for your security. The latest version of Java for Mac and PC can always be downloaded from Oracle’s website.
Wrapping up
Because Java can be such a huge security risk, many people choose not to run it at all. On the other hand, those that do need to keep it up to date so they don’t leave themselves wide open to hacks and malware infections that could leave their personal information wide open to hackers.
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Do you use Java on your system? Share in the comments below and let us know how often you check for updates, if even at all.