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How To Open .jar Files Automatically in Mac OSX

A random program that I installed reset the default application (Java) for .jar files on my Macbook, and to reset the behaviour in Mac OSX took a bit more work than I thought. Turns out the “Java Launcher” isn’t in the list of applications that you can select from, in the “Open With…” list. You’ll need to select “Open With”, choose “Other”, and browse to the following:

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home/bin/java

Ensure that it’s set to “Always Open With”, and you should be set. All .jar files will now be opened with Java in the future.

6 thoughts on “How To Open .jar Files Automatically in Mac OSX”

  1. Thanks Alvin, however I figured out that the correct launcher to point to is the jar launcher located here : /System/Library/CoreServices/Jar Launcher.app
    At least it worked for me on a macbook running sierra v10…

  2. I used the path that you mentioned, but it doesn’t recognize the java file within /bin as a program I can use to run files. Any chance there is a different file to look for?

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