How to open JAR files in Windows 10 and 11

The files JAR (o Java Archive) are compressed files that are generally used to package programs or libraries developed in the Java programming language. In this post we are going to explain how to open JAR files in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

This is something we should know, since the use of this type of files is quite common. It is used, for example, for the distribution of Java applications, packaging all the elements needed to run a Java application into a single file, but also to share plugins or extensions that other programs need.

Some advantages of using these files are that they are easier to distribute and manage. In addition, They can be run on any system that has the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) installed.), which increases its portability possibilities. Finally, it should be mentioned that JAR files contain a manifest file which stores information about how the program should be executed when starting.

It should also be noted that Java applications can be run on all operating systems for which the virtual machine is available. There is no need to modify the code, as is the case with other compiled programming languages.

Opening JAR files, step by step

To open JAR files, whether on Windows 10 or Windows 11, you need to having installed the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) on our PCThis is a prerequisite, since JAR files have been designed to run exclusively in this environment.

One positive point is that Java versions are constantly updated. The program itself is responsible for automatically searching for new versions and notifying the user so that they can download and install them.

The classic method is to install Java on our computer and configure it so that it is able to open this type of files. This is what we should do:

1. First, let's go to official Java website, from where we download Java Runtime Environment (JRE)*. Obviously, it is important to choose the most suitable version for our operating system.
2. After downloading, you have to Install Java following the wizard instructions that appear on the screen.
3. The next step is to configure Java so that it can open JAR files. To do this, right-click on the program icon and choose "Open with."
4. From the list of options that appear, we select “Choose another app.”
5. The one we should select is Java(TM) Platform SE binary. If it does not appear as an available option, we can go to the option «Find another app on this computer» and navigate to the folder C:\Program Files\Java\jre(version)\bin\javaw.exe.
6. Finally, we checked the box. «Always use this application to open .jar files.»

(*) If we also plan to develop in Java, it will be necessary to download the Java Development Kit (JDK).

Other ways to run JAR files

In the previous section, when we got to step 3 to open JAR files, we can try other ways to perform this action that may be more comfortable or more convenient for us. These are the alternatives:

Open JAR files from the command line (CMD)

These are the steps to follow:

1. We used the key combination Windows + R to open the Windows start menu search engine. There we write cmd and we press Enter.
2. Once the command console has started, we enter the following code: java -jar path/to/file.jar (replacing “path/to/file.jar” with the actual location of the file, obviously).

Opening JAR files with an external program

If we do not want to use the command console, we can always use the use of third-party programs. One of the most recommended is Jarfix, which is used by many users around the world.

Another program that we can use when working with JAR files is a file decompressor. We have all used them at some point. Some of them are very popular, such as WinRAR o 7-ZipWith them we can extract the files contained in the JAR, although not execute them.