Uninstall Old Java: Removing Legacy Versions Safely

As you are probably aware, we provide Java client installation packages when they are released so that you can keep your systems up to date. A lot of people recently have been asking about the uninstall of the old Java clients when installing the new ones. Well, below is a full guide on how to do this, but we have also updated our Java Archive Microsite with full instructions on how to do it too.

Uninstalling the old version of Java Client using MSI Installer

Run the following command to uninstall the JRE:

32-bit JRE:

msiexec /x {26A24AE4-039D-4CA4-87B4-2F83218025F0} /qb /norestart

64-bit JRE:

msiexec /x {26A24AE4-039D-4CA4-87B4-2F86418025F0} /qb /norestart

The value in curly braces is the MSI product code for the JRE you want to uninstall. The text in blue, 18025, correlates to the JRE version 1.8.0_25. Modify the MSI product code accordingly depending on the JRE version that you want to uninstall.

Using the old version of Java Client using Offline EXE Installer

You can use this simple command to carry out the uninstall of old versions of Java Client (silently due to the /s variable):

jre1.8.0_91.exe /s REMOVEOUTOFDATEJRES=1

But if you want to carry out more advanced changes, you will need to create a configuration file to use alongside the offline EXE installer. So, create a text file, save it as a .cfg extension and you should use the options below to carry out what you want to do with your installer.

You also have all of these options to add to your configuration file:

INSTALL_SILENT=Enable, Disable
INSTALLDIR=PATH
AUTO_UPDATE=Enable, Disable
WEB_JAVA=Enable, Disable
WEB_JAVA_SECURITY_LEVEL=H (high), VH (very high)
EULA=Enable, Disable
REBOOT=Enable, Disable
NOSTARTMENU=Enable, Disable
SPONSORS=Enable, Disable

The command line you would then use to run the offline installer and configuration file would be:

jre1.8.0_91.exe INSTALLCFG=PATH/configfile.cfg

2026 Currency Check

The msiexec and offline EXE removal commands above still work exactly as described for pulling an old JRE off a machine. A couple of things have changed around Java itself since this guide was written, though.

Since 2019, Oracle’s own Java SE licence (from Java 8u211 and all of Java 11 onward) requires a paid subscription for commercial or production use. It’s still free for personal use and development. If you need a free JRE or JDK for production, use a free OpenJDK build instead, Eclipse Temurin (from the Adoptium project) and Amazon Corretto are both free for any use, including production, and are drop-in replacements for Oracle’s builds.

Java’s version numbering has also changed. The old 1.8.0_91 style naming stopped after Java 8, current releases are just called JDK 17, JDK 21 or JDK 25, the current long-term support release as of 2026. It’s also worth checking whether you need a standalone JRE at all any more: every major browser dropped support for the NPAPI plugin architecture years ago, so a client-side JRE install is now mostly only needed for specific desktop applications rather than in-browser Java applets.

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