Creating Executable Jars

A .jar file can be used to distribute a Java program. A .jar file is essentially a .zip file that follows a specific structure. This page describes how to use IntelliJ to create a .jar file that can be executed from the command line.

Jar with JavaFX packages included (preferred)

If the computer intended to run the program does not have JavaFX installed on it, it is possible to bundle the JavaFX libraries in the .jar but it requires more steps and results in a larger file.

Configuring Jar to be Created

Create the following Launcher class

public class Launcher {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Replace "Main" with the name of the class that extends Application
        // See https://stackoverflow.com/a/52654791/3956070 for explanation
        Main.main(args); 
    }
}

Go to File -> Project Structure... (CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+S)
Select Artifacts
Click +
Select JAR -> From modules with dependencies...
Select the class Launcher class
Click OK
Click the + below the Output Layout tab and select Directory Content
Select the C:\Program Files\Java\javafx-sdk-19\bin folder
Click OK twice

Creating the Jar

Go to Build -> Build Artifacts
Select the Build action in the pop-up menu
The .jar file should be located in a folder in the out\artifacts folder of your project

Running the Jar file

You should be able to run the .jar file on any Windows system with Java, but not necessarily JavaFX, installed. Move the .jar file to your project folder (same folder as the src and .iml file). Then use the following command (from the command line):

java -jar WHATEVER.jar

Jar without JavaFX packages

This approach requires that the computer on which the .jar is to be executed already has JavaFX installed and configured.

Configuring Jar to be Created

Go to File -> Project Structure... (CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+S)
Select Artifacts
Click +
Select JAR -> From modules with dependencies...
Select the class that contains the main method (class that extends Application)
Click OK
In the Output Layout tab, remove all but the last item:
- Select Extracted ‘javafx-swf.jar/‘ and click -
- Remove the remaining entries that begin with Extracted leaving just one entry containing compiled output

Creating the Jar

Go to Build -> Build Artifacts
Select the Build action in the pop-up menu
The .jar file should be located in a folder in the out\artifacts folder of your project

Running the Jar file

You should be able to run the .jar file on any Windows system with Java and JavaFX installed. Move the .jar file to your project folder (same folder as the src and .iml file). Then use the following command (from the command line):

java —module-path C:\Java\javafx-sdk-19\lib —add-modules javafx.controls,javafx.fxml,javafx.swing -jar WHATEVER.jar

Of course, you’ll need to modify the module path to where you installed JavaFX.