G-EARTH INSTRUCTIONS (Mac)

How to Set Up G-Earth on macOS (Beginner-Friendly Guide)

Word of note: I have not tested this setup - this is generated off of my Windows instructions, so YMMV.

1. Install the Correct Java (Liberica / BellSoft JDK 8 Full)

G-Earth requires a special version of Java that includes JavaFX. On macOS, the easiest option is the Liberica JDK 8 Full from BellSoft.

Download it here:

https://bell-sw.com/pages/downloads/#/java-8-lts

Choose:

• Liberica JDK 8 (Full)
• Your processor type: macOS x64 (Intel) or macOS aarch64 (M1/M2/M3 Apple Silicon)

Install it normally — just open the downloaded file and follow the on-screen steps.

1.1 Optional: Confirm that Java Installed Correctly

You can verify it using the Terminal app:

Where to find Terminal:

• Open Finder
• Open Applications
• Open Utilities
• Launch Terminal

Once Terminal is open, type:

/usr/libexec/java_home -V

If the installation was successful, you should see an entry mentioning Liberica JDK 8 Full.

2. Place G-Earth.jar Somewhere Easy to Find

Create a folder for it (optional, but helps keep things organized):

• Open Finder
• Go to your home folder (click Go > Home in the menu bar)
• Create a new folder called Applications if you don’t already have one
• Inside that, create a folder named G-Earth
• Move the contents of the G-Earth folder you downloaded into that folder

Your path will look like:

~/Applications/G-Earth/G-Earth.jar

3. Create a macOS Launch Script (.command file)

Option A: Create the Script Using TextEdit (Beginner-Friendly)

1. Open TextEdit (Applications → TextEdit)

2. Go to Format → Make Plain Text

3. Paste the following into the blank document:

#!/bin/bash

echo "Locating Java 8..."
JAVA_HOME="$(/usr/libexec/java_home -v 1.8)" || {
  echo "Could not find a Java 8 installation. Make sure Liberica JDK 8 Full is installed."
  read -p "Press Enter to close this window..."
  exit 1
}

echo "Using Java from: $JAVA_HOME"
"$JAVA_HOME/bin/java" -version
echo ""

GEARTH_PATH="/Applications/G-Earth/G-Earth.jar"

if [ ! -f "$GEARTH_PATH" ]; then
  echo "Could not find G-Earth at:"
  echo "  $GEARTH_PATH"
  echo "Please check that G-Earth.jar is in that folder."
  read -p "Press Enter to close this window..."
  exit 1
fi

echo "Starting G-Earth..."
echo "Jar path: $GEARTH_PATH"
echo ""

sudo "$JAVA_HOME/bin/java" -jar "$GEARTH_PATH"

echo ""
echo "G-Earth has closed. If there were any errors, they will appear above."
read -p "Press Enter to close this window..."

4. Save the file:

• Click File → Save
• Name the file: launch-g-earth.command
• Save it in your Home folder for easy access
• When asked about file format, choose Plain Text

5. Make the script executable:

Open Terminal again and run:

chmod +x ~/launch-g-earth.command

Your script is now ready!

Option B: Create the Script Using Terminal (For Users Comfortable with It)

In Terminal, type:

nano ~/launch-g-earth.command

Paste the same script, then save:

• Ctrl + O → press Enter to confirm
• Ctrl + X to close the editor

Make it executable:

chmod +x ~/launch-g-earth.command

4. Running G-Earth

You can launch it in either of these ways:

• Double-click launch-g-earth.command in Finder
• Or run it from Terminal:

~/launch-g-earth.command

Because G-Earth needs elevated permissions, macOS will ask for your computer password — this is normal.

5. (Optional) Create a Short Terminal Command ("gearth")

If you'd like to start G-Earth by simply typing gearth into Terminal:

1. Open Terminal 2. Run:

nano ~/.zshrc

3. Add this line at the bottom:

alias gearth="$HOME/launch-g-earth.command"

4. Save and reload:

source ~/.zshrc

Now you can run:

gearth

from any Terminal window.