Merge pull request #6562 from MicrosoftDocs/jken/revise-dev-environment-landing

Add Java getting started page for Windows dev environment

Author: GrantMeStrength

hub/dev-environment/index.md

@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 title: Windows developer tools
 description: Windows includes built-in tools designed for developers — a package manager, a Linux subsystem, optimized storage, and more.
 ms.topic: overview
-ms.subservice: windows-nodejs
 ms.date: 03/26/2026
 ---
 
@@ -73,12 +72,19 @@ Follow these guides to set up your development environment for your preferred la
         **[Get started with Python](./python.md)**<br>
         Install Python and set up your development environment on Windows.
     :::column-end:::
+    :::column:::
+       [![Java icon](../images/java-logo.png)](./java.md)<br>
+        **[Get started with Java](./java.md)**<br>
+        Install a JDK, configure JAVA_HOME, and set up your Java development environment on Windows.
+    :::column-end:::
+:::row-end:::
+
+:::row:::
     :::column:::
        [![C / C++](../images/c-logo.png)](/cpp/)<br>
         **[Get started with C++ and C](/cpp/)**<br>
         Develop apps, services, and tools with C++, C, and assembly.
     :::column-end:::
-:::row-end:::
 
 :::row:::
     :::column:::

hub/dev-environment/java.md

@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+---
+title: Get started with Java on Windows
+description: A guide to help you set up a Java development environment on Windows, including JDK installation, JAVA_HOME configuration, and recommended tools.
+ms.topic: get-started
+ms.date: 03/27/2026
+---
+
+# Get started with Java on Windows
+
+This guide covers what's different about setting up Java on Windows compared to Mac or Linux, and gets you to a working JDK installation with your environment configured correctly.
+
+## Choose a JDK
+
+Several JDK distributions are available for Windows. Microsoft publishes its own build based on OpenJDK:
+
+- **[Microsoft Build of OpenJDK](https://www.microsoft.com/openjdk)** — free, open source, supported by Microsoft, available for Windows x64 and ARM64
+- **[Eclipse Temurin (Adoptium)](https://adoptium.net/)** — widely used open-source distribution
+- **[Oracle JDK](https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/downloads/)** — requires a license for commercial use
+
+For most developers, Microsoft Build of OpenJDK or Temurin are good choices.
+
+## Install with winget
+
+Open a PowerShell or Command Prompt terminal and run:
+
+```powershell
+winget install Microsoft.OpenJDK.21
+```
+
+To install Temurin instead:
+
+```powershell
+winget install EclipseAdoptium.Temurin.21.JDK
+```
+
+Verify the installation:
+
+```powershell
+java -version
+```
+
+## Set JAVA_HOME
+
+Unlike on macOS (where `/usr/libexec/java_home` handles this), on Windows you need to set `JAVA_HOME` manually. Many tools — Maven, Gradle, Android Studio — require it.
+
+1. Open **Start**, search for **Environment Variables**, and select **Edit the system environment variables**.
+2. Click **Environment Variables**.
+3. Under **System variables**, click **New** and set:
+   - Variable name: `JAVA_HOME`
+   - Variable value: the path to your JDK, for example `C:\Program Files\Microsoft\jdk-21.0.x.x-hotspot`
+4. Find the **Path** variable under System variables, click **Edit**, and add `%JAVA_HOME%\bin`.
+5. Click OK to close all dialogs, then open a new terminal and verify:
+
+```powershell
+echo $env:JAVA_HOME
+java -version
+javac -version
+```
+
+> [!TIP]
+> If you have multiple JDKs installed, the one listed first in `Path` takes precedence. Tools like [SDKMAN](https://sdkman.io/) (via WSL) or [jEnv](https://www.jenv.be/) can help manage multiple versions.
+
+## WSL or native Windows?
+
+For most Java development — web backends, Android, enterprise apps — native Windows works well. Use WSL if your build tooling or deployment target is Linux-specific, or if you're working in a team where everyone else is on Linux/Mac and you want environment parity.
+
+## Recommended editors
+
+- **[Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/)** with the [Extension Pack for Java](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=vscjava.vscode-java-pack) — lightweight, works well for most projects
+- **[IntelliJ IDEA](https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/)** — full-featured IDE, the Community edition is free
+
+## Next steps
+
+> [!div class="nextstepaction"]
+> [Java on Azure and Windows documentation](/java/)
+
+- [Java for Beginners (video series)](https://learn.microsoft.com/shows/java-for-beginners/)
+- [Learn Java (java.com)](https://dev.java/learn/)
+- [Maven in 5 minutes](https://maven.apache.org/guides/getting-started/maven-in-five-minutes.html)
+- [Gradle quickstart](https://docs.gradle.org/current/userguide/getting_started_eng.html)
+- [Java in Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/languages/java)

hub/dev-environment/toc.yml

@@ -136,6 +136,8 @@ items:
               href: ./javascript/vue-on-windows.md
   - name: Get started with Python
     href: ./python.md
+  - name: Get started with Java
+    href: ./java.md
   - name: Get started with C and C++
     href: /cpp/
   - name: Get started with C#