Apache Tika unsupported class file version error

[AutumnGamer]

I am trying to use Apache Tika to compare Libre Office files, so I downloaded the plugin, but it gives an unsupported class file version error. It says the plugin is compiled with class file version 55, and my jre uses 52. I have checked Java for updates but it says I have the latest version. Does anybody know what else I can try to fix this error? Thank you very much!

Relevant version info:

• WinMerge 2.16.50.2
• Java 1.8.0_461-b11

Screenshot:

[sdottaka]

Apache Tika 3.0.0 and later requires Java 11 or higher, so it cannot run on Java 8.
If possible, please remove Java 8 and install Java 11 or newer.

[AutumnGamer]

If I go to java.com it only offers 8, and if I go to oracle.com I can only get SDK for java 11, not JRE. Is it possible to get an older version of Apache Tika that runs on 8?

[sdottaka]

Apache Tika 3.0.0 and later requires Java 11 or higher.
If you need to stay on Java 8, you could try using Apache Tika 2.9.4, which should still be compatible with Java 8 (although I have not personally tested this). You can download it here:

https://www.apache.org/dyn/closer.lua/tika/2.9.4/tika-app-2.9.4.jar

After downloading, replace the existing file at:

C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Roaming\WinMerge\Commands\Apache-Tika\tika-app-3.0.0.jar

Rename the downloaded file from tika-app-2.9.4.jar to tika-app-3.0.0.jar so that WinMerge can load it correctly.
(Replace YourUserName with your actual Windows account name.)

Alternatively, if possible, upgrading to Java 11 or newer would allow you to continue using the latest Tika 3.0.0. You can download Java 11+ runtimes from distributions such as:

• [Adoptium Temurin](https://adoptium.net/)
• [Zulu OpenJDK](https://www.azul.com/downloads/)

[AutumnGamer]

I have downloaded tika 2.9.4 and now I can compare the text from ods files. I assume there is no way to compare the actual files apart from the text, but at least this works now! Thank you very much for your help!