[java] Gradle - Could not target platform: 'Java SE 8' using tool chain: 'JDK 7 (1.7)'

I am trying to import Gradle project in Intellij Idea with local Gradle distrib and getting stacktrace with the following message: Could not target platform: 'Java SE 8' using tool chain: 'JDK 7 (1.7)'. Could anyone explain please what could be the reason?

And so I see from other answers that there are several ways of dealing with it. But I don't believe this. It has to be reduced into one way. I love IDE but, but if I follow the IDE steps provided from different answers I know this is not the fundamental algebra. My error looked like:

* What went wrong:
Execution failed for task ':compileJava'.
> Could not target platform: 'Java SE 11' using tool chain: 'JDK 8 (1.8)'.

And the way to solve it scientifically is:

vi build.gradle

To change from:

java {
    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.toVersion('11')
    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.toVersion('11')
}

to become:

java {
    sourceCompatibility = JavaVersion.toVersion('8')
    targetCompatibility = JavaVersion.toVersion('8')
}

The scientific method is that method that is open for argumentation and deals on common denominators.

I had a very related issue but for higher Java versions:

$ ./gradlew clean assemble

... <other normal Gradle output>

Could not target platform: 'Java SE 11' using tool chain: 'JDK 8 (1.8)'.

I noticed that the task succeeded when running using InteliJ. Adding a file (same level as build.gradle) called .java-version solved my issue:

 # .java-version
 11.0.3

This is what worked for me (Intellij Idea 2018.1.2):

1) Navigate to: File -> Settings -> Build, Execution, Deployment -> Build Tools -> Gradle

2) Gradle JVM: change to version 1.8

3) Re-run the gradle task

you have to change the -> sourceCompatibility = '1.7' in build.Gradle

Java 9 JDK 9.0.4

1. Go to the top left corner of Android Studio (4.1.1)-> click on File
2. Click on Setting
3. Click on Build, Execution, Deployment
4. Click on Compiler
5. Click on Kotlin Compiler
6. Target JVM version

File | Settings | Build, Execution, Deployment | Compiler | Kotlin Compiler

For IntelliJ 2019, JDK 13 and gRPC:

Intellij IDEA -> Preferences -> Build, Execution, Deployment -> Build Tools -> Gradle -> Gradle JVM

and Select correct version.

you might also have to adding below line in your build.gradle dependencies

compileOnly group: 'javax.annotation', name: 'javax.annotation-api', version: '1.3.2'

Although this question specifically asks about IntelliJ, this was the first result I received on Google, so I believe that many Eclipse users may have the same problem using Buildship.

You can set your Gradle JVM in Eclipse by going to Gradle Tasks (in the default view, down at the bottom near the console), right-clicking on the specific task you are trying to run, clicking "Open Gradle Run Configuration..." and moving to the Java Home tab and picking the correct JVM for your project.

Since I had to compile some source with 7 compatibility, because of some legacy system and ran into the same problem. I found out that in the gradle configuration there where two options set to java 8

sourceCompatibility = 1.8
targetCompatibility = 1.8

switching these to 1.7 solved the problem for me, keeping JAVA_HOME pointing to the installed JDK-7

sourceCompatibility = 1.7
targetCompatibility = 1.7

The following worked for me:

1. Go to the top right corner of IntelliJ -> click the icon
2. In the Project Structure window -> Select project -> In the Project SDK, choose the correct version -> Click Apply -> Click Okay

For IntelliJ 2019:

Intellij IDEA -> Preferences -> Build, Execution, Deployment -> Build Tools -> Gradle -> Gradle JVM

Select correct version.