Install Galaxy Watch Studio

Get started with Galaxy Watch Studio (GWS) in three steps:

Step 1. Download GWS

Go to https://developer.samsung.com/galaxy-watch-design/studio/overview.html and click on BETA DOWNLOAD to start the download. Requirements are also listed on this page.

If you want to download an earlier version, click on See previous versions to display all the versions available.

Step 2. Execute the installation file

Go to the directory in which you downloaded the file, unzip the executable, and double-click on the executable to start the installation.

The installation path cannot contain special characters (for example, #, !, or @).

Step 3. Start GWS

After installation has completed, an icon should appear on your desktop. Double-click on this icon to launch GWS.

Galaxy Watch Studio does not install on macOS

Newer versions of macOS include a feature that allows only trusted software to be run on your system. You may see one or more of the following messages when you try to install GWS on macOS.

  • “Installer.pkg” cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified.

    If you see this message, you need to confirm that you want to install GWS. Do the following:

    1. Open System Preferences (click on the Apple logo).

    2. Click on Security & Privacy.

    3. From the General tab, under Allow apps downloaded from, click Open Anyway next to the “Installer.pkg was blocked from use because it is not from an identified developer.”

    4. A window displays the message “macOS cannot verify the developer of Installer.pkg. Are you sure you want to open it?” Click Open to install GWS.

  • “Installer.pkg” can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software.

    or

    “Installer.pkg” can’t be opened because it was not downloaded from the App Store.

    If you see one of the messages listed above, you need to configure your system to allow it to install GWS and then confirm that you want to install GWS. Do the following:

    1. Open System Preferences (click on the Apple logo).

    2. Click on Security & Privacy.

    3. From the General tab, under Allow apps downloaded from, select App Store and identified developers.

    4. Install GWS. You will see another message, “Installer.pkg cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified.” Follow the steps in the section above.

For more information, see Safely open apps on your Mac.

Galaxy Watch Studio fails to launch

On both Windows and macOS systems, when GWS cannot find the correct version of Java to use, GWS won’t launch and one of many error messages can be displayed. Some of the known error messages include the following:

  • A Java Runtime Environment (JRE) or Java Development Kit (JDK) must be available in order to run Galaxy Watch Studio. No Java virtual machine was found after searching the following locations:
    C:\Program Files\Galaxy Watch Studio\jre\bin\javaw.exe
    javaw.exe in your current PATH

  • Failed to load the JNI shared library C:\<path_to_java>\bin\server\jvm.dll

  • Java was started but returned exit code=13

  • The application “GalaxyWatchStudio” can’t be opened.

  • Failed to find a Main Class in “/Applications/GalaxyWatchStudio.app/Contents/MacOS//…/Eclipse/plugins/org.eclipse.equinox.launcher_1.5.0.v20180512-1130.jar”

Even if you don’t see the exact error message above, your problem may be resolved by making sure GWS is using the correct version of Java. Run through the steps below to make sure GWS is using the correct version of Java.

1. Determine what version(s) of Java are installed

On Windows, open the Control Panel, go to Programs > Programs and Features, then scroll down the list to see if Java is installed and the version(s) that are installed (these steps are for Windows 10; if you are using a different version of Windows, your steps may be different). For 64-bit Java, “(64-bit)” is included in the program name.

On macOS, go to the /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/ directory (this is the default directory where Java is installed) and see if Java is installed and the version that is installed. If you have installed Java in another directory, look in that directory instead.

Do one of the following based on the version or versions of Java installed on your system.

  • Java is not installed. Install a version of Java required by GWS (see Compatibility for information about required Java versions; note that 64-bit Java is required) and re-launch GWS.

  • Only the Java version required by GWS is installed. If only one version of Java is installed and it is a version of Java required by GWS (see Compatibility for information about required Java versions; note that 64-bit Java is required), continue to step 3.

  • One or more unsupported versions of Java are installed. If your system has one or more unsupported versions of Java installed, install a version of Java required by GWS (see Compatibility for information about required Java versions; note that 64-bit Java is required). Continue to step 2.

  • A combination of one or more required and unsupported Java versions are installed. See Compatibility for information about required Java versions (note that 64-bit Java is required). Continue to step 2.

2. Determine the version of Java your system reports

From the Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (macOS), type: java –version
(if this command results in an error, type: javac –version)

  • If both of these commands are unrecognized, unknown, or not found, continue to step 3.

  • If the Java version reported is the version required by GWS, continue to step 3.

  • If the Java version reported is an unsupported version, continue to step 4.

See Compatibility for information about required Java versions (note that 64-bit Java is required).

3. Set the system path variable

If your system does not know where Java is located or it reports the version of Java required by GWS (in step 2) and the path is not already included, set the system path variable to include the location of the Java required by GWS.

Adding Java’s location to the system path variable will make this version of Java the default version used by other programs on your system. If you have other programs installed on your system that require a different version of Java and relies on the system path to find it, skip this step and continue to step 4. You can reset the system path variable if problems with Java or other programs occur after setting it.

On a Windows system, do the following:

a. Open a Command Prompt and check to see if the JAVA_HOME variable is set by typing: echo %JAVA_HOME%

If this variable is not set, the command will return “%JAVA_HOME%”. If this variable is set, and it is not set to the Java version required by GWS, go to step 4. If this variable is not set or is set to the required version of Java, continue to step 3b.

b. In the Command Prompt, type: echo %PATH%

Verify that a path to a different Java version is not listed. If a path to a different Java is listed (note that the path might use the variable JAVA_HOME) or if a path points to the required version of Java, go to step 4.

c. Update the Path system variable. The following steps are for Windows 10. If you are using a different version of Windows OS, your steps may be different.

d. Open the Control Panel and double-click on System.

e. Click on

f. From the Advanced tab, click Environment Variables.

g. From the Environment Variables window, add the path to the Java binary to the Path system variable. Select Path and click Edit (in the System variables section), click New, click Browse, navigate to and select the Java binary bin directory (for example, C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_231\bin), then click OK.

h. Click OK in the Environment Variables window and then the System Properties window. Close the System window.

i. Launch GWS. If the launch fails, restart your system to clear the cache. If you shut down your computer, wait a couple of minutes (or the amount of time for the DRAM to lose its charge as DRAM may store cache information) before rebooting it.

j. Re-launch GWS. If the launch still fails after a restart, go to step 4.

On macOS, do the following:

a. Open a Terminal and check to see if the JAVA_HOME variable is set by typing: echo $JAVA_HOME

If this variable is not set, the command will return an empty line. If this variable is set, and it is not set to the Java version required by GWS, go to step 4. If this variable is not set or is set to the required version of Java, continue to step 3b.

b. In the Terminal, type: echo $PATH

Verify that a path to a different Java version is not listed. If a path to a different Java is listed (note that the path might use the variable JAVA_HOME) or if a path points to the required version of Java, go to step 4.

c. Edit your ~/.bash_profile and set the PATH variable.

d. Add the following to the PATH variable:

/Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home/bin

e. Save and close .bash_profile.

f. Launch GWS. If the launch fails, restart your system to clear the cache. If you shut down your computer, wait a couple of minutes (or the amount of time for the DRAM to lose its charge as DRAM may store cache information) before rebooting it.

g. Re-launch GWS. If the launch still fails after a restart, go to step 4

4. Add the path to the Java executable file

If your system reports an unsupported version of Java (in step 2), if other programs on your system require a different version of Java, or setting the path environment variable did not solve the problem, add the path to the Java executable file to the appropriate GWS file.

On a Windows system, edit the initialization file:

a. Open C:\Program Files\Galaxy Watch Studio\GalaxyWatchStudio.ini in a text editor.

b. At the end of the file, add the location of your Java executable file (including the absolute path name). For example, if you installed Java version 1.8.0_191, add:

-vm C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_191\bin\javaw.exe

c. Save the changes to the file.

On macOS, edit the information property list file:

a. Open a new Finder window and navigate to the Applications folder.

b. Right-click on GalaxyWatchStudio and select Show Package Contents.

c. In the Contents folder, open Info.plist.

d. Locate the Eclipse/array tags that mention the specific version of Java being used.

e. Outside of the comment tags (<!-- and --> ), add the location of your Java executable file (including the absolute path name), using the same format as the text shown inside the comment tags. For example, if you installed Java version 1.8.0_202, add:

<string>-vm</string>
<string>/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk1.8.0_202.jdk/Contents/Home/bin/java</string>

f. Save the changes to the file.

5. Launch GWS

6. If the launch fails, restart your system

Restart your system to clear the cache. If you shut down your computer, wait a couple of minutes (or the amount of time for the DRAM to lose its charge as DRAM may store cache information) before rebooting it.

7. Re-launch GWS

If the launch still fails after a restart, launch GWS with its logging window and review the log messages for any errors.

On a Windows system:

a. In File Explorer, go to C:\Program Files\Galaxy Watch Studio.

b. Double-click on eclipsec.exe.

On macOS:

a. In Finder, go to applications.

b. Right-click on GalaxyWatchStudio and select Show Package Contents.

c. Open the MacOS folder and double-click on the GalaxyWatchStudio Unix executable file.