How Do You Install Salesforce Data Loader?

The Data Loader installer printed a Java message, or ran and left nothing on your desktop. To install Salesforce Data Loader, put Java Runtime Environment 17 or later on the machine first, then extract the zip you downloaded and run install.bat on Windows or installer.command on a Mac. Most of what follows comes from Salesforce’s own Data Loader Guide, its open-source repository and the maintainers’ replies there, checked on October 21, 2026.

How do you install Salesforce Data Loader?

Install Java first, then the Data Loader zip, then run the installer for your system. The steps in Salesforce’s Data Loader Guide (version 68.0, Winter ’27, last updated August 28, 2026) are:

1. Install Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 17 or later for your operating system. Download a JRE, or a JDK that contains one. The guide gives Azul Zulu and Adoptium Eclipse Temurin as examples and says to match your operating system and CPU architecture.
2. Set the JAVA_HOME environment variable to the folder where you installed the JRE.
3. Download the most recent Data Loader from the Tools section of the Salesforce developer site, at developer.salesforce.com/tools/data-loader. One zip, named like dataloader_v67.0.0.zip, covers both Windows and macOS.
4. Optionally check the signature with jarsigner -verify dataloader_v<version>.zip.
5. Open the zip and choose Extract All.
6. On Windows, run install.bat in the Data Loader folder. On macOS, run installer.command.
7. Choose an installation directory (an existing Data Loader folder is overwritten) and answer the prompts about shortcuts.

To open it afterwards, use the desktop icon, the Start menu (Windows) or the Applications folder (macOS). You can also run dataloader.bat or dataloader.app from the installation folder. If you want to keep your settings after a new version, copy config.properties from the configs folder of the old install into the configs folder of the new one.

The guide lists who can use it: Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited and Developer editions, with the API Enabled permission plus the permission for the operation, such as Create on accounts to insert accounts. It also needs the Bulk API Hard Delete permission if you hard-delete through Bulk API. It does not state a price for Data Loader itself.

The developer.salesforce.com pages returned 403 to our automated fetch, so the download link above comes from the guide rather than from a page we loaded.

Which Data Loader version and Java version do you need?

Data Loader v67.0.0 with Java 17 or later is the newest combination we could verify. Salesforce updates Data Loader with every release, and the major version matches the API version. The guide says to download the latest because Salesforce does not support older versions.

Item	What we found
Newest release on GitHub	v67.0.0, published June 25, 2026, for Summer ’26 and Force Partner API 67
Data Loader Guide version	68.0 (Winter ’27), updated August 28, 2026
Java	JRE 17 or later (release notes from v59.0.0 on say 17; v58.0.4 said 11)
Windows	Windows 10 and 11 on Intel x86 64-bit (x64)
macOS	macOS 13, 14 and 15 on Intel x86 64-bit and ARM 64-bit
Disk and memory	At least 120 MB free disk and 256 MB of RAM
Known issue in v67.0.0	Querying real-time event objects with JSON-type fields, such as ApiEvent and ReportEvent, may fail; a fix is planned

Source, checked Oct 21, 2026: Salesforce Data Loader GitHub releases (v67.0.0 notes) and the Data Loader Guide. A v68 build had not appeared on the releases page when we checked, so use whatever the Salesforce tools page offers.

Since v56.0.0, an installed Data Loader that is newer than your org’s API version tries the previous API version automatically. That is why a sandbox on an older release can still connect.

How do you install Data Loader on Windows 11?

Windows 11 works with the x64 build of Java 17 or later and the same zip. The release notes list Windows 10 and Windows 11 on x64 only, so a Windows-on-ARM laptop is not on the supported list.

1. Install a 64-bit JRE or JDK 17 or later and set JAVA_HOME to its folder.
2. Open a new Command Prompt and run java -version. It should print 17 or higher. The installer runs the same check.
3. Extract the Data Loader zip into an ordinary folder such as Downloads or Desktop. A repository maintainer explained in the issue that extracting into C:\Program Files makes the installer try to copy everything in that folder, including subfolders you cannot read.
4. Run install.bat from the extracted folder and accept the default install folder, which is C:\Users\username\dataloader\version.
5. Answer yes to the Desktop and Start menu shortcuts if you want them.

The installer script checks for a variable named DATALOADER_JAVA_HOME first and, if it is set, uses it as JAVA_HOME. It then puts that folder’s bin directory ahead of your path and runs java from there. We read that in the script on the repository’s master branch, so it can change with a release.

How do you install Data Loader on a Mac, including Apple silicon?

On a Mac you install a Java 17 or later that matches the chip, then run installer.command. Apple silicon Macs are on the supported list: the v67.0.0 notes name macOS 13, 14 and 15 on Intel and ARM 64-bit, and the guide says to pick a Java download that matches your CPU architecture. They do not list any newer macOS release, so read the notes for your build.

1. Install Java 17 or later, choosing the ARM 64 build on an M-series Mac and the x64 build on an Intel Mac.
2. Download and extract the zip.
3. Double-click installer.command in the Data Loader folder.
4. On macOS 15, if it says installer.command cannot be opened, open Privacy & Security, scroll to Security, click Open Anyway next to the blocked message, then click Open Anyway in the dialog.
5. On macOS earlier than 15, the guide says an error appears on the first double-click: click OK, then Control-click the file, choose Open and click Open.
6. Pick the install folder (the default is /Users/username/dataloader/version) and answer the prompts. Open the app from Applications.

If the installer says it cannot find Java after you installed it, add the path to your shell file. A repository maintainer gave this example for Temurin 17 in ~/.zshrc, adding the line, saving, and opening a new Terminal:

export DATALOADER_JAVA_HOME=/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/temurin-17.jre/Contents/Home

Older release notes (v51.0.1 to v53.0.0, 2021) told M1 owners to install Rosetta 2 and an Intel Java because the SWT library was unsupported on ARM then. That advice belongs to those versions. Current release notes list ARM 64 directly.

Why can’t you install Salesforce Data Loader? Messages, causes and fixes

Most install failures trace back to Java. The messages in the first rows are the text the installer scripts print.

What you see	Cause	Fix
“Data Loader requires Java JRE 17 or later. Checking if it is installed…” then “Did not find java command.”	No Java on the path, and neither DATALOADER_JAVA_HOME nor JAVA_HOME points at one	Install JRE 17 or later, set JAVA_HOME (or DATALOADER_JAVA_HOME) to its folder, open a new terminal, run the installer again
“Found Java JRE version 1 whereas Data Loader requires Java JRE 17 or later.”	An older Java (a repository issue reported this with Java 8 on macOS 15 and Windows 11) is found first	Set DATALOADER_JAVA_HOME to the Java 17 folder, as the maintainer advised; on a Mac put it in ~/.zshrc
Windows installer fails after extracting into C:\Program Files	The installer copies the whole folder it sits in, including subfolders you lack rights to	Extract the zip to Desktop or Downloads in a fresh folder and run install.bat there
Installer finishes but there is no desktop or Start menu icon	Shortcuts point to dataloader.bat in the install folder, not the extraction folder; some PCs block shortcut creation	Run dataloader.bat in C:\Users\username\dataloader\version, or make the shortcut by hand
macOS 15: installer.command cannot be opened	macOS blocks the downloaded script	Privacy & Security > Open Anyway > Open Anyway (steps above)
Mac install finished but the app does nothing	Java missing or too old	Run Data Loader from Terminal to see the console message; a repository reporter fixed it by installing Zulu OpenJDK 17
Windows: Finish button greyed out on export	Reported when Data Loader is installed under C:\Program Files and the user cannot write there; the issue was still open on Oct 21, 2026	Reinstall under your own profile folder, the default
Login fails although the password is right	Your org restricts IP addresses, or the account lacks API Enabled	Add the security token to the end of the password; ask your admin about API Enabled
Command-line login fails after an upgrade	The stored encrypted password no longer works	Encrypt the password again (guide tip)
Two copies of one version	The guide says do not install more than one copy of the same version	Remove the old copy, or install into a new folder

Source, checked Oct 21, 2026: Data Loader Guide; the installer scripts util.bat and util.sh and repository issues #740, #1401, #419 and #1645 in forcedotcom/dataloader (links in Sources below).

Rows citing issues come from reports and maintainer replies, not from the guide. The Salesforce help center pages render with JavaScript, so we did not read them.

How do you open Data Loader and log in?

Open it from the desktop icon, Start menu or Applications folder, choose an action such as Insert or Export, and log in on Step 1. There are two login methods, and you pick one on that screen.

OAuth uses a browser sign-in. The guide says OAuth 2.0 Web Server Flow works from v64.0.1, and the v64.1.0 notes say it uses PKCE while the Device Flow and User-Agent Flow were removed. Choose OAuth and your environment (Production or Sandbox), click Log in and follow the Login from Browser window. A hardware security key also goes through this route, but the guide says you must create an external client app first (setup below).

Password login is still supported. Enter your username and password. If your org restricts IP addresses and you are on an untrusted one, add the security token from Salesforce’s activation email to the end of the password, so mypassword and token XXXXXXXXXX becomes mypasswordXXXXXXXXXX. Communities users (Digital Experiences) always log in with OAuth Web Server Flow from v64.1.0, and the guide has a config.properties change for their site URL.

Two settings matter for sandboxes and My Domain. The default server hosts are login.salesforce.com and test.salesforce.com, and Salesforce recommends switching them to your My Domain URLs. For a sandbox, the Server host field takes a URL like https://MyDomainName--SandboxName.sandbox.my.salesforce.com.

If your admin wants a locked-down connection, Salesforce documents an external client app setup for v64.0.2 and later: callback URL http://localhost:7171/OauthRedirect, PKCE required, Require secret for Web Server Flow turned off, and the api and refresh_token, offline_access scopes. After it works, the guide says to block the Dataloader Partner and Dataloader Bulk connected apps under Connected Apps OAuth Usage.

How does Data Loader work?

Data Loader reads a CSV file (or a database connection), maps its columns to Salesforce fields, and sends the rows to your org in batches. The default is the SOAP-based API. Ticking Use Bulk API or Use Bulk API 2.0 under Settings > Settings makes it load asynchronously with parallel processing.

The actions on the main screen are Insert, Update, Upsert, Delete, Hard Delete and Export (Export All also returns archived activities and soft-deleted records). The wizard steps are the same each time: log in, choose the object, pick the CSV, map fields (Auto-Match Fields to Columns does the obvious ones, and you can save the mapping), then choose a folder for the results. Every run writes two CSV files, one starting with success and one starting with error. The error file has a column saying why each row was rejected. Exports only write a success file if you turn on Generate status files for exports.

Updates and deletes match on the record ID, so export first, edit a copy, and keep the untouched export as your undo file. The guide says to do exactly that. Upserts need an external ID field or the record ID as the match column.

Setting or limit	Value	Where it comes from
CSV size	Up to 150,000,000 records, with Bulk API 2.0	Data Loader Guide
Import batch size	Maximum 200 on SOAP API, 10,000 on Bulk API; ignored on Bulk API 2.0, which batches itself	Data Loader Guide
Export batch size (SOAP)	Default 500, minimum 200, maximum 2,000	Data Loader Guide
Bulk API 2.0 job upload	Up to 150 MB per job after base64 encoding; the guide advises staying under 100 MB	Bulk API 2.0 guide
Bulk API 2.0 daily records	A batch per 10,000 records, up to 150,000,000 a day; a batch that cannot finish in 5 minutes fails and is retried up to 20 times	Bulk API 2.0 guide
Largest CSV field	32,000 characters	Data Loader Guide
Valid dates	1700-01-01 to 4000-12-31	Data Loader Guide
Blank values	Ignored on updates with Bulk API; use #N/A to set a field to null	Data Loader Guide
Hard delete	Not recoverable from the Recycle Bin; needs the Bulk API Hard Delete permission	Data Loader Guide
Batch mode (command line)	Windows only	Data Loader Guide

Source, checked Oct 21, 2026: the Data Loader Guide and the Bulk API 2.0 and Bulk API Developer Guide, both version 68.0.

If a Bulk API load fails with a timeout, the guide’s advice is to split the file into smaller files and run them again. If parallel batches collide on locked records, Enable serial mode for Bulk API processes batches one at a time, at the cost of a longer run. Our CRM API rate limits comparison covers the daily API call budget that these loads draw from.

Clean duplicates and fix dates before the load, using our CRM data cleaning checklist and the CRM import file checker. The wider plan for a move into Salesforce is in the Salesforce migration guide, and duplicates that slip through are covered in how to find and prevent duplicate leads in Salesforce.

Data Loader or the Data Import Wizard: which should you use?

Use the Data Import Wizard when the file is under 50,000 records and the object is supported, and Data Loader for everything else. Salesforce’s guide splits it like this.

Use the Data Import Wizard when	Use Data Loader when
You are loading fewer than 50,000 records	The file is larger, up to 150,000,000 records
The object is supported by the wizard (check Setup > Data Import Wizard)	The object is not supported by the wizard
You want duplicate prevention by account name and site, contact email or lead email	You have complex field mappings you must reuse consistently
The target object has fewer than 50 fields	You want scheduled loads such as nightly imports, or an export for backup

Source, checked Oct 21, 2026: Data Loader Guide, “When to Use Data Loader.” Row-limit context for other CRMs is in our CRM import limits research.

The wizard needs no install. For a one-off contact list of a few thousand rows, installing Java and Data Loader is more work than the job.

Data Loader vs Salesforce Inspector vs dataloader.io

Data Loader is the right choice for large or repeatable loads, Salesforce Inspector Reloaded for quick queries and small edits inside the browser, and dataloader.io when your company would rather pay than install software.

	Data Loader	Salesforce Inspector Reloaded	dataloader.io
What it is	Desktop app published by Salesforce	Chrome, Firefox and Edge extension, maintained by Thomas Prouvot, MIT license	Cloud app; footer shows Salesforce copyright and “powered by MuleSoft’s Anypoint Platform”
Install	Java 17 or later, zip, installer script	Add from the browser store	None; sign in with Salesforce credentials in a browser
How it connects	Own login (OAuth or password)	Reuses your browser’s Salesforce session; needs permission to read Salesforce cookies	Salesforce login in the web app
Record limit	150 million per CSV with Bulk API 2.0	We found no stated ceiling in its docs	Free 10,000 records per month, Professional 100,000, Enterprise unlimited
Scheduling	Windows command line batch mode	Not stated in the docs we read	Hourly, daily, weekly or monthly tasks; 1, 50 or unlimited by plan
Price on its page	None stated in the guide	None stated on the pages we read	$0, $99 or $299 per user per month
Verdict	Large loads, mappings you reuse, backups	Peeking at data, quick edits, small imports	Teams that want scheduling without installing anything

Source, checked Oct 21, 2026: Data Loader Guide; Salesforce Inspector Reloaded README (release 2.0, August 10, 2026) and its docs site; dataloader.io pricing. The dataloader.io page lists production and sandbox as separate users, and does not mention Bulk API.

Inspector Reloaded’s own security note says it communicates directly between your browser and Salesforce and sends no data to other parties. It also says that in orgs with API Access Control enabled you need to set it up with a connected app. Treat it as a convenience tool, and use Data Loader when you need a documented ceiling and success and error files you can hand to someone else.

How do you uninstall Data Loader?

Delete the installation folder, then delete the shortcuts. Salesforce’s steps are the same on both systems with different paths.

1. Delete the installation folder: \Users\username\dataloader\version on Windows, /Users/username/dataloader/version on macOS.
2. Delete the Data Loader desktop link.
3. On Windows, delete the Start menu link. On macOS, delete the link in the Applications folder.

Those steps remove only the Data Loader folder and links, so Java stays installed. Remove it separately if nothing else needs it.

When to get help

A single admin loading a clean file can do this alone. Bring someone in when the load is a migration with many objects and parent-child relationships, when records must keep their original owners and dates, or when you need a repeatable batch process with encrypted credentials. Our Salesforce implementation service covers data migration, and the Salesforce pricing calculator helps size the licence side. If you want a second pair of eyes on a load plan, contact us.

Founder’s note, Alpit Patel. Data Loader install problems are almost always Java. I’d check the Java version and the path variable before reinstalling anything, and test with five records before a real load. I founded aibrevo in San Francisco in 2021, and through autoesta I have overseen 320+ GoHighLevel implementation projects across med spas, real estate, healthcare, dental, home services, SaaS and professional-services clients in the US, UK and UAE. About Alpit

Sources

• Salesforce, Data Loader Guide, version 68.0 (Winter ’27), last updated August 28, 2026, checked Oct 21, 2026.
• Salesforce, Bulk API 2.0 and Bulk API Developer Guide, version 68.0, last updated October 9, 2026, checked Oct 21, 2026.
• forcedotcom/dataloader on GitHub, release notes (v51.0.1 to v67.0.0), README and installer scripts (util.bat, util.sh), checked Oct 21, 2026.
• forcedotcom/dataloader issues #740, #1401, #419, #1645, with maintainer replies, checked Oct 21, 2026.
• dataloader.io, pricing, checked Oct 21, 2026.
• tprouvot, Salesforce Inspector Reloaded, README and docs site, checked Oct 21, 2026.
• developer.salesforce.com and help.salesforce.com pages were not used as fetched sources: the first returned 403 to automated requests and the second renders with JavaScript.