5 Best Tips & Tricks for IntelliJ IDE Every Programmer Should Know

Naeem Abdullah
2 min readJul 2, 2024

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Here are five of the best tips and tricks for making the most out of IntelliJ IDEA:

Photo by Riku Lu on Unsplash

1. Keyboard Shortcuts

Learning and using keyboard shortcuts can significantly boost your productivity. Here are a few essential ones:

  • Navigate to Class/File/Symbol: Ctrl + N (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + O (Mac)
  • Find Usages: Alt + F7 (Windows/Linux) or Option + F7 (Mac)
  • Refactor This: Ctrl + Shift + Alt + T (Windows/Linux) or Ctrl + T (Mac)
  • Show Recent Files: Ctrl + E (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + E (Mac)
  • Quick Documentation: Ctrl + Q (Windows/Linux) or F1 (Mac)

2. Live Templates

Live Templates are snippets of code that you can quickly insert into your files. They help reduce repetitive typing:

  • Configure Live Templates: Go to File > Settings > Editor > Live Templates (Windows/Linux) or IntelliJ IDEA > Preferences > Editor > Live Templates (Mac).
  • Use Live Templates: Type the abbreviation and press Tab.

3. Version Control Integration

IntelliJ IDEA integrates smoothly with version control systems like Git:

  • Commit Changes: Ctrl + K (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + K (Mac)
  • View History: Ctrl + T (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + T (Mac)
  • Git Tool Window: Alt + 9 (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + 9 (Mac)

4. Refactorings

IntelliJ IDEA offers powerful refactoring capabilities that help you modify your code safely and efficiently:

  • Rename: Shift + F6
  • Change Method Signature: Ctrl + F6 (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + F6 (Mac)
  • Extract Method: Ctrl + Alt + M (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Option + M (Mac)

5. Debugging Tools

Make use of IntelliJ IDEA’s robust debugging tools to identify and fix issues in your code:

  • Run Debugger: Shift + F9
  • Set Breakpoints: Click in the left margin of the editor or press Ctrl + F8 (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + F8 (Mac).
  • Step Over: F8
  • Step Into: F7

Bonus Tips

  • Plugins: Explore and install plugins that can enhance your development experience. Go to File > Settings > Plugins (Windows/Linux) or IntelliJ IDEA > Preferences > Plugins (Mac).
  • Split View: Use Ctrl + Shift + A (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Shift + A (Mac) and type "split" to split the editor and view multiple files simultaneously.

By incorporating these tips and tricks into your workflow, you can enhance your efficiency and take full advantage of IntelliJ IDEA’s powerful features.

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