11 Essential PyCharm Tips and Shortcuts for Python Development

Common Tips

1. Set code font size

Open File → Settings , type "font" in the search box, select Font , and change the Size (default 12) to a larger value such as 18 or 20 for better readability.

2. Adjust menu interface text size

If the menu text is too small, go to File → Settings , search for "font", choose Appearance , check Use custom font , and set the desired Size .

3. Quickly comment or uncomment multiple lines

Select the lines you want to comment and press Ctrl+/ to toggle block comments; the same shortcut removes the comments.

4. Reformat code for consistency

After writing code, choose Code → Reformat Code to automatically apply standard formatting and improve readability.

5. Rename a variable or class globally

Select the identifier, right‑click, choose Refactor → Rename , and the IDE will update all occurrences.

6. Quickly find variables, functions, etc.

Press Ctrl+F to open the search bar, type the keyword (e.g., "runGame"), and the IDE will highlight every occurrence.

7. View local modification history

Right‑click a file, choose Local History , and you can browse or revert to any previous version.

8. Configure pip to use a domestic mirror

Open File → Settings → Project → Python Interpreter → + → Manage Repositories → + and add the Tsinghua mirror URL: https://pypi.tuna.tsinghua.edu.cn/simple .

9. Install packages

Go to File → Settings → Project → Python Interpreter → + , type the package name (e.g., "pygame"), and click Install Package .

10. Debugging

Click the gutter next to a line to set a breakpoint (red dot). Then right‑click the project and choose Debug to run; the execution will pause at breakpoints, allowing you to inspect variable values step by step.

11. Set a custom background image

Open File → Settings → Appearance & Behavior → Appearance → Background Image , click the "..." button to select an image, choose a display mode, and optionally lower the opacity (around 10%) so the code remains readable.