28 Essential IntelliJ IDEA Tips to Supercharge Your Java Development

IntelliJ IDEA is a leading Java IDE that offers a wealth of features to improve development efficiency. This article compiles 28 practical tips that cover navigation, configuration, code assistance, and project management.

1. View code history

Right‑click the Java class → Local History → Show History to see recent changes and restore versions.

2. Adjust IDE memory

Use Change Memory Settings → Edit Custom VM Options to modify the .vmoptions file.

3. Use Eclipse keymap

Set IDEA key bindings to Eclipse shortcuts for a smoother transition.

4. Disable case‑sensitive suggestions

Uncheck the option (or select none) so that typing String or string both trigger suggestions.

5. Turn off code inspections

Disable unnecessary inspections to reduce resource usage, while keeping essential ones enabled.

6. Configure documentation comment templates

Set up Javadoc templates for quick insertion.

7. Show method separators

Enable visual separators to distinguish methods in dense codebases.

8. Enable multi‑line tabs

Remove the single‑line tab setting to display multi‑line tabs for better navigation.

9. Jump to method braces

Press Ctrl+[ / Ctrl+] to move to the opening or closing brace of a method.

10. Auto‑complete code endings

Use Ctrl+Shift+Enter to automatically add missing semicolons or braces.

11. Fuzzy method search

Press Ctrl+Shift+Alt+N and type a partial name (e.g., Peo.te) or use Ctrl+Shift+R and select Symbols to locate methods.

12. Preview class code

Press Ctrl+Shift+A to locate a class, then Ctrl+Alt+B or Ctrl+Shift+I to preview without opening a new tab.

13. Find method usages

Press Ctrl+Alt+H to see where a method is called, replacing the older Ctrl+H / Ctrl+Shift+F search.

14. Customize code templates

Change default templates (e.g., replace sout with syso) via Postfix Completion.

15. Auto‑import and remove unused imports

Use Alt+Enter for manual import and Ctrl+Alt+O to clean unused imports.

16. Codota plugin

Install Codota to prioritize frequently used classes and methods.

17. Quick Javadoc view

Press F2 to display the documentation comment of a class or field.

18. Bracket coloring

Install the Rainbow Brackets plugin to color matching parentheses.

19. Add multiple services to one Run window

Navigate: View → Tool Windows → Services → Add Services.

20. Global IDE settings for new windows

Adjust settings (e.g., Maven configuration) under Other Settings to apply to newly opened windows.

21. Mapper ↔ XML navigation

Use the Free MyBatis plugin to jump between Java mapper files and their XML counterparts.

22. Set background image

Install the BackgroundImage plugin to use a custom picture as the IDE background.

23. Visualize Maven dependency tree

Click the Show Dependencies button in the top‑right to view the tree graphically; enable the icon in settings if missing.

24. Switch to previous/next tab

Press Alt+← to go to the previously active tab and Alt+→ to move forward.

25. Built‑in SSH tool

Configure host credentials and start an SSH session directly from IDEA.

26. Call‑chain diagram plugin

Install SequenceDiagram to generate visual call chain diagrams via right‑click → Sequence Diagram.

27. Capture thread dump

During debugging, click the camera icon to obtain a thread dump for analysis.

28. Run the same project on different ports

Add -Dserver.port=8993 to the VM options (or enable Allow parallel run) to launch multiple instances with distinct ports.

Many of these tips are demonstrated in the open‑source microservice project mall‑swarm , which includes a full video tutorial and source code.

# 8993 is a port different from the one defined in application.yml
-Dserver.port=8993