Boost Your IntelliJ IDEA Productivity: Essential UI Tweaks and Shortcut Hacks

Show Toolbar

(1) Screenshot

(2) How to set

View → Toolbar

View → Tool Buttons

Set Mouse Hover Documentation

(1) Screenshot

(2) How to set File → Settings → Editor → General → check "Show quick documentation…"

Show Method Separator

(1) Screenshot

(2) How to set File → Settings → Editor → Appearance → check the option

Ignore Case Sensitivity in Suggestions

(1) Screenshot (IDEA defaults to case‑sensitive suggestions, which can be inconvenient.)

(2) How to set File → Settings → Editor → General → Code Completion → (adjust case settings)

Theme Settings

(1) Screenshot (Two styles: dark and light.)

(2) How to set File → Settings → Appearance & Behavior → Appearance → (choose theme)

Eye‑Friendly Theme

(1) Screenshot

(2) How to set Adjust background color in Settings → Appearance

For more stylish coding themes, visit color‑themes.com , download the JAR files, and import them via Settings → Appearance → Theme.

Auto‑Import Packages

(1) Screenshot

By default, you must manually import classes like Map. Enabling auto‑import adds and removes imports automatically.

(2) How to set File → Settings → Editor → General → Auto Import → (enable options)

Show Multiple Tabs in One Row

(1) Screenshot Default shows a single row of tabs.

Enable multiple tabs per row:

(2) How to set File → Settings → Editor → General → Editor Tabs → uncheck the single‑row option.

Font Settings

(1) Screenshot (IDEA’s default font is small.)

(2) How to set File → Settings → Editor → Font → (adjust size and family)

Class and Method Comment Templates

(1) Screenshot Useful for team development and responsibility tracking.

Class comment template example:

Method comment template example:

(2) How to set IDEA does not provide these by default; configure via File → Settings → Editor → File and Code Templates → Files. Define placeholders like {NAME}, {USER}, {DATE}, {TIME}, etc.

1. Auto‑add class comment on creation

Open Settings → Editor → File and Code Templates → Files and edit the class template to include placeholders for name, author, date, etc.

2. Auto‑add method comment

Use Live Templates: create a group named userDefine, add a template named * with content such as:

/**
 * @Author 小思
 * @Description //TODO 
 * @Date $time$ $date$
 * @Param $param$
 * @return $return$
 */

Set the template to apply Everywhere → Java, and configure variables accordingly.

Horizontal or Vertical Code Display

(1) Screenshot (In Eclipse you can drag tabs to compare code; IDEA requires configuration.)

(2) How to set Right‑click a tab and choose the desired layout.

Change Shortcut Keys

(1) Screenshot (Many Eclipse shortcuts differ from IDEA.)

(2) How to set

Method 1: File → Settings → Keymap → choose Eclipse keymap.

Method 2: Create custom templates and assign shortcuts.

Method 3: Example – map Ctrl+O to refactor method.

Remove Italic from Comments

(1) Screenshot

(2) How to set File → Settings → Editor → (adjust comment style).

Code Inspection Warning Levels

It is strongly recommended to keep inspections enabled to improve code quality.

Project Directory – Collapse Empty Packages

Window Reset

Use the Restore action to revert a messy window layout.

View Local Code History

Quick Semicolon Completion

Press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to insert a semicolon at the end of the current line.

Quickly Find Controller Methods

Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+N and type part of the URL (e.g., /bill) to locate controller methods quickly.

This shortcut greatly speeds up navigation in large projects.

Bracket Matching

Place the cursor next to a brace and press Ctrl+] or Ctrl+[ to jump to its matching counterpart.

Note : All these configuration files are stored in the IDE’s system and config directories on the system drive. The config folder holds user settings for easy migration, while the system folder contains data used for recovery after crashes.