Boost Your Java Productivity: 28 Essential IntelliJ IDEA Tips & Tricks

IntelliJ IDEA has become a leading Java development tool, offering many features that greatly improve daily coding efficiency. Below is a curated list of 28 practical tips to boost your productivity.

1. View Code History

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

2. Adjust IDEA Virtual Memory

Open Change Memory Settings → Edit Custom VM Options to modify the .vmoptions file. This is the recommended way; editing the file manually may cause startup issues.

3. Use Eclipse Keymap

Switch to the Eclipse keymap so you don’t need to remember two sets of shortcuts.

4. Ignore Case in Completion

Disable the case‑sensitivity option (or set it to none ) so typing String or string yields the same suggestions.

5. Turn Off Code Inspection

You can disable inspections you don’t need to reduce resource usage, though it’s not recommended to turn them all off.

6. Set Documentation Comment Template

Configure the Javadoc template and shortcut for quick insertion.

Reference: https://blog.csdn.net/qq_36268103/article/details/108027486

7. Show Method Separators

Enable visual separators to distinguish methods in dense code.

8. Enable Multi‑Line Tabs

Disable the single‑line tab setting to allow multiple tabs to be displayed simultaneously.

Set the tab limit via settings → editor → General → Editor tabs → tab limit .

9. Jump to Braces Quickly

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

10. Complete Code Endings

Use Ctrl+Shift+Enter to auto‑complete statements such as adding a semicolon or closing braces.

11. Fuzzy Search Methods

Press Ctrl+Shift+Alt+N and type a partial name (e.g., Peo.te ) to locate a method, or use Ctrl+Shift+R → Symbols for file‑wide search.

12. Preview Class Code

Press Ctrl+Shift+A to open the Find Action dialog, then type the class name, or use Ctrl+Alt+B to jump to the declaration without opening a new tab.

13. Find Callers of a Method

Press Ctrl+Alt+H to see where a method is invoked; previously you would use Ctrl+H or Ctrl+Shift+F search.

14. Customize Code Templates

Adjust shortcuts like sout (or syso ) in Postfix Completion settings; similar templates exist for loops, etc.

15. Auto‑Import and Remove Unused Imports

Use Alt+Enter to import a class manually, and Ctrl+Alt+O to optimize imports.

16. Codota Plugin

Codota suggests frequently used classes and methods, serving as a helpful reference.

17. Quick View of Class/Field Javadoc

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

18. Bracket Color Differentiation

Install the Rainbow Brackets plugin to color‑match paired brackets.

19. Add Multiple Projects to One Run Window (Microservices)

Open View → Tool Windows → Services → Add Services to manage several microservice modules together.

20. Global IDEA Settings for New Windows

Adjust global settings (e.g., Maven configuration) so new windows inherit the same preferences.

21. Jump Between Java Mapper and XML

Install the Free MyBatis Plugin and click the green arrow to switch between mapper interfaces and their XML files.

22. Set IDEA Background Image

Use the BackgroundImage plugin to set a personal picture as the IDE background.

23. Maven Dependency Tree Visualisation

Run mvn dependency:tree or click the Show Dependencies button in IDEA to view a graphical tree of jar dependencies.

24. Switch Back to Previously Opened Tab

Press Alt+← (or Alt+→ ) to navigate to the last active tab, useful during debugging or refactoring.

25. Built‑in SSH Tool

Configure host credentials, start an SSH session, and work directly from the IDE.

Step 1: Set username and password.

Step 2: Open the SSH session.

26. Sequence Diagram Plugin for Call Graphs

Right‑click a Java file and choose Sequence Diagram to generate a visual call‑graph, which is clearer than the default menu view.

27. Capture Current Thread Dump

During debugging, click the camera icon to obtain a thread dump, helping identify which thread is executing which code.

28. Run Same Project on Different Ports

Add a custom VM option such as -Dserver.port=8993 to launch another instance on a different port, useful for load‑balancing tests.

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