IntelliJ IDEA Cheat Sheet
Posted on Jun 22, 2017 (last modified May 8, 2021)
Keyboard shortcuts and various tips for IntelliJ IDEA. This document assumes IntelliJ on a Mac, using the Keymap setting for Mac OS X 10.5+ (in Preferences > Keymap). I know you can get all these through Help > Keymap Reference in IntelliJ, but I like to maintain my own list so that I can organize and search it the way I prefer, plus have a place to add my own additional notes.
Editing
| Comment / uncomment selected text | Select block of text and then press CMD + / |
| Spread selection from cursor (to word, then line, etc.) | ALT + up arrow or down arrow |
| Format selected code | CTRL + ALT + I |
| Format all code | ALT + CMD + L |
| Autocomplete method parameter info | CMD + P (when cursor is in method signature) |
| Invoke a Surround Template (ex: surround a line with try/catch) | OPTION + CMD + T |
| Complete a statement | SHIFT + CMD + ENTER |
| Import Java Package | Hover over the red text of the class missing a package and press: ALT + ENTER |
Live Templates
Live templates can be found in Preferences > Editor > Live Templates. Learn them! To use a live template, enter its short text in the editor and then press tab to replace the short text with its template.
Navigation
Tool Windows and Dialogs
| Project | CMD + 1 |
| Version Control | CMD + 9 |
| Preferences | CMD + , |
| Breakpoints | SHIFT + COMMAND + F8 |
| Recent Files | CMD + E |
| Search Everywhere | SHIFT + SHIFT |
| Search Classes | CMD + O |
| Search Symbols | OPTION + CMD + O |
| Navigate back and forth through recent files | CMD + [ and CMD + ] |
| New file (where selection is in Project window) | CMD + N Note: you can use slashes to create entire trees abc/def/ghi/jkl… |
| Hide all other windows | SHIFT + CMD + F12 |
| Stretch pane right or left | SHIFT + CMD + left or right arrow |
| Clipboard History | SHIFT + CMD + V |
| Method List (of the active editor file) | CMD + F12 |
| Navigation Bar | CMD + up arrow Note: This is particularly useful if you turn off the normal navigation bar in preferences to save UI space. |
| Action Search | SHIFT + CMD + A (try, for example, “RESTful Web Service”) |
| Version Control Quick List | CTRL + V |
| Quick Switch Settings | CTRL + ~ |
| Quick Documentation | CTRL + J (and then again to pin it open at larger size). |
TO DO items
Create a TO DO item
- CMD + / to create a new comment line
- Type TODO then whatever comment you want
View all TO DO items
- View > Tool Windows > TODO or
- CMD + 6
Increase IntelliJ IDE memory on a Mac
- Help > Edit Custom VM Options…
- Answer Yes to create the idea.vmoptions file. This will automatically create a copy of the .vmoptions file in the config folder and open a dialog to edit it.
- I change -Xmx750m to -Xmx2048m
Tips
Following are some of the Tip of the Day items that appear when you first open IntelliJ.
Highlight usages of some variable
- Use ⇧⌘F7 (Edit | Find | Highlight Usages in File) to quickly highlight usages of some variable in the current file.
- Use ⌘G and ⇧⌘G keys to navigate through highlighted usages.
- Press ⎋ to remove highlighting.
Optimize imports
- Use Code | Optimize Imports to automatically optimize imports (remove unused imports, etc.). To access the corresponding settings, use File | Settings | Code Style | Imports.
Reformat code
- Use Code | Reformat Code to reformat code according to your code style preferences (File | Settings | Code Style).