How to update intellij idea

Update applications on application servers

When running or debugging an application, you can modify the source code and see the result of your changes without restarting the server. Depending on the type of artifacts and run configuration, this can either involve simple updates of resources and classes or rebuilding and redeploying the artifacts.

Configure the application update options

If you have an application server run configuration, you can specify what it should do when you initiate an update.

Configure the following options:

On ‘Update’ action : Select what to do when you initiate an update.

Show dialog : Show a dialog with available options when you initiate an update. If this is disabled, IntelliJ IDEA will use the selected option without a dialog.

On frame deactivation : Select what to do when you switch from IntelliJ IDEA to a different application (for example, to a web browser).

The available update options depend on the type of artifacts (exploded or archived) and on the type of the run configuration (local or remote).

Update all changed resources, such as HTML, JSP, JavaScript, CSS and images.

Exploded artifacts in local application server run configurations

Update classes and resources

Update all changed resources and recompile all changed Java classes (EJBs, servlets, and so on).

When debugging, IntelliJ IDEA will deploy and reload updated classes. For more information, see Reload modified classes. Otherwise, when running the application regularly, IntelliJ IDEA will only update the changed classes in the output folder. Whether it will deploy and reload such classes in the running application, depends on the capabilities of the Java runtime that you are using.

Exploded artifacts in local application server run configurations

Hot swap classes

When debugging, IntelliJ IDEA will deploy and reload updated classes. For more information, see Reload modified classes. This option is not available for regularly running applications.

Archived artifacts in local application server run configurations and both exploded and archived artifacts in remote configurations.

Rebuild and redeploy the application artifacts without restarting the server. The operation may be time-consuming.

Exploded and archived artifacts in local and remote application server run configurations

Restart the application server, rebuild and redeploy the artifacts. The operation may be very time-consuming.

Exploded and archived artifacts in local application server run configurations

Update a running application

When you launch the application server run configuration and it successfully deploys and runs the application, you can modify the code and update your application in one of the following ways:

Click in the Run or Debug tool window.

If the necessary update option is associated with frame deactivation, the application will update automatically when you switch from IntelliJ IDEA to a different application (for example, a web browser).

Update IntelliJ IDEA

By default, IntelliJ IDEA is configured to check for updates automatically and notify you when a new version is available. Updates are usually patch-based : they are applied to the existing installation and only require you to restart the IDE. However, sometimes patch updates are not available, and a new version of IntelliJ IDEA must be installed.

If IntelliJ IDEA does not have HTTP access outside your local network, it will not be able to check for updates and apply patches. In this case, you have to download new versions of the IDE and install them manually as described in Standalone installation.

Toolbox App

If you installed IntelliJ IDEA using the Toolbox App, it will suggest you to update the IDE when a new version is available.

Automatically update all managed tools

Open the Toolbox App and click the Toolbox App menu icon in the top right corner.

If you disable this option, you will need to click Update next to any instance when a newer version comes out.

You can also configure the update policy for every managed IDE instance separately.

Configure the update policy for a specific instance

In the instance settings dialog, select the update channel to use for this IDE instance:

Update to Release : Update only to stable releases that are recommended for production.

Standalone instance

Configure the update policy

If the IDE instance is managed by the Toolbox App, these settings will affect only plugin updates.

The Updates page contains the following settings:

Check IDE updates for

Select whether you want IntelliJ IDEA to check for updates automatically and choose an update channel.

Early Access Program : Provides all updates, including major version EAP builds and minor version Preview builds. This channel is not recommended for production development.

EAP versions can be updated to both newer EAP and stable IntelliJ IDEA versions. If an EAP version is updated to a stable version at some point, the name of the original installation directory does not change.

Beta Releases or Public Previews : Includes stable releases, release candidates, and beta releases. Some updates in this channel may contain minor bugs and feature previews.

Stable Releases : Includes only stable releases that are recommended for production.

Check for plugin updates

Select whether you want IntelliJ IDEA to check for new versions of plugins automatically.

Check for Updates

Check for updates immediately.

Alternatively, from the main menu, select Help | Check for Updates on Windows or Linux, or IntelliJ IDEA | Check for Updates on macOS.

Manage ignored updates…

Show the list of updates that were ignored. These updates will not be suggested until you remove them from the list of ignored updates.

If you remove several updates from the ignored list, only the most recent will be offered for download when you check for updates.

Show What’s New in the editor after an IDE update

Open a tab with information about new features and improvements after a major IDE update.

Snap package

If you installed IntelliJ IDEA as a snap package, it will manage updates automatically. All snaps are updated automatically in the background every day. You can also get the latest version of all snaps manually at any time by running the following command:

Or if you want to update only the IntelliJ IDEA snap:

How to update already installed IntelliJ IDEA on Ubuntu?

So my question is, how can I update the entire existing IntelliJ platform and see it as the result upon search in the Unity Dash? Can I update it in the same way in which I can update the existing plug-ins and see them in effect upon restarting IntelliJ?

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I recommend using Toolbox App for the seamless automatic updates.

If you have upgraded manually, use the Tools | Create Command-line Launcher and Create Desktop Entry to update the old ones.

I also suggest to use ToolBox but in case it is not an option, I just upgraded from IntelliJ 173 to 181 in Ubuntu 16.04 manually and I did it like this.

At this moment you have two versions installed but you run the old one when clicking on the Idea icon from the launcher. The problem is that the file (with extension .desktop) that sets up the launcher’s icon still points to your old version. You can change that.

The desktop file may be in

/.local/share/application and its name was jetbrains-idea.desktop.

Edit jetbrains-idea.desktop file with your favorite editor and change the values that need to be changed. In my case I only had to change the values of «Icon» and «Exec» properties. Check the real path from your IntelliJ’s installation folder (what we did in point 2 above). Example below of my modified .desktop file:

Save the file and check that its syntax with the command desktop-file-validate pathOfYour.desktopFile (no output means all is fine).

Check that the icon from the launcher now launches the new version of IntelliJ. If it does not, log off and log on from Ubuntu. That should do.

You can delete the directory of your previous IntelliJ’s version + its hidden directory in your home folder.

You may want to update the values of the executable file /usr/local/bin/idea (if it exists) to point to your new version.

Sync with a remote Git repository (fetch, pull, update)

Before you can share the results of your work by pushing your changes to the upstream, you need to synchronize with the remote repository to make sure your local copy of the project is up to date. You can do this in one of the following ways: fetch changes, pull changes, or update your project.

The Git branches popup indicates whether a branch has incoming commits that have not yet been fetched:

Fetch changes

When you fetch changes from the upstream, all new data from commits that were made since you last synced with the remote repository is downloaded into your local copy. This new data is not integrated into your local files, and changes are not applied to your code.

Fetched changes are stored as a remote branch, which gives you a chance to review them before you merge them with your files. Since fetch does not affect your local development environment, this is a safe way to get an update of all changes to a remote repository.

Update branch

Use update if you need to sync a specific branch with its remote tracked branch. This is a convenient shortcut for fetching and subsequently applying changes to the selected branch.

In the Branches popup or in the Branches pane of the Version Control tool window, select a branch and choose Update from the context menu.

Pull changes

If you have a multi-repository project, an additional drop-down appears letting you choose the repository.

If you have several remotes defined for your project, select a remote from the list (by default, it is origin ).

Select the branch from which you want to pull changes into the branch that is currently checked out. By default, the remote branch tracked by the current local branch is selected. If you specify a different branch, IntelliJ IDEA will remember your choice and display this branch by default in the future.

If you need to pull with options, click Modify options and choose from the following:

—rebase : after fetching the changes from a remote branch, IntelliJ IDEA will rebase local unpushed changes onto the fetched changes.

—ff-only : the merge will be resolved only if it is possible to fast-forward.

—no-ff : a merge commit will be created in all cases, even if the merge could be resolved as a fast-forward.

—squash : a single commit with all pulled changes will be created on top of the current branch.

—no-commit : a merge will be performed, but a merge commit will not be created so that you can inspect the result of the merge before committing.

Update your project

If you have several project roots, or want to fetch changes from all branches each time you sync with the remote repository, you may find updating your project a more convenient option.

When you perform the update operation, IntelliJ IDEA fetches changes from all project roots and branches, and merges the tracked remote branches into your local working copy (equivalent to pull ).

If your project contains submodules, and they are on a branch, they will also be updated automatically.

Select the update type (this strategy will be applied to all roots that are under Git version control):

Work offline

Updates

By default, IntelliJ IDEA is configured to check for updates automatically and notify you when a new version is available. Updates are usually patch-based : they are applied to the existing installation and only require you to restart the IDE. However, sometimes patch updates are not available, and a new version of IntelliJ IDEA must be installed.

If IntelliJ IDEA does not have HTTP access outside your local network, it will not be able to check for updates and apply patches. In this case, you have to download new versions of the IDE and install them manually as described in Standalone installation.

Without internet access, you can’t install IntelliJ IDEA using the Toolbox App and snaps.

For more information, see Update IntelliJ IDEA.

Plugins

Usually, plugins are installed from the JetBrains Plugin Repository. However, you can set up a custom plugin repository in your local network and configure IntelliJ IDEA to use it for installing and updating plugins.

Alternatively, you can download and manually install plugins from disk.

License activation

You can evaluate IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate for up to 30 days. After that, buy and register a license to continue using the product.

If IntelliJ IDEA does not have HTTP access outside your local network, you will not be able to use the JetBrains Account for signing in. However, you can generate an offline activation code that will be valid during your subscription term.

If your organization has at least 50 active subscriptions or licenses of JetBrains products, you can use the Floating License Server to activate IntelliJ IDEA instances within your company network. Keep in mind that the License Server itself requires internet access for connecting to the JetBrains Account.

Code inspections

Some code inspections verify external resources. For example, the Non-existent web resource inspection highlights dead links. If you don’t have internet access, these inspections will not work and dead links will not be highlighted.

For more information, see Code inspections.

External documentation

External documentation opens the necessary information in a web browser so that you can navigate to related symbols and keep the information for further reference at the same time. However, if you don’t have an internet connection, online documentation is not accessible. In this case, you can download it and open it by means of the Quick Documentation popup.

Access SDK documentation offline

Download the documentation package of the necessary version.

The documentation package is normally distributed in a ZIP archive that you need to unpack once it is downloaded.

For example, you can download the official Java SE Development Kit 14.0.1 Documentation and unzip it.

Select the necessary JDK version if you have several JDKs configured, and open the Documentation Path tab on the right.

Click the icon and specify the directory with the downloaded documentation package (for example, C:\Users\jetbrains\Desktop\docs\api ).

Apply the changes and close the dialog.

Access library documentation offline

You can add downloaded documentation to your project to be able to access it offline.

Select the library for which you want to add the documentation and click in the right section of the dialog.

Apply the changes and close the dialog.

When the documentation is downloaded and configured, hover the mouse over the necessary symbol in the editor or place the caret at the symbol, and press Ctrl+Q ( View | Quick Documentation ).

For more information, see Quick Documentation.

Version control systems

Most likely, your source code is under some sort of version control system (VCS). If a remote repository is not in your local network, and there is no internet access, IntelliJ IDEA will not be able to communicate with the VCS. For example, if you are using Git, you will be able to commit your changes but won’t be able to push them to the remote repository or pull updates from it.

For more information about VCS integration, see Version control.

Tasks and issue trackers

You can set up a connection with an issue tracker to work with tasks and bugs assigned to you directly from IntelliJ IDEA. For example, you can connect to YouTrack, Jira, GitHub, and so on.

If the issue tracker server is not in your local network, and there is no internet access, IntelliJ IDEA will not be able to sync your issues. In this case, you will be able to work only with local tasks that you create yourself.

Maven dependencies

By default, Maven connects to remote repositories and checks for updates on every launch. Resolving Maven dependencies can require downloading new artifacts. You can switch to offline mode if you want Maven to use only those resources that are available locally.

Switch Maven to offline mode

In the Maven tool window, click .

Gradle dependencies

By default, Gradle connects to remote repositories and checks for updates on every launch. Resolving Gradle dependencies can require downloading new artifacts. You can switch to offline mode if you want Gradle to use only those resources that are available locally.

Switch Gradle to offline mode

In the Gradle tool window, click .

Usage statistics

When you run IntelliJ IDEA for the first time, you are prompted whether to send anonymous data on the features and plugins you use, your hardware and software configuration, file types, number of files per project, and so on. This does not include any personal or sensitive data, such as parts of your source code or file names. This information is collected in accordance with the JetBrains Privacy Policy and is used to help improve the products and overall experience.

Even if you enable anonymous usage statistics, it will not be sent if there is no HTTP access outside your local network. Also, you can disable this feature entirely if you agreed at first and then changed your mind later.

Disable sending usage statistics