Store your project build configuration in new and universal CMake Presets, and CLion will automatically detect and import the necessary CMake Build Presets.

It will notify you and suggest reloading the presets if any changes are introduced to them, either in the editor or externally.

You can manage the imported presets in Settings | Build, Execution, Deployment | CMake.

Learn more

In the Before Launch section of the Run/Debug configuration, users can now specify CMake Target tasks, both built-in and user-specified. These tasks will be performed before starting the selected target.

CLion now automatically detects GNU Autotools, Kbuild, and PERL MakeMaker projects. When these projects are loaded as Makefile projects, CLion automatically detects preconfiguration scripts and executes them to get the Makefile and load the project from it.

If you open a project in CLion without loading the Makefile project model, you can still load it later. This might happen if your project requires some custom preconfiguration steps and no final Makefile is available until those steps are finished. To load it, call the context menu on the project's top-level Makefile and select Load Makefile Project.

When you use the Microsoft Visual C++ toolchain on Windows, CLion provides its own LLDB-based debugger. Data rendering in this debugger was improved in v2021.2:

• Natvis customization features such as Inheritable attribute, format specifiers, and CustomListItems are now supported.
• Built-in renderers were improved by adding one-line colored summaries for all structures not covered by Natvis, enabling formatting for wide/Unicode strings, and showing the [Raw View] for Natvis-generated values.

Learn more

Instead of the internal console used by CLion, on Windows, it’s now possible to switch to the cmd.exe console to run and debug applications. Use the Run in external console checkbox in Run/Debug configuration to change the behavior.

While stepping through assembly code, you can now add/remove breakpoints on instruction lines. For non-default configuration of these address breakpoints, use the right-click context menu menu.

To improve debugging with LLDB, LLDB v12.0 is now bundled. Remote debugging of any arbitrary executable from CLion is now possible with LLDB (in addition to GDB). Use the new Remote Debug configuration to provide arguments to connect to the remote host. On a remote host, you'll need to launch lldb-server/debugserver. Check out our web help for more details.

If you debug applications with FreeRTOS in CLion, a view with the task lists is now available. You can switch to the task you are interested in to explore task variables and more.

Learn more

Diagnose common cases of dangling pointers and escaping from a local scope by using static analysis. This capability is made possible by the Lifetime Safety proposal that CLion has partially implemented. GSL annotations are also supported to let you mark your code and make local analysis more accurate.

Cling is an interactive C++ interpreter built on top of Clang and LLVM. It allows you to run code without building the project, which can be especially useful for prototyping and learning C++.

Install Cling on your system and benefit from its integration with CLion:

• Start a new Cling session.
• Send included headers or selection to Cling.
• Send the current line to the Cling session via the code intention.

Learn more

Profiling is now possible in remote mode and on WSL. In both cases, the Perf backend is required. Find the instructions in our web help on how to install the Perf tool for your particular kernel release.

You'll also need to configure the path to the Perf tool in CLion Settings | Build, Execution, Deployment | Dynamic Analysis Tools | Perf.

WSL configuration in CLion has become much easier, as you no longer need an SSH server inside a WSL distribution to work with WSL in CLion. CLion now uses a dedicated WSL API.

CLion now supports WSL whether it's installed from the Microsoft Store or a custom distribution.

Text search through file revisions in Local History appeared in CLion 2021.2, helping you locate the point you want to roll back to more easily.

In v2021.2, we expanded the list of possible pre-commit actions with the ability to execute tests. Tick the Run Tests checkbox and select the configuration to run.

We also added the ability to customize the Analyze code and Cleanup options by clicking Choose profile next to them.

Do you use the Toolbox App to manage CLion installations and updates? Now you won't miss any critical product updates from it. Your IDE will alert you if there is a new version available for download and give you the option to upgrade right from CLion.

You can now enjoy the CLion UI in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. The fully localized UIs are available as non-bundled language pack plugins, which can be installed in CLion from Settings | Plugins.

The list of current DFA-based inspections that benefit from global DFA includes:

• Dangling pointers – detects pointers that may point to already deleted memory.
• Null dereference – detects dereferencing pointers that may contain nullptr.
• Endless loops and Infinite recursion.
• Constant conditions – detects possible conditions that are always true or false.
• Unreachable code and Unused values.
• Escape analysis – detects variables containing references to local variables that escape their scope.

CLion 2021.1 also optimizes many steps in DFA. The performance measurements on Postgres, Eigen, and Clangd projects, among others, show that the overall performance is good and that some characteristics have improved (such as the number of files where DFA execution was terminated by CLion because of a timeout).

In addition to line coverage, CLion 2021.1 can now also calculate Branch Coverage. This method takes into account all the branches of each control structure. Run your CMake application or tests with coverage and check out the new column that’s been added to the Coverage tool window.

Branch coverage is enabled by default and can be adjusted in Settings | Build, Execution, Deployment | Coverage, but it only works with GCC/gcov or version 12.0.0 and higher of LLVM/llvm-cov.

CLion 2021.1 adds more checks from MISRA C 2012 and MISRA C++ 2008. The full list is maintained on our confluence page and allows you to easily track the progress.

Postfix templates can help you with common language constructs. Type an expression then a dot, and then add the postfix template abbreviation and press the expansion key, or select the required template from the completion list that appears. The expanded template will wrap the given expression. Find the full list of templates in Settings | Editor | General | Postfix Completion.

CLion 2021.1 allows you to work with Makefile projects on a remote machine. Change the toolchain in the Makefile settings to a remote one, then reload the project and it will synchronize with the remote machine. Compile, run, and debug your application remotely from your locally running CLion.

Check out known issues and limitations.

CMake Profile settings in CLion are now stored in a cmake.xml file in the .idea directory and can be shared in the VCS along with the project. Simply select the Share option in Settings | Build, Execution, Deployment | CMake.

Clazy, a Qt-oriented static code analyzer, is now integrated into CLion’s Clangd-based engine. CLion currently uses version 1.8. Checks are displayed in the editor and quick-fixes are also available.

Users can configure CLion’s severity level and the level of the Clazy checks in Settings | Editor | Inspections | C/C++ | General | Clazy.

The Set Execution Point action lets you jump to an arbitrary line of code in the editor during a debug session and set the execution point there, skipping all the other commands in between. It now works in the disassembly view, so you can move the execution point while stepping through the assembly code.

A new Tools | Open Remote Host Terminal action opens the project directory on the remote host if it exists. The remote host corresponds to the remote profile that is currently selected, or if a local one is selected, the first remote profile found in the project.

Source files located outside of the project root are now grouped under the External Sources node in the Project tree. This helps prevent the top-level crowding of these files.

CLion can inspect your code before you commit it to help you make sure there are no bugs. Choose a code inspection profile before committing changes to VCS – click the gear icon to display the commit options, select the Analyze code checkbox, click Choose profile, and select the desired profile.

IntelliJ Rust now provides a structured view for the compiler’s build output. The tab opens automatically in the Build tool window when you call a Cargo command that includes a build step. This new feature works with Cargo versions 1.48.0 or later.

Another significant update is the new Change Signature refactoring. It helps you modify a function/method signature, affecting all references. You can quickly change a function’s name or return type, reorder or add/remove parameters, and add an async or unsafe prefix.

The Rename refactoring now gives renaming suggestions for elements like structs, functions, and local variables when you change a name in the editor.

Conditional compilation support has been improved. Find Usages is now available for Cargo features, and completion works for the feature argument in the cfg and cfg_attr attributes. Also, if there are nested attributes inside cfg_attr, the plugin takes that into account during name resolution and code analysis.

Code With Me, a new JetBrains service for collaborative development and pair programming, is now bundled with CLion.

Set the required level of access to your project and share the link with your guests. Your peers do not even need to have an IDE of their own installed to collaborate with you. Embedded audio and video calls, along with chat messaging, will help teams discuss the code, share their knowledge, and cooperate more efficiently.

To learn more about the availability of Code With Me with your current JetBrains license, check out the pricing page.

CLion 2020.3 can run and debug your application with root privileges – you just need to select this option in the corresponding Run/Debug configuration. This works for CMake, Makefile, Gradle Native, Custom Build, and CTest applications.

With a new Set Execution Point to Cursor action, you can move back and forth though your program’s execution while debugging, break loops or restart them, select another branch in an if-else clause or switch-case statement, and even skip loops completely. It is as simple as dragging-and-dropping an arrow in the gutter to the line you are interested in.

In CLion, you can now use a script to specify the environment in which a Run/Debug configuration will be launched. You'll find the new setting for this in all Application and Unit Testing configurations.

CTest, a CMake-specific test runner, is now supported in CLion. This means the list of tests that are run with CTest is detected, and the IDE automatically creates run/debug configurations for them. When tests are launched, the results are presented in the built-in test runner, from which you can debug tests, rerun only failed tests, and much more.

CLion 2020.3 brings partial support for MISRA C 2012 and MISRA C++ 2008, guidelines used widely in embedded development and especially in the automotive industry. This support speeds up the development of such projects by revealing incompatibilities earlier in the development cycle. The list of currently supported checks is available on CLion’s Confluence page.

A new Extract Lambda Parameter refactoring has been added to CLion. It extracts an expression or statement into a new parameter with a lambda expression passed as a corresponding argument. The statement could, for example, be a comparator passed to a sorting function.

Watch Extract Refactorings in Action

Clang completion snippets help you insert common constructs when C++ keywords are typed. In some cases, when completing a typedef keyword, for example, code completion can suggest not only the keyword itself but also stubs for the type and the new name.

The New Project dialog suggests the Qt Console Executable and Qt Widgets Executable project types. You can also select the Qt CMake prefix path, the C++ language standard to be used in the project, and the Qt version. The new project is generated using the corresponding templates.

Signals and slots are central features of Qt, as they are the entities used for communication between objects. CLion now understands when signals or slots have to be completed, and it filters only the corresponding members in the completion dropdown.

Makefile projects using various wrappers like ccache, libtool, dolt, slibtool, and jlibtool can now be successfully loaded in CLion. Read more about some of the limitations that remain.

The Recompile action (Ctrl+Shift+F9) helps speed up the development process by compiling a single file without building the whole project. It now works for Makefile projects, too!

With CLion 2020.3, it’s now possible to keep several CMake profiles configured in CLion while disabling the ones that are not currently in use. This improves the project loading times and saves from the redundant failures from temporarily unavailable profiles (like for the remote configurations which are currently shut down). The option is available from the CMake tool window and the CMake Profiles settings dialog.

The Search Everywhere dialog now includes a Git tab. It helps with finding commit hashes and messages, tags, and branches. You can also perform simple mathematical calculations in the search field.

Directories marked as Excluded locally are now automatically marked as Excluded paths for remote toolchains when they are initially being configured. And when changes are made to an already synchronized project, CLion shows an update notification and suggests updating the list of Excluded paths.

CLion 2020.3 supports Code With Me (EAP), a new service from JetBrains for collaborative development and pair programming. Code With Me enables you to share the project you currently have open in your IDE with others, and work on it together in real time. You can download it today from the plugin marketplace (Preferences / Settings | Plugins | Marketplace). Check out these posts to learn more about Code With Me.

CLion 2020.3 gets a revamped Welcome screen. The new layout puts the most common operations at your fingertips and gives you immediate access to recent projects, customization options, and plugin settings.

CLion can now synchronize with your OS theme. To enable this feature, go to Settings / Preferences | Appearance & Behavior | Appearance and tick the Sync with OS checkbox. Click the gear icon next to Sync with OS to select your preferred theme.

IntelliJ Rust now fully supports Cargo features and allows you to configure them with a smart new UI. Features of a workspace can be toggled on and off with a single click, and the plugin’s code assistance will take these settings into account. Check out the details in this blog post.

Also, the plugin now allows using Rustfmt as the default code formatter. Just set the corresponding checkbox in Settings / Preferences | Languages & Frameworks | Rust | Rustfmt, and the whole file reformatting will employ Rustfmt. For now, if you call Reformat Code on a selection, the IDE’s formatter will be used instead.

The plugin’s project wizard has been enhanced with more templates and the option to use custom cargo-generate templates.

Other updates include the introduction of WebAssembly project support and a new experimental engine for name resolution.