CLion 2023.3 Help

Run applications

CLion enables running entire applications as well as unit tests.

If you have configured Before launch tools in a Run/Debug configuration, CLion runs them first, and then will run the application. Otherwise, the program will start immediately.

Quick way

Run from the editor

If you are not going to pass any parameters to your program, and your program does not require any specific actions to be performed before start, you can run it right from the editor.

  • Click in the gutter near the class declaration and select Run.

    Run using the gutter icon

Customizable way

If you are going to pass parameters to your program or otherwise customize the startup of your program, use a run/debug configuration.

Create/edit a configuration

  1. Go to Run | Edit Configurations. Alternatively, press Alt+Shift+F10, then 0.

  2. Edit one of the existing configurations or click to create a new one.

    A run/debug configuration example

Run a configuration

Use one of the options:

  • Click Run in the Edit Configuration dialog to save the settings and run the configuration right-away:

    Run button in the Edit Configurations dialog
  • Select the configuration in the toolbar switcher and click the icon next to it:

    Run/debug configuration switcher

    Alternatively, after you selected the configuration, click the Run button on the main toolbar or press Shift+F10:

    Run from the toolbar

When the application starts, you can view its output and interact with it in the Run tool window. Every run/debug configuration creates a separate tab when you run it.

Tabs in the Run tool window

For more information about tool windows and how to manage them, see the Tool windows topic.

Re-run applications

  • On the toolbar of the Run tool window, click the Rerun button or press Shift+F10.

Stop and pause applications

When you stop a program, its process is interrupted and exits immediately. When you pause a program, it continues running in the background, but its output is suspended.

Stop a program

  • In the Run tool window, click the Stop button on the toolbar. Alternatively, press Ctrl+F2 and select the process to stop.

Pause the program output

  • Right-click in the Run tool window and select Pause Output from the context menu. Use the same toggle to resume the program.

Show running processes

You can view the list of all active run or debug sessions and navigate between them.

  • Go to Run | Show Running List. In the top-right corner of the editor, CLion shows a list with all active applications.

    A list of running applications
Last modified: 15 March 2024