CLion 2020.2 Help

Update

By default, CLion 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 CLion must be installed.

Toolbox App

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

Automatically update all managed tools

  1. Open the Toolbox App and click the screw nut icon in the top right corner to open the settings.

  2. Select Update all tools automatically.

    Toolbox App: the option to update all tools automatically

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

Configure update settings for a specific instance

  1. Open the Toolbox App, click the screw nut icon for the necessary instance, and select Settings.

  2. Under Updates, choose whether you want to stay on the current major version, automatically update the instance, and what update channel to use:

    Toolbox App: selecting the update channel
    • Release: Update only to stable releases that are recommended for production.

    • Release and EAP: Includes updates to beta releases, release candidates, and Early Access Program (EAP) builds, which are not recommended for production and include feature previews.

Standalone instance

If you installed CLion manually, updates are managed by the standalone instance itself. It will notify you when a new version is available . You can choose to update the current instance, download and install the new version as a separate instance, postpone the notification, or ignore the update entirely.

You can manage CLion updates on the Updates page under Appearance and Behavior | System Settings in the Settings/Preferences dialog Ctrl+Alt+S:

The Update dialog in Settings / Preferences

Disable automatic update checks

  1. In the Settings/Preferences dialog Ctrl+Alt+S, select Appearance and Behavior | System Settings | Updates.

  2. Clear the Automatically check updates for checkbox.

Check for updates manually

  1. In the Settings/Preferences dialog Ctrl+Alt+S, select Appearance and Behavior | System Settings | Updates.

  2. Click the Check Now button to see if a newer version is available.

Alternatively, you can check for updates from the main menu:

  • For Windows and Linux: Help | Check for Updates

  • For macOS: CLion | Check for Updates

Choose the update channel

  1. In the Settings/Preferences dialog Ctrl+Alt+S, select Appearance and Behavior | System Settings | Updates.

  2. Use the list of update channels to limit the types of releases you want to use.

    Selecting the update channel

You can choose the channel only if you are using a stable version. For EAP builds, the channel is always set to Early Access Program.

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

    CLion can be updated only to a minor Preview version, but not to a major EAP build. For example, you can update CLion 2019.2.3 to 2019.2.4 EAP, but not to 2019.3 EAP. The 2019.3 EAP version in this case will be installed as an additional instance.

    EAP versions can be updated to both newer EAP and stable CLion 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.

View and manage ignored updates

If you decide to ignore a proposed update for some reason, you can later view every update that you ignored and make it available again if you change your mind.

  1. In the Settings/Preferences dialog Ctrl+Alt+S, select Appearance and Behavior | System Settings | Updates.

  2. Click the View/edit ignored updates link. The Ignored Updates dialog lists the build numbers that are currently ignored.

  3. To make a certain build available, delete it from the ignored updates list.

Snap package

If you installed CLion 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:

sudo snap refresh

Or if you want to update only the CLion snap:

sudo snap refresh clion
Last modified: 18 November 2020