Run IntelliJ IDEA for the first time
When you run IntelliJ IDEA for the first time, or after you have upgraded it from a previous version, some steps are required to complete the installation, customize your instance and start working with the IDE.
The following video tutorial guides you through those steps:
How to run
Run IntelliJ IDEA using the executable in the installation directory under bin or find it in the Start menu. You can also use the desktop shortcut, if it was created during installation.
Run the app in the Applications directory, from Launchpad or Spotlight.
Run IntelliJ IDEA using the shell script in the installation directory under bin. You can also use the desktop shortcut, if it was created during installation.
For information about running IntelliJ IDEA from the command line, see Command-line interface.
Import IntelliJ IDEA settings
In the Complete Installation dialog, select whether you want to import the IDE settings:
If this is your first instance of IntelliJ IDEA, choose the Do not import settings option.
Select the user interface theme
Select whether you want to use the default Darcula or Light theme.
Disable unnecessary plugins
IntelliJ IDEA includes plugins that provide integration with different version control systems and application servers, add support for various frameworks and development technologies, and so on. To increase performance, you can disable plugins that you do not need. If necessary, you can enable them later in the Settings/Preferences dialog Ctrl+Alt+S under Plugins. For more information, see Managing plugins.
You can click the Disable All link for each group of plugins to disable them all, or Customize to disable individual plugins in the group.
Download and install additional plugins
If necessary, download and install additional plugins that are not bundled with the IDE from the IntelliJ IDEA plugins repository.
Start a project in IntelliJ IDEA
On the Welcome screen, you can do the following:
- Create a new project
- Import a project
- Open an existing project or file
- Check out an existing project from a version control system
