Open files from the command line

Open an arbitrary file or folder in IntelliJ IDEA from the command line, optionally specifying where to put the caret after opening.

Syntax

idea.bat [--line <number>] [--column <number>] <path ...>

Examples

Open a project:

idea.bat C:\MyProject

Open a specific file on line number 42 column 7:

idea.bat --line 42 --column 7 C:\MyProject\scripts\numbers.js

Syntax

idea --line <number> <path>

Examples

Open a project:

idea ~/MyProject

Open a specific file on line number 42 column 7:

idea --line 42 --column 7 ~/MyProject/scripts/numbers.js

Syntax

idea.sh --line <number> <path>

Examples

Open a project:

idea.sh ~/MyProject

Open a specific file on line number 42 column 7:

idea.sh --line 42 --column 7 ~/MyProject/scripts/numbers.js

When you specify the path to a file or directory in an existing project, IntelliJ IDEA opens this project. If the file does not belong to a project, IntelliJ IDEA creates a temporary project for it. If you open a directory that is not a part of a project, IntelliJ IDEA adds the .idea directory to it, making it a project.

Last modified: 15 April 2020