Advanced configuration

Besides the standard options available in the Settings/Preferences dialog Ctrl+Alt+S, RubyMine enables you to perform low-level configuration of the underlying platform and the Java runtime.

JVM options

RubyMine runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which has various options that control its performance. The default options used to run RubyMine are specified in the following file:

<IDE_HOME>\bin\rubymine64.exe.vmoptions (for the default 64-bit JVM)

<IDE_HOME>\bin\rubymine.exe.vmoptions (for the optional 32-bit JVM)

RubyMine.app/Contents/bin/rubymine.vmoptions

<IDE_HOME>/bin/rubymine64.vmoptions (for the default 64-bit JVM)

<IDE_HOME>/bin/rubymine.vmoptions (for the optional 32-bit JVM)

Configure JVM options

Do one of the following to create a copy of the default file with JVM options in the configuration directory that will override the values from the original file:

On the Help menu, click Edit Custom VM Options.
If you do not have any project open, on the Welcome screen, click Configure and then Edit Custom VM Options.
If you cannot start RubyMine, manually copy the default file with JVM options to the RubyMine configuration directory.

If you do not have write access to the RubyMine configuration directory, you can add the RUBYMINE_VM_OPTIONS environment variable to specify the location of the file with your preferred JVM options. The values in this file will override the corresponding values from both the original default file and the copy located in the RubyMine configuration directory.

Common options

The default values of the JVM options should be optimal in most cases. The following are the most commonly modified ones:

Option	Description
`-Xmx`	Limits the maximum memory heap size that the JVM can allocate for running RubyMine. Default value depends on the platform. If you are experiencing slowdowns, you may want to increase this value, for example, to set the value to 2048 megabytes, change this option to `-Xmx2048m`.
`-Xms`	Specifies the initial memory allocated by the JVM for running RubyMine. Default value depends on the platform. It is usually set to about half of the maximum allowed memory (-Xmx), for example, `-Xms1024m`.
`-XX:NewRatio`	Specifies the ratio between the size of the young and old generation of the heap. In most cases, a ratio between 2 and 4 is recommended. This will set the size of the young generation to be 1/2 to 1/4 of the old generation correspondingly, which is good when you are often working on one project and only a few files at a time. However, if you are constantly opening new files and switching between several projects, you may need to increase the young generation. In this case, try setting `-XX:NewRatio=1`, which will make the young generation as large as the old generation, allowing objects to remain in the young generation for longer.

For more information about available JVM options, see the java reference for Windows or macOS/Linux.

Platform properties

RubyMine enables you to customize various platform-specific properties, such as the path to user-installed plugins and the maximum supported file size. The default properties used to run RubyMine are specified in the following file:

<IDE_HOME>\bin\idea.properties

RubyMine.app/Contents/bin/idea.properties

<IDE_HOME>/bin/idea.properties

Configure platform properties:

Do one of the following to create an empty idea.properties file in the configuration directory that will override the values from the original file:

From the Help menu, select Edit Custom Properties.
If you do not have any project open, on the Welcome screen, click Configure and then select Edit Custom Properties.
If you cannot start RubyMine, manually create an empty idea.properties file in the RubyMine configuration directory.

If you do not have write access to the RubyMine configuration directory, you can add the RUBYMINE_PROPERTIES environment variable to specify the location of the idea.properties file. The properties in this file will override the corresponding properties in both the original default file and the one located in the RubyMine configuration directory.

Common properties

Users often change the following properties while solving common issues:

The default IDE directories may need to be moved, for example, if the user profile drive runs out of space or is located on a slow disk, if the home directory is encrypted (slowing down the IDE) or located on a network drive, if you want to create a portable installation or exclude caches from home directory backups, and so on.

Property
Path to
idea.config.path Configuration directory
idea.system.path System directory
idea.plugins.path Plugins directory
idea.log.path Logs directory

Specify paths with forward slashes /, including Windows paths (for example, C:/idea/system).

You can use macros with any property name to insert its value. For example, use ${user.home} (standard Java system property) to specify paths relative to the user's home directory:

idea.config.path=${user.home}/MyIdeaConfiguration

Property	Path to
`idea.config.path`	Configuration directory
`idea.system.path`	System directory
`idea.plugins.path`	Plugins directory
`idea.log.path`	Logs directory

Limits that can affect performance:

Property	Description
`idea.max.content.load.filesize`	Maximum size of files (in kilobytes) that RubyMine is able to open. Working with large files can affect editor performance and increase memory consumption. The default value is `20000`.
`idea.max.intellisense.filesize`	Maximum size of files (in kilobytes) for which RubyMine provides coding assistance. Coding assistance for large files can affect editor performance and increase memory consumption. The default value is `2500`.
`idea.cycle.buffer`	Maximum size of the console cyclic buffer (in kilobytes). If the console output size exceeds this value, the oldest lines are deleted. To disable the cyclic buffer, set `idea.cycle.buffer.size=disabled`.
`idea.max.vcs.loaded.size.kb`	Maximum size (in kilobytes) that RubyMine loads for showing past file contents when comparing changes. The default value is `20480`.

RubyMine provides a number of other properties that define interaction with the environment (window managers, launchers, file system, and so on). Most of them are like hidden settings (in the sense that they are not evidently exposed), which may need to be enabled or disabled in certain cases. It is strongly recommended to change these properties only after contacting JetBrains Support for assistance.

Default IDE directories

By default, RubyMine stores user-specific files (configuration, caches, plugins, logs, and so on) in the user's home directory. However, you can change the location for storing those files, if necessary.

Configuration directory

The RubyMine configuration directory contains XML files with personal settings, such as keymaps, color schemes, and so on. It is also the default location for user-defined VM options and platform properties files.

Syntax: %HOMEPATH%\.<product><version>\config
Example: C:\Users\JohnS\.RubyMine2019.3\config

Syntax: ~/Library/Preferences/<product><version>
Example: ~/Library/Preferences/RubyMine2019.3

Syntax: ~/.<product><version>/config
Example: ~/.RubyMine2019.3/config

You can change the location of the RubyMine configuration directory using the idea.config.path property.

You can share your personal IDE settings by copying the files from the configuration directory to corresponding folders on another RubyMine installation. Make sure that RubyMine is not running to avoid erasing the copied files when you shut down the IDE. The following table lists subfolders in the RubyMine configuration directory and corresponding settings that are contained in them.

Directory	User settings
codestyles	Code style schemes
colors	Customized editor color and font schemes
fileTemplates	User-defined file templates which pertain to the entire RubyMine workspace
filetypes	User-defined file types
inspection	Code inspection profiles
keymaps	Customized keyboard shortcuts
options	Various options, for example, feature usage statistics and macros
scratches	Scratch files and buffers
templates	User-defined live templates
tools	Configuration files for user-defined external tools
shelf	Shelved changes

System directory

The RubyMine system directory contains caches and local history files.

Syntax: %HOMEPATH%\.<product><version>\system
Example: C:\Users\JohnS\.RubyMine2019.3\system

Syntax: ~/Library/Caches/<product><version>
Example: ~/Library/Caches/RubyMine2019.3

Syntax: ~/.<product><version>/system
Example: ~/.RubyMine2019.3/system

You can change the location of the RubyMine system directory using the idea.system.path property.

Plugins directory

The RubyMine plugins directory contains user-installed plugins.

Syntax: %HOMEPATH%\.<product><version>\config\plugins
Example: C:\Users\JohnS\.RubyMine2019.3\config\plugins

Syntax: ~/Library/Application Support/<product><version>
Example: ~/Library/Application Support/RubyMine2019.3

Syntax: ~/.<product><version>/config/plugins
Example: ~/.RubyMine2019.3/config/plugins

You can change the location of the RubyMine plugins directory using the idea.plugins.path property.

Logs directory

The RubyMine logs directory contains product logs and thread dumps.

Syntax: %HOMEPATH%\.<product><version>\system\log
Example: C:\Users\JohnS\.RubyMine2019.3\system\log

Syntax: ~/Library/Logs/<product><version>
Example: ~/Library/Logs/RubyMine2019.3

Syntax: ~/.<product><version>/system/log
Example: ~/.RubyMine2019.3/system/log

You can change the location of the RubyMine logs directory using the idea.log.path property.

Last modified: 30 January 2020