How to Install IntelliJ IDEA on Windows 11: The Complete Guide [2024]

IntelliJ IDEA is one of the most popular integrated development environments (IDEs) used for Kotlin programming. Created by JetBrains, IntelliJ IDEA provides a robust set of tools for productive Kotlin and Java development.

The Community Edition of IntelliJ IDEA is available for free, making it an accessible option for developers looking to build Kotlin applications on Windows 11. Compared to the Ultimate Edition, the Community Edition has all the core development features while lacking some of the enterprise-focused capabilities. However, it is fully equipped for end-to-end Kotlin development.

In this comprehensive guide, we will walk through how to download, install, and configure IntelliJ IDEA specifically for Kotlin development on a Windows 11 machine. By the end, you will have IntelliJ IDEA up and running and ready to start building your first Kotlin project.

When it comes to integrating Kotlin into your development workflow, you have a few options for IDEs including:

However, for hardcore Kotlin development across platforms like JVM, Android, and frontend, IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition stands out as the best IDE. The open-source Community Edition provides full support for Kotlin without the need for a paid subscription.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll dive into:

IntelliJ IDEA has many features that make Kotlin development incredibly efficient:

Let's compare this to using the Kotlin console...

The Kotlin console (also known as Kotlin REPL) allows you to test Kotlin code snippets and experiment interactively. However, it has major limitations compared to a full-featured IDE like IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition:

Overall, while the Kotlin console is useful for quick feedback on code snippets, it is far less productive for developing full applications compared to a feature-rich IDE. IntelliJ IDEA provides complete support for taking a Kotlin project from conception all the way through development, debugging, testing, and deployment.

IntelliJ IDEA includes a robust set of features specifically for supercharging Kotlin development:

Intelligent Code Editing

Refactoring and Code Manipulation

Debugging

VCS and Collaboration

Customization

Let's wrap up with a summary...

IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition provides the best development environment for working with Kotlin. Its built-in support for Kotlin combined with features like intelligent coding assistance, debugging, project automation and more make it far more productive than alternatives like the Kotlin console.

Key advantages of using IntelliJ IDEA for Kotlin include:

Overall, IntelliJ IDEA is the ideal IDE for end-to-end Kotlin development on JVM, Android and more. And with the free Community Edition, any Kotlin developer on any platform can take advantage of this powerful tool.

If you're just getting started with Kotlin or want to accelerate your productivity, download IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition and see the difference it can make. Your next Kotlin project will come together faster than ever before.

Before installing IntelliJ IDEA on your Windows 11 computer in 2023, there are a few key prerequisites to check and configure for a smooth setup.

In this section, we will cover all the system requirements, software dependencies, and steps you need to fulfill before installing IntelliJ IDEA on Windows 11.

IntelliJ IDEA requires the following minimum system specifications in order to run efficiently on Windows 11:

Meeting the recommended system requirements ensures you avoid performance issues when using resource-intensive features in IntelliJ IDEA like code completion, debugging, compilation, and more. Having sufficient computing power allows the IDE to handle desktop, mobile and web development smoothly.

Before installing IntelliJ IDEA, you need to have the Java Development Kit (JDK) set up on your Windows 11 computer

.

The latest JDK is required as IntelliJ IDEA relies on the JDK tools and libraries for Java development.

For a comprehensive guide on which Java Development Kit is recommended, check out my blog post.

Enabling hardware acceleration in Windows provides significant performance gains for graphics and rendering in IntelliJ IDEA. It allows the IDE to offload some rendering tasks to the GPU for a smoother experience.

To enable hardware acceleration:

With hardware acceleration enabled, the IntelliJ IDEA UI, editor, and tools will render more efficiently. Code completion popups, scrolling, and debugging visualizers will be faster.

Specific examples of improved performance:

Now let's look at installing updated graphics drivers to further improve hardware acceleration performance.

Install Graphics Drivers

To get full support for hardware acceleration, having up-to-date graphics drivers is essential.

You should install the latest drivers for your graphics card from the manufacturer:

Key things to note:

Updating to the latest stable graphics drivers guarantees maximum compatibility and performance for IntelliJ IDEA and the JDK's hardware acceleration features. With optimized drivers, you will get significantly faster rendering when working on complex IDEA projects.

To ensure peak performance when first setting up IntelliJ IDEA, it's recommended to disable any non-essential background processes on your Windows 11 system.

Background apps and services that can negatively impact IntelliJ IDEA's performance include:

Taking these steps prevents these resource-intensive apps from interfering with IntelliJ IDEA's performance during the installation and initial usage. All these background processes can be reenabled after verifying IntelliJ IDEA runs smoothly.

Downloading IntelliJ IDEA 2022 on Windows 11 is quick and easy by following these steps:

Once you have downloaded the IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition installer .exe file for Windows, run the file to kick off the installation process.

You will be presented with a setup wizard to guide you through the installation. On the first screen, you can choose to either keep the default installation location on C:\Program Files\JetBrains or change it to a custom path. For most users, accepting the default path is perfectly fine.

On the next screen, you can choose which menu group to create shortcuts in for launching IntelliJ IDEA. The default of JetBrains is recommended. Also ensure the "Add launchers dir to PATH" option is checked so you can easily open IntelliJ from the command line.

Next, you have the option to associate certain file types like .kt and .kts with IntelliJ IDEA. This is helpful for opening Kotlin files directly in IntelliJ, so make sure this box is checked.

Click Next, On this screen you will click the Install button, to start the installation.

After setting the installation folder and options, click "Install" to begin copying files and configuring IntelliJ IDEA:

The IntelliJ IDEA GUI installer makes installing the IDE on Windows straightforward. Just let the installer run through its process until finished.

Once the IntelliJ IDEA installation completes successfully, you'll see the "Completing the IntelliJ IDEA Setup Wizard" screen:

You will be informed that to complete the installation, you must reboot the PC/laptop.

You will also be presented with 2 radio buttons. One of the radio buttons gives you the option of rebooting the PC/laptop now and the other one gives the option of rebooting the workstation later.

Choose one of the radio buttons and Click "Finish" to close the setup wizard. After the workstation has been rebooted the installation will be complete

Importing IntelliJ IDEA Settings

When launching IntelliJ IDEA for the first time after installing, you will be prompted with an "Import Intelli IDEA Settings" dialog box:

The dialog box will feature two radio buttons:

The "Do not import settings" radio button will be checked by default. Click on the Ok button to move to the next screen

Configuring Data Sharing

In the next step, you will be presented with a screen titled "Data Sharing".

This allows you to configure whether to share data with JetBrains:

Here are some things to consider:

If you wish to send the data, you click on the "Send Anonymous Data" button. If not you click on the "Don't Send" button. Either way, you will be directed to the next screen.

Next, you will be presented with the Welcome to IntelliJ IDEA screen. On the left-hand side, you will be presented with a vertical menu that has tabs for Projects, Customize, Plugins, and Learn.Select the Plugins option:

How to Change the Color Theme on IntelliJ IDEA on Windows 11

If you wish to change the Color Theme of the IntelliJ IDEA IDE, you must do the following:

How to use IntelliJ IDEA to create your first Kotlin Project

In the IntelliJ IDEA main window, click on the "Projects" tab and then click on the "New Project" button.

In the project creation wizard, do the following:

IntelliJ IDEA will generate the project structure and open the main class file for editing. You're now ready to start coding and developing your Kotlin application.

In this section of the guide, we will explore the process of performing a silent installation of IntelliJ IDEA 2023 from the command line using the EXE installer. This method allows for an unattended installation without any user interface, making it convenient for network administrators or anyone who needs to install IntelliJ IDEA on multiple machines.

Silent installation refers to the process of installing software without any user intervention or interface. For IntelliJ IDEA, silent installation can be achieved through the use of command line switches. These switches provide specific instructions to the installer on how to perform the installation. They can be used to change the default installation directory, specify configuration files, and perform other customization options.

Silent installations offer several benefits for developers and system administrators. Here are some key advantages:

The NSIS installer used by IntelliJ IDEA accepts several command line switches that enable silent installation. These switches provide flexibility and customization options during the installation process. Here are some commonly used switches:

For more detailed information on NSIS command line switches, refer to the NSIS documentation.

To perform a silent installation of IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition 2023, follow these steps:

During the installation, IntelliJ IDEA offers the option to generate a log file for troubleshooting purposes. You can create a verbose log file with installation details using the following command:

ideaIC-2023.x.x.exe /S /CONFIG=.\silent.config /LOG=C:\Windows\Temp\IntelliJ-Install.log

This command will create a log file at the specified path (C:\Windows\Temp\IntelliJ-Install.log).

If you want to install IntelliJ IDEA in a different directory than the default one, you can use the /D parameter followed by the desired installation path. For example:

ideaIC-2023.x.x.exe /S /CONFIG=.\silent.config /D=C:\IntelliJ IDEA 2023

This command will install IntelliJ IDEA 2023 in the "C:\IntelliJ IDEA 2023" directory.

By modifying the launcher64 parameter in the silent.config file, you can exclude the creation of a desktop shortcut during the installation. Set the value to 0 or remove the line altogether:

launcher64=0

Save the file and run the installation command as before.

To add the IntelliJ IDEA launchers path to the PATH environment variable, add the following line to the silent.config file:

updatePATH=1

Save the file and run the installation command as before. This will ensure that you can access IntelliJ IDEA from any location on your system.

To add the "Open Folder as Project" option to the context menu, add the following line to the silent.config file:

updateContextMenu=1

Save the file and run the installation command as before. This will allow you to right-click on a folder and open it as a project directly in IntelliJ IDEA.

If you want to regenerate the shared archive for IntelliJ IDEA, add the following line to the silent.config file:

regenerationSharedArchive=1

Save the file and run the installation command as before. This will regenerate the shared archive, which can improve the startup time of IntelliJ IDEA

To register file associations for specific file types with IntelliJ IDEA, add the following lines to the silent.config file:

.java=1 .groovy=1 .kt=1

Save the file and run the installation command as before. This will associate the specified file types with IntelliJ IDEA, allowing you to open them directly from the file explorer.

If you ever need to uninstall IntelliJ IDEA 2023 silently, you can use the following command:

"%ProgramFiles%\IntelliJ IDEA 2023\bin\Uninstall.exe" /S

This command will silently uninstall IntelliJ IDEA from your system.

In summary, performing a silent installation of IntelliJ IDEA 2023 allows for a streamlined and automated deployment process. By following the steps outlined in this guide and exploring additional configurations, you can customize the installation to suit your specific needs. Remember to always test these installation procedures in a non-production environment to ensure compatibility and avoid any unexpected issues.

In this section of the tutorial, we will guide you through the process of installing IntelliJ IDEA on the latest Windows 11 operating system using the JetBrains Toolbox App. The JetBrains Toolbox App is a software management and installation tool that simplifies the management of JetBrains IDEs and related tools.

The JetBrains Toolbox App offers a centralized location for managing all your JetBrains IDEs and tools. It provides several key features that make the installation and management process seamless:

Before installing the JetBrains Toolbox app, make sure your Windows 11 PC meets the following prerequisites:

Ensuring your Windows 11 PC meets these core prerequisites will prevent potential issues when installing and running the Toolbox app. You can visit the official documentation for the full system requirements if needed.

With the prerequisites in place, you are ready to continue to the next step of downloading the JetBrains Toolbox app installer.

To get started, you first need to download the installation file for the JetBrains Toolbox app:

With the JetBrains Toolbox app installer now downloaded and ready, you can move on to installing the app on your Windows 11 machine using that executable file. The installation process is quick and straightforward.

The process of actually installing the JetBrains Toolbox app on your Windows 11 PC is simple and fast. Follow these steps:

A progress bar will track the Toolbox installation. No additional input is needed.

Once the installation is complete, you can choose to launch the Toolbox App immediately by checking the "Run JetBrains Toolbox" option. Click on the "Finish" button to complete the installation.

Now that you have successfully installed the JetBrains Toolbox App, you can proceed to install IntelliJ IDEA. Follow these steps:

Launch the JetBrains Toolbox App from your computer's control panel or by searching for it in the Start menu.

On the license agreement page. On this page, you can also choose to send anonymous data usage which can help improve the software. Review the terms and click "Accept" to agree.

We then arrive at the Configure Step. Here, we are presented with the following options:

After you have chosen between the options presented to you, click on the "Get Started" button to proceed.

In the Toolbox App's interface, you will see a list of available JetBrains products. Locate IntelliJ IDEA in the list and click on the "Install" button next to it.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed IntelliJ IDEA on your Windows 11 operating system using the JetBrains Toolbox App.

In most cases, the JetBrains Toolbox app will install smoothly without issues. However, here are some tips for troubleshooting potential problems:

Installing IntelliJ IDEA on Windows 11 is made easy with the JetBrains Toolbox App. This software management tool simplifies the installation, updating, and management of JetBrains IDEs and related tools. By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, you can quickly set up IntelliJ IDEA and start developing your software projects with ease. Take advantage of the powerful features and productivity enhancements offered by IntelliJ IDEA and the JetBrains Toolbox App for a seamless development experience.

Remember to regularly check for updates within the JetBrains Toolbox App to stay up to date with the latest features and improvements.

IntelliJ IDEA provides a user-friendly interface that allows developers to navigate and work with their projects efficiently. Let's explore some of the key components of the IntelliJ IDEA interface:

The project structure view in IntelliJ IDEA displays the files and directories within your project. It provides an organized and hierarchical representation of your project's components, making it easy to navigate and manage your codebase.

The code editor in IntelliJ IDEA is where you write, edit, and debug your code. It offers a wide range of features to enhance your coding experience, including syntax highlighting, code completion, code formatting, and intelligent code analysis.

IntelliJ IDEA offers powerful navigation and search capabilities to help you find and navigate to specific code elements quickly. You can use shortcuts, bookmarks, and various search options to locate classes, methods, variables, and other code components within your project.

IntelliJ IDEA seamlessly integrates with popular version control systems like Git, Mercurial, and Subversion. It provides a comprehensive set of tools for managing and tracking changes to your codebase, including commit, push, pull, and merge operations.

IntelliJ IDEA includes advanced code analysis and refactoring tools to improve the quality and maintainability of your code. It can detect potential errors, suggest code optimizations, and automate tedious refactoring tasks, saving you time and effort.

IntelliJ IDEA offers a plethora of advanced features and customization options to cater to the diverse needs of developers. Let's explore some of the additional features and customization options available in IntelliJ IDEA:

IntelliJ IDEA provides a wide range of keyboard shortcuts that can significantly boost your productivity. You can customize the keyboard shortcuts according to your preferences or choose from predefined keymaps for popular IDEs like Eclipse or Visual Studio.

IntelliJ IDEA supports a vast ecosystem of plugins and extensions that enhance its functionality. You can browse the JetBrains Marketplace to discover and install plugins for various languages, frameworks, and tools, further extending the capabilities of IntelliJ IDEA.

Live templates in IntelliJ IDEA allow you to insert predefined code snippets with just a few keystrokes. You can create your own custom templates or use the built-in templates for common code patterns, reducing the amount of repetitive typing and increasing coding speed.

IntelliJ IDEA provides robust debugging and testing capabilities, allowing you to identify and fix issues in your code efficiently. You can set breakpoints, step through your code, inspect variables, and run unit tests within the IDE, making the debugging and testing process seamless.

IntelliJ IDEA offers extensive customization options to tailor the IDE according to your preferences. You can configure code style settings, adjust the appearance of the IDE, enable or disable various plugins and features, and personalize the overall development environment.

While installing and using IntelliJ IDEA, you may encounter some issues or have questions regarding certain functionalities. Here are some common troubleshooting tips and frequently asked questions to help you resolve any problems you may face:

In this comprehensive guide, we have covered the step-by-step process of downloading, installing, and setting up IntelliJ IDEA on Windows 11 for Java development. We have explored the key features, customization options, and troubleshooting tips to help you make the most of IntelliJ IDEA's capabilities. With its intuitive interface, advanced tools, and extensive plugin ecosystem, IntelliJ IDEA provides a robust development environment for Java developers. So, start coding with confidence and unleash your creativity with IntelliJ IDEA! If you have any further questions or need assistance, feel free to leave a comment below.

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