For the benefit of anyone interested and as a reference for myself, here are some of the IntelliJ and related macOS settings I normally use. This page will be occasionally updated on new IntelliJ releases and changes in my preferences.

Last updated on 15th October 2024 for IntelliJ version 2021.2.4.

Settings

  • disable Main Menu > View > Appearance > Navigation Bar
  • in Editor > General
    • enable Smart Keys > Use "CamelHumps" words
    • disable Smart Keys > Honor "CamelHumps" words on double click
    • disable Smart Keys > Surround selection on typing quote or brace
    • disable Appearance > Show intention bulb
    • disable Breadcrumbs > Show breadcrumbs
    • disable Rich-Text Copy > Copy as rich text
  • in Editor > Code Editing
    • disable Highlight on Caret Movement > Usages of element at caret
    • disable Show quick documentation on hover
  • in Editor > Inlay Hints
    • enable all, and then disable with Toggle Inlay Hints Globally
      (which with a shortcut is a better to way show hints on-demand)
  • in Appearance & Behavior > Appearance
    • disable Smooth scrolling (so that the scrolling position is on the border between lines)
    • disable System Settings > Updates > Show What's New in the editor after an IDE update
  • in Version Control > Git
    • set Update method to Rebase
    • enable Use credential helper — don’t save passwords in IDE (IDEA-211251)
  • in Advanaced Settings
    • enable User Interface > Position mouse cursor on default button in dialogs
    • disable User Interface > Use native faile chooser dialog on Windows/macOS — because IntelliJ file chooser dialog is just better
    • enable Version Control > Toggle commit controls
    • disable Version Control > Enable Commit tool window

Registry

Use Find Action and search for “Registry…”:

  • disable ide.allow.merge.buttons —
    don’t merge buttons in VCS dialogs (see IJPL-87262, IJPL-80718, etc.)
  • disable light.edit.file.open.enabled —
    because light editor it’s not ready yet (see IDEA-236868)
  • enable analyze.exceptions.on.the.fly —
    automatically analyze clipboard content for stacktrace on IDE frame activation
  • enable ide.completion.delay.autopopup.until.completed —
    deterministic auto-completion results (see KT-29042)
  • disable debugger.valueTooltipAutoShow — no debugger tooltip on mouse over
  • disable show.live.templates.in.completion (see IDEA-216928)
  • increase undo.globalUndoLimit and undo.documentUndoLimit
  • enable toolwindow.disable.overlay.by.double.key —
    because when using alt+... shortcuts (e.g. with IJKL shortcuts plugin) it can be annoying in presentation mode to accidentally open tool window overlay (see IDEA-112097)
  • enable vcs.background.commit.checks — perform commit checks in background
  • disable ide.switcher.tool.window.list and ide.recent.files.tool.window.list — hide tool windows from switcher and recent file popups (see IDEA-131137)

Keymap

  • reassign F1 to QuickFix plugin
  • use IJKL shortcuts plugin for navigation
  • use alt+\ for “Show Context Menu” (right click menu)
  • use cmd+2 for Git tool window
  • use cmd+M for “Scroll to Center”
  • use cmd+shift+G for “Execute Gradle Task”
  • assign a shortcut to Window > Notifications > Close First / Close All (see IDEA-218434)

macOS

  • disable accents defaults write -g ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool false
  • max values for Preferences > Keyboard > Key Repeat / Delay Until Repeat
  • map CapsLock to Control in Preferences > Keyboard > Modifier Keys...
  • disable shortcuts in Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts which clash with IntelliJ, e.g. cmd+shift+/
  • disable option-space, see https://superuser.com/questions/78245