Trust project dialog does not work in IntelliJ IDE

October 26, 2026 16:07 Updated

Problem

Trust project dialog does not show up in IntelliJ IDEs, or shows continuously (forgetting settings)

Cause

Multiple underlying causes, such as antivirus software configuration, outdated version, lack of permissions to a file system, etc.

Resolution

Manually set up the trusted folders by editing XML

Navigate to the config directory %IDE_CONFIG%\JetBrains<IDE_NAME><version>\options\

Path examples:

Windows	Linux	MacOS
C:\Users\JohnS\AppData\Roaming\JetBrains\IntelliJIdea2025.2\options	~/.config/JetBrains/IntelliJIdea2025.2/options	~/Library/Application Support/JetBrains/IntelliJIdea2025.2/options

Look for a file named trusted-paths.xml

Example content

<application>
  <component name="Trusted.Paths">
    <option name="TRUSTED_PROJECT_PATHS">
      <map>
        <entry key="$USER_HOME$/HelloWorld" value="true" />
      </map>
    </option>
  </component>
  <component name="Trusted.Paths.Settings">
    <option name="TRUSTED_PATHS">
      <list>
        <option value="$USER_HOME$/IdeaProjects" />
      </list>
    </option>
  </component>
</application>

Edit the content manually
Restart IntelliJ IDE