Question

What should I do if the IntelliJ IDEA (or other JetBrains IDE) does not open at all? Nothing happens when I launch it, or it terminates immediately.

Solutions to try

1. Skip reopening previous projects

   If the crash happens only with a specific project, you can prevent the IDE from opening using the dontReopenProjects option in the command line:

   <IDE installation folder>\bin\idea64.exe dontReopenProjects
   

2. Remove custom plugins

   Locate the plugins directory and delete it:

   • Windows: %APPDATA%\JetBrains\<product><version>\plugins Example: C:\Users\JohnS\AppData\Roaming\JetBrains\IntelliJIdea2025.1\plugins
   • MacOS: ~/Library/Application Support/JetBrains/<product><version>/plugins Example: ~/Library/Application Support/JetBrains/WebStorm2025.1/plugins
   • Linux: ~/.local/share/JetBrains/<product><version> Example: ~/.local/share/JetBrains/PhpStorm2025.1

   Alternatively, you can run the IDE in the command line with the disableNonBundledPlugins option. More details here.

3. macOS only: disable Metal rendering

   • Go to ~/Library/Application Support/JetBrains/IntelliJIdea2025.1
   • Create a file called idea.vmoptions there or open if it exists

   💡 Note: see examples for other IDEs.

   • Add this line and save:

     -Dsun.java2d.metal=false
     

4. Delete IDE configuration directory

   Locate the IDE configuration directory, back it up and delete it.

5. Delete IDE system directory

   Locate the IDE system directory and delete it as well.

6. Check antivirus or firewall exclusions

   Ensure the IDE processes, installation folder, default directories, and project files are excluded from scans.

   More details here.

7. Run from command line

   Start the IDE from the command line and review the output for errors. Copy the entire output, you may need it if you contact support.

⚠️ What to send to support if it still crashes

1. Output from command line execution in step 7

2. Java crash logs: files named java_error_in*.log or jbr_err*.log in your user home directory.

3. Zipped IDE logs from the default locations:
   • Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\JetBrains\<product><version>\log Example: C:\Users\JohnS\AppData\Local\JetBrains\IntelliJIdea2024.1\log
   • macOS: ~/Library/Logs/JetBrains/<product><version> Example: ~/Library/Logs/JetBrains/IntelliJIdea2024.1
   • Linux: ~/.cache/JetBrains/<product><version>/log Example: ~/.cache/JetBrains/IntelliJIdea2024.1/log

All files can be attached to your support request or uploaded privately to our server. Be sure to provide the upload ID so we can locate them.