How to configure the new UI to behave more like classic one

Question

Starting from version 2024.2, the new UI became the default in IntelliJ IDEs (official blog post about the change).

How to configure the new UI so that it looks and feels like the old (classic) one?

Answer

Though the new UI looks unfamiliar at first, it can be easily configured to better suit your preferences and even mimic the behavior of the old (classic) UI.

Possible configuration tweaks are listed below. You can check each of them for instructions on how to make the specific tweak.

• How to make the new UI more compact so there is less empty space
• How to always expand main menu in IntelliJ IDE
• How to show tool window names (captions) instead of icons only
• How to bring back top and bottom tool window bars
• How to add back/forward and other missing buttons to IntelliJ IDE main toolbar
• How to move navigation bar to the top of the window

How to bring back the old (classic) UI?

Classic UI is available as a free plugin on Marketplace.

For instructions on how to install and enable it, refer to this article: Cannot disable New UI in versions 2024.2+ of JetBrains IDEs. How to bring back the classic UI(old UI)?

We will maintain the plugin until at least March 2026. It means that it will be tested and supported for all IDE versions we release until then.