IntelliJ IDEA Tips and Tricks: Presentation Mode, Inject Language, Keyboard Shortcuts, and More

IntelliJ IDEA is a powerful IDE that constantly surprises developers with handy features. Inspired by its usefulness, this series shares several practical tips that many users may not know.

My Favorite Presentation Mode

You can activate Presentation Mode (maximizing the IDE window) with Alt+V , then choose Enter Presentation Mode . This mode focuses on a single class, reducing distractions. To switch files while in this mode, use CTRL+E for recent files or CTRL+N / CTRL+SHIFT+N for navigating to classes and resources. Exit with ALT+V → Exit Presentation Mode , though staying inside the mode is often more productive once you are comfortable.

Magic Inject Language

When editing JSON strings in IDEA , manually escaping double quotes is tedious. Use Inject Language to let the IDE handle escaping automatically. Place the cursor inside the quotes, press Alt+Enter , select Inject language or reference , press Enter , choose json , and then Enter again. Finally, select Edit JSON Fragment and press Enter to edit the JSON with proper escaping. Exit the JSON view with Ctrl+F4 .

Moving Splitters with Keyboard

If a class name is hidden in the Project view, you can focus the Project pane with Alt+1 and move the splitter using Ctrl+Shift+←/→ instead of dragging with the mouse.

Ctrl+Shift+Enter Does More Than Add Semicolons

The shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Enter not only adds a semicolon but also completes statements. For example, it can automatically insert missing braces for an if statement.

Avoid Overusing Refactor

For simple bulk text changes, you don’t need the full refactor tool. Select the target text with Ctrl+W and press Alt+J repeatedly to add additional occurrences, then edit all at once.

Hide the Navigation Bar

To declutter the UI, press Alt+V , uncheck Navigation Bar , and hide it. You can temporarily show it again with Alt+Home and hide it with Esc .

Locate a Class in Project View

Press Alt+F1 , choose Select in Project View , then hit Enter to jump to the class’s location. Return to the editor with Esc or F4 .

Powerful Symbol Search

Use Ctrl+Shift+Alt+N to open the Symbol dialog and type part of a method or class name (e.g., user ) to locate it quickly.

Find Directories Quickly

Press Ctrl+Shift+N , type / followed by the directory name to jump directly to a folder.

Generate Not‑Null Checks Automatically

After typing notnull after an object (e.g., rabbitTemplate ) and pressing Enter , IDEA expands it into an if statement that checks for null.

Search by Template (Structural Search)

Press Ctrl+Shift+A , type Search Struct , select Search Structurally , then choose an existing template (e.g., try ). Adjust the Maximum count variable for CatchStatement to 1, edit variables if needed, and click Find to locate all try‑catch blocks where the catch does not handle the exception.

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