What’s New in IntelliJ IDEA 2021.1? A Deep Dive into the Latest Features

New Startup Page

The updated IDE opens with a more colorful and faster startup screen, showcasing the new design and rapid launch speed.

Space Integration

JetBrains Space, an all‑in‑one team collaboration suite, is now built‑in, offering chat, project management, and CI/CD directly from the IDE’s top‑right shortcut.

WSL 2 Support

IDEA 2021.1 now connects natively to Windows Subsystem for Linux 2, allowing Java projects (Gradle, Maven, etc.) to be run and debugged inside WSL 2 without extra configuration.

Run Targets

Developers can execute and debug applications on remote hosts, Docker containers, or WSL 2 via the new Run Targets feature, extending local development to many environments.

Java 16 Support

The release adds basic support for Java 16, including records, pattern matching for instanceof, jpackage, Unix‑domain sockets, elastic metaspace, ZGC, vector API, and external link APIs, along with smarter data‑flow analysis checks.

Code With Me

Code With Me now works out‑of‑the‑box, enabling host‑guest pair programming, group coding, and audio/video calls for seamless remote collaboration.

Version Control Enhancements

Improvements include faster pull‑request creation, PR templates, custom pre‑commit checks, and configurable Git commit templates.

Other UX Improvements

Built‑in HTML Preview

IDEA now offers an internal HTML preview, allowing live editing and preview without leaving the editor.

Windows Taskbar Enhancements

Right‑click the taskbar or start menu to quickly open recent projects.

Customizable External Dependencies Scope

Search scopes can now include or exclude external dependencies via settings.

Window Split Optimization

Double‑click a tab to maximize its pane; double‑click again to restore the split view.

Additional updates cover better support for Kotlin, Scala, JavaScript, popular frameworks, Kubernetes, Docker, and database tools, further enhancing the overall development experience.