IntelliJ Productivity Shortcuts That Will Change Your Workflow

Hey, I recently delved into keyboard shortcuts, and honestly? Total game-changer. If you're coding with IntelliJ and not using these shortcuts, you're missing out on serious time savings. I wanted to share the ones that genuinely made a difference in my daily workflow โ€” the kind of stuff that makes you go, "How did I not know this before?!" These are now part of my muscle memory, and they helped me code faster, debug better, and stay in flow way longer.

Action
Double Shift๐Ÿ” Search Everywhere โ€“ search files, classes, settings
Ctrl + E (Cmd + E)๐Ÿ“ Recent Files โ€“ reopen files you've worked on
Ctrl + Shift + Aโšก Find Action โ€“ locate actions and discover shortcuts
Ctrl + N (Cmd + O)Go to Class
Ctrl + Shift + NGo to File
Ctrl + Alt + Shift + NGo to Symbol

๐Ÿ’ก Code Assistance

ShortcutAction
Alt + Enter๐Ÿ’ก Quick Fix / Intent Actions
Ctrl + SpaceCode Completion
Ctrl + Shift + SpaceSmart Completion
Ctrl + P๐Ÿง  Show Parameter Info
Ctrl + Q (F1 on Mac)๐Ÿ“– Quick Documentation

๐Ÿ›  Code Editing & Refactoring

ShortcutAction
Ctrl + /๐Ÿ’ฌ Comment Line
Ctrl + Shift + /๐Ÿ’ฌ Comment Block
Ctrl + Alt + L๐Ÿงน Reformat Code
Ctrl + Alt + O๐Ÿงผ Optimise Imports
Ctrl + DDuplicate Line
Ctrl + YDelete Line
Ctrl + Shift + โ†‘ / โ†“๐Ÿ“ฆ Move Statement Up/Down

โ–ถ๏ธ Running & Debugging

ShortcutAction
Shift + F10โ–ถ๏ธ Run
Shift + F9๐Ÿž Debug
Ctrl + F8๐ŸŽฏ Toggle Breakpoint
Ctrl + Shift + F10Run Context Configuration
F8Step Over
F7Step Into
Shift + F8Step Out

๐Ÿงพ IntelliJ Plugin Power-Ups

These plugins took my setup from good to great. If you're serious about flow and efficiency, check these out:

PluginDescription
Key Promoter XTeaches you shortcuts by showing hints when you use the mouse.
Rainbow BracketsColourful brackets for better nested code readability.
JUnit GeneratorInstantly generate test methods for Java classes.
.env Files SupportAdds syntax highlighting and autocompletion for .env files.
HTTP ClientTest APIs directly from IntelliJ (no Postman needed).
SonarLintInline bug and code quality detection using SonarQube rules.

If you're using IntelliJ and still clicking through menus, it's time to level up. These shortcuts, plugins, and habits didnโ€™t just help me code faster โ€” they made coding feel smooth, fun, and focused.

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Written by

Git Push My Sanity
Git Push My Sanity

Hey, Iโ€™m Shrestha. Yeah, I know you canโ€™t pronounce it, just call me Shrey ๐Ÿ˜‰ I blog about my messy tech journey, rookie screw ups, and all the times my brain throws a merge conflict. Basically, everything I break (and sometimes fix) from โ€œShit, what did I do?โ€ to โ€œDamn, Iโ€™m a genius!โ€