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Tool windows

Last modified: 22 November 2024

Tool windows provide access to development tasks: viewing your project structure, running and debugging your application, integration with version control systems and other external tools, code analysis, search, navigation, and so on. By default, tool windows are attached to the bottom and sides of the main window. However, you can rearrange and even detach them to use as separate windows, for example, on another monitor.

The following screenshot shows several common tool windows occupying the space around the editor:

Tool windows
  1. Project tool window

  2. Structure tool window

  3. Run tool window

  4. Maven tool window

Some tool windows are always available (for example, Project and Structure), some are activated when a specific plugin is enabled or your project has a specific structure (for example, Maven, Gradle, and Spring) , and some appear only when you perform a certain action (for example, Run, Debug, and Find).

For example, the Run tool window appears only after you run your code. It is accessible from the main menu View | Tool Windows | Run or using the shortcut Alt04 as long as there is some output in the console, and you don't close all the tabs in it.

To focus your attention on the editor, you can hide all tool windows and when necessary, quickly restore all windows that were open when you've hidden them.

You can use the following shortcuts to manage IntelliJ IDEA's tool windows: