WebStorm 2021.1 Help

Update WebStorm

By default, WebStorm is configured to check for updates automatically and notify you when a new version is available. Updates are usually patch-based: they are applied to the existing installation and only require you to restart the IDE. However, sometimes patch updates are not available, and a new version of WebStorm must be installed.

When WebStorm updates to a new major release, it opens the What's New in WebStorm tab in the editor with information about the changes, improvements, and fixes. To open this tab manually, select Help | What's New in WebStorm.

If WebStorm does not have HTTP access outside your local network, it will not be able to check for updates and apply patches. In this case, you have to download new versions of the IDE and install them manually as described in Standalone installation.

Toolbox App

If you installed WebStorm using the Toolbox App, it will suggest you to update the IDE when a new version is available.

Automatically update all managed tools

  1. Open the Toolbox App and click The screw nut icon in the top right corner.

  2. In the Toolbox App Settings dialog, expand Tools and select Update all tools automatically.

If you disable this option, you will need to click Update next to any instance when a newer version comes out.

You can also configure the update policy for every managed IDE instance separately.

Configure the update policy for a specific instance

  1. Open the Toolbox App, click The screw nut icon next to the relevant IDE instance, and select Settings.

  2. In the instance settings dialog, expand Updates.

  3. If necessary, select to keep using the current major version to make sure that the Toolbox App does not update the current IDE instance to a newer major version when it comes out.

  4. If you did not choose to automatically update all tools, you can select to automatically update this particular IDE instance.

  5. Select the update channel to use for this IDE instance:

    • Update to Release: Update only to stable releases that are recommended for production.

    • To Release and Early Access Program: Includes updates to beta releases, release candidates, and EAP builds, which are not recommended for production and include feature previews.

Standalone instance

If you installed WebStorm manually, the standalone IDE instance will manage its own updates. It will notify you when a new version is available. You can choose to update the current instance, download and install the new version as a separate instance, postpone the notification, or ignore the update entirely.

Configure the update policy

To manage the WebStorm update policy, open Settings/Preferences Ctrl+Alt+S and select Appearance & Behavior | System Settings | Updates.

The Updates page contains the following settings:

ItemDescription
Check IDE updates for

Select whether you want WebStorm to check for updates automatically and choose an update channel.

  • Early Access Program: Provides all updates, including major version EAP builds and minor version Preview builds. This channel is not recommended for production development.

    WebStorm can be updated only to a minor Preview version, but not to a major EAP build. For example, you can update WebStorm 2021.1.1 to 2021.1.2, but not to 2021.2 EAP. The 2021.2 EAP version in this case will be installed as an additional instance.

    EAP versions can be updated to both newer EAP and stable WebStorm versions. If an EAP version is updated to a stable version at some point, the name of the original installation directory does not change.

  • Stable Releases: Includes only stable releases that are recommended for production.

Check for plugin updates

Select whether you want WebStorm to check for new versions of plugins automatically.

Check for Updates

Check for updates immediately.

Manage ignored updates

Show the list of updates that were ignored. These updates will not be suggested until you remove them from the list of ignored updates.

Show What's New in the editor after an IDE updateOpen a tab with information about new features and improvements after a major IDE update.

Snap package

If you installed WebStorm as a snap package, it will manage updates automatically. All snaps are updated automatically in the background every day. You can also get the latest version of all snaps manually at any time by running the following command:

sudo snap refresh

Or if you want to update only the WebStorm snap:

sudo snap refresh webstorm
Last modified: 19 May 2021