IntelliJ IDEA Essentials

Navigating in the editor

When working on a project, you work on a set of files. You switch between them a lot, so knowledge of how to navigate efficiently between files, types, or methods is essential to speed up development. Basically, the faster you switch between files, the more productive you are.

Navigating between files

IntelliJ IDEA provides a switcher between opened files and tool windows. It's similar to the application switcher in your operating system such as Alt + Tab on Windows or cmd + Tab on the Mac. The switcher in IntelliJ IDEA is available by using the Ctrl + Tab keyboard shortcut. If the switcher pop-up is visible, keep the Ctrl key pressed and use the Tab key (or the cursor + up and down arrow keys) to select the desired tool ...