Directories used by the IDE to store settings, caches, plugins and logs

Thanks Serge, I have done so: 67739.
I was unable to find the idea.log in any of the directories mentioned above, but have attached the crash reports from ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/PyCharm*

Let me know if there's somewhere specific I might find the idea.log and I'll attach it to the ticket.

I am trying to use the PyCharm Educational version and have asked for help as it keeps on crashing/freezing ( using Win7). The advice is to do this "Please, check with default settings (rename/remove settings folders to start with the defaults https://intellij-support.jetbrains.com/entries/23358108 ).". I have checked that the filepath is the default: C:\Users\Sue.PyCharmEdu10 but cannot find where I would edit any files. Can anyone help?

Support request was 68163

Difficult to find it. Finally found it, fiew!
For phpStorm, my config & settings was found in:
C:\Users\Chris.WebIde90

That really does not match the help content in this article.
Be well, :-)

Thanks. May I suggest changing the redirect link on this page—or better yet, 304 both pages to this one? https://devnet.jetbrains.com/docs/DOC-181
It is quite old, I realize, but it is the #2 google search result for "where are intellij plugins stored". The page to which it's pointing is the #1 result, and this one is somewhere down in the weeds of #6 or #7.

Its really difficult to find out the path, still then you can use 'Long Path Tool', it can help you

For Mac OS X:

1. I renamed all the directories so that I could find missing components and import settings from a "previous version" (my backup). Removing is a destructive option, so I would not recommend it.
2. Upon launch, I chose to import settings from a previous version of PyCharm (I selected the renamed folder that PyCharm found).
3. Non-bundled plugins need to be reinstalled. It is recommended that the user first note non-bundled plugins before renaming the settings folder, or look in ~/Library/Application Support/<PRODUCT_VERSION>/extensions.xml
4. There may be other side effects which I have yet to discover.

I had accidently key mashed my Font Size to an unreadable number '13412' or something ridiculously.

Go to:

~/Library/Preferences/PyCharm50/option/ui.inf.xml

change 'Font Size' = 'not_a_ridiculous_number'

For Rider EAP works too! Thank you for the article

This helped reinstall a corrupted version oh PhpStorm. A normal reinstallation failed but following these instructions before re-installing the app helped.

Why aren't they located where the system is begging the developers to save their stuff into? For windows %APPDATA% and for linux/bsd Systems $XDG_CONFIG_HOME and $XDG_DATA_HOME?

It is quite sad to see that there are default locations where things should be but every developer/team is creating their own stuff in every possible thinkable location to increase the effort for a user keeping the system and home directory clean and to migrate software.

It would be helpful to add a send data to JetBrains when the out of memory dialog pops up.  Then we would not have to search multiple folders to help you solve a memory leak.

why Pycharm don't want open in windows 10 

Please submit a ticket to support with the error you get when trying to run it with pycharm.bat file.

I am using MacOS High Sierra and I am trying to find idea.config.path
But I could not find it in

~/Library/Preferences/

Can anyone help me? Thanks

Hi Serge. I am a new IntelliJ user and I would like to change the default directory under which projects are stored. Is there a place in the UI to do that? Do I need to edit a config file?

IntelliJ IDEA 2018.2 provides the option above, in the previous versions the new projects are created in the location of the previous project automatically.

I found on mc Mac ~/Library/Preferences/CLion2018.2 but it's unclear which file is the config file to add options to.

There should be a file with one option per line according to https://intellij-support.jetbrains.com/hc/en-us/articles/207241235-Reporting-performance-problems 

I have:

clion.key

disabled_plugins.txt

disabled_update.txt

port

port.lock

./codestyles/Default.xml

./options:

cachedDictionary.xml

debugger.xml

dimensions.xml

filetypes.xml

find.xml

git.xml

ide.general.xml

images.support.xml

laf.xml

options.xml

other.xml

project.default.xml

recentProjectDirectories.xml

runner.layout.xml

scratches.xml

stubIndex.xml

ui.lnf.xml

updates.xml

usage.statistics.xml

window.manager.xml

window.state.xml

./scratches/scratch.txt

Use Help | Edit Custom VM Options to create this file automatically from the IDE.

Just in case this helps anyone else:

I was following these instructions and it wasn't working. the problem was that I had just installed 2018.3 and it was asking me if I wanted to import from 2018.2 - I was doing this and I was still seeing the default config.

The problem was that the config I had been using was being pulled in from 2018.1.

So I had to delete the 2018.3 and the 2018.2 folders, so that when I relaunched it asked me if I wanted to import from 2018.1.

I can't find IntelliJIdea directories on my mac, macOS Mojave Version 10.14.3

Can someone help me please? 

Look under the user home directory.

When you install IntelliJ without admin privileges, it installs at User level. So the config directory structure is as follows:

~/Library/Preferences/IntelliJIdea2018.3 (Not at System Level) this is Wrong
/Users/<userName>/Library/Preferences/IntelliJIdea2018.3 (This is Right)
/Users/<userName>/Library/Preferences/IntelliJIdea2019.1 (This is Right)

~ stands for /Users/<userName>. If you type cd ~ in the Terminal, you'll be navigated to the home directory.

I accidentally set the 'Appearance' font to 111 (was trying for 11) just now. Yikes!

Seemed obvious that DataGrip would have XML configs somewhere - thankfully this article pointed me in the right direction.

Search the XML files for '111', discover that 'other.xml' has the Appearance settings... Problem solved.

Sounds like run-of-the-mill incompetence (and it kinda was), but it unfolded logically: here's how.

For whatever reason, the font size for Custom Fonts defaulted to 1 - W.T.actual.F.?

The default of 1 was how this hilarity was set in motion.

I changed the Appearance font (to 'Assistant') and hit 'Apply' - didn't notice that the font size box said '1'.

So now I'm working with insanely small text.

I couldn't see shît, but the mouse pointer was in the font size box, so I double-clicked (to select all)... typed '11' and clicked 'Apply'.

Guess what... double-clicking hadn't selected-all, so I wound up implementing a font size of 111.

Turns out: once you do that, you're cooked.

Anyhow... terrific IDE suite (I have the lot - but I mostly use PyCharm, DataGrip, WebStorm and PHPStorm). Worth every penny - even when I do something as stupid as what I just did...

Just to be clear, I ran find ~/.PyCharm2019.1/ -iname "*log*" -ls to find the log file, which is at 
/home/jeffs/.PyCharm2019.1/system/log/idea.log

This directory is created on the first start. If IDE cannot start, you will not see it. I've replied to your other comments in the separate forum threads. This help topic is unrelated to your problem.

I feel like maybe your documentation that says that, in MacOS, preferences are in ~/Library/Preferences/<PRODUCT><VERSION> is out of date. Our system administrator here at our school told us that PyCharm was trying to open, instead, /Users/<ACCT> to get to the preferences. We have a modified system configuration on our Macs where $HOME (and therefore "~") is mapped to a different home directory. PyCharm crashed as a result. Our sys admin had to go in and edit something in a config file to point it to $HOME instead of /Users/<ACCT>. Then things went fine.

Just thought you should know.

Yes! This! Thank you for this page. I changed my JDK in IntelliJ so that I could use JavaFX. Then I tried to switch it back, and got stopped on the splash screen with no movement and dumped threads. After a few uninstall and reinstall and fruitless searches for all the configs to do a default install I finally found this site and deleted all the folders from the MacOS that were in this locations. I can finally get back into the software that I need to build software. 

I spent the day on understanding an issue with the startup of Intellij IDEA, version 2019.2.3 delivered by Arch Linux. During my research I came across this article stating that IDEA just uses one folder in users‘ home directories. In fact this is only partially valid.
At the first startup Intellij also creates files in ~/.local and ~/.java.

Finally I managed to nail the problem to the file prefs.xml containing a Jetbrains.UserIdOnMachine. It is created successfully at the first start of Intellij when I‘m logged in into the dev workstation locally. If I connect remotely via SSH and X Forwarding Intellij crashes during first startup while showing the splash screen.

So the workaround is to do the first startup locally at the machine.

Anyway this is not really satisfactory. Could someone shed some light on this please. Any help appreciated. Thank you.