Slow startup on Windows: splash screen appears in more than 20 seconds

Symptoms

  • IDE startup takes more than 20 seconds to show the splash screen for the first time, subsequent start is usually much faster.

  • Antivirus software with the real-time monitor such as Windows Defender is working on the computer.

Cause

Windows Defender slows down IDE startup by scanning its files. The scanning has become much slower recently for the yet unknown reason.

Resolution

Add IDE process to the exclusion list of the installed antivirus. Here are the steps for the Windows Defender:

  1. Go to Start > Settings -> Update & Security -> Virus & threat protection -> Virus & threat protection
  2. Under Virus & threat protection settings select Manage settings
  3. Under Exclusions, select Add or remove exclusions
  4. Select Add exclusion, choose Process option, and add the "<Your IDE Process Name>" and "fsnotifier.exe" executables.
    <Your IDE Process Name> is one of the following process names depending on the IDE:
    • idea64.exe
    • webstorm64.exe
    • datagrip64.exe
    • clion64.exe
    • rider64.exe
    • datagrip64.exe
    • goland64.exe
    • phpstorm64.exe
    • pycharm64.exe
    • rubymine64.exe
    • studio64.exe
305 out of 331 found this helpful
18 comments
Avatar
Permanently deleted user

I also needed to add an exclusion for "fsnotifier64.exe" so that the startup-windows (which displays the startup progress bar) showed up. I'm not sure if this further accelarted the start-up performance in total.

Edited by Permanently deleted user
4

The same exclusion had to be done also in Malwarebytes on Windows. Now it is back to usable again.

Thanks for this tip.

 

0
Avatar
Permanently deleted user

Excluding rider64.exe and fsnotifier64.exe didn't help: Windows Defender was still scanning something and it took long for the Rider's splash screen to show up.

The following gist helped and now Rider starts quickly: https://gist.github.com/nerzhulart/89c6a376b521a6e7eb69a04277a9489a

3
Avatar
Permanently deleted user

Surely whitelisting these processes leaves you open to anyone just using these process names?

6
Avatar
Permanently deleted user

This is hardly a solution and whitelisting processes should be an emergency workaround only.

You should fix whatever is causing this behaviour in the first place, because other, much larger software packages do not run into similar problems.

 

4
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Permanently deleted user

Exclusion of .exe files didn't help in my case, BUT excluding a folder of IDE worked well. Now Windows Defender doesn't scan it

0

Ah, yes, finally!

These hints were helpful. Especially the link to the gist from Mikael Koskinen  .

I agree with the security issue. Why do other software packages not have similar issues ?

 

2
Avatar
Dmitry Litvinov Spb

Thanks for these tips. My webstorm now runs much more faster.

 

Small correction - webstorm64.exe duplicates on the "process names" list.

Edited by Dmitry Litvinov Spb
1

windows = 🐘

linux = 🐆

hint hint...

Edited by Lingc1
-6

As suggested above, also excluding "fsnotifier64.exe" worked for me on Windows 10, now IDEA starts and loads a project super quickly :)

Edited by Dusan Pavlicek
1
Avatar
Permanently deleted user

THIS TOTALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE! I have a High End Gaming PC that I also use as a work station,  and it was worrying that was taking up to 60s to load. Added all of those as well as the fsnotifier64 made it load in 3s! Thanks a lot! 

0

This doesn't seem to help me on Windows. I allowed all of the processes suggested and that didn't make a difference.

I even temporarily disabled Windows Defender entirely and it still takes 2-3 minutes to get through the "Reopening files" loading screen.

0

Brettlehrer If the project files are on the fast local disk and it takes 2-3 minutes, please file a ticket with the logs (Help | Collect Logs and Diagnostic Data) and the CPU snapshot: https://intellij-support.jetbrains.com/hc/articles/207241235.

0

Peter Wake and Markus S. :

"When you add a process to the process exclusion list, Microsoft Defender Antivirus won't scan files opened by that process, no matter where the files are located. The process itself, however, will be scanned unless it has also been added to the file exclusion list." - Configure exclusions for files opened by processes

1

datagrip64.exe shows up twice in the list for some reason. Might want to edit that.

0

It has been insinuated that this issue does not occur on Linux but it does. On a completely fresh install of Ubuntu 20.04, PyCharm 2021.1 is incredibly slow to start (i.e. 30+ seconds) the first time. Subsequent times are faster.

Ubuntu 20.04.2 LTS

---

PyCharm 2021.1.3 (Community Edition)
Build #PC-211.7628.24, built on June 30, 2021
Runtime version: 11.0.11+9-b1341.60 amd64
VM: OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM by JetBrains s.r.o.
Linux 5.8.0-59-generic
GC: G1 Young Generation, G1 Old Generation
Memory: 1984M
Cores: 4

Current Desktop: ubuntu:GNOME

Update: For those running into the same problem on Ubuntu; it may be because you installed with snap. See:

https://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/IDEA-271039

I did, and after uninstalling and reinstalling through the Jetbrains Toolbox the PyCharm installation boots fine.

Edited by Waldo Spek
1

need code in windows 11

0

I notice that the per-project automatic Windows Defender does not work at all.

I have JB Toolbox, but currently use mostly PyCharm

I opened up the idea.log, and found that at least one reason that elevator.exe et-al fails is that it tries to create an exclusion for ./pythonProject - which is the default name of a Pycharm project until you change it. 

Clearly an embarrasing BUG in the exclusion code - or pycharm! 

Let me know how to report it, without spending too much time.

I am due to speak at a conference in a few days, have to focus on preparations since a recent Covid has stolen away the last few weeks.
 

0

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