WebStorm FAQ

General

How do I get started with WebStorm?

If you’re switching to WebStorm from another IDE or code editor, we recommend checking out these migration guides to get started. There are guides for users moving from other JetBrains IDEs, VS Code, and Sublime Text. You can also find a bunch of other learning resources on this page.

Where can I get an overview of the features available in WebStorm?

For an overview of the features WebStorm offers, check out our Features page or watch this video. See this section to learn about the technologies supported by WebStorm.

What do WebStorm and other JetBrains IDEs have in common, and how do they differ?

Most of the time, your experience with WebStorm will be similar to what you’ve had with other JetBrains IDEs. It’s because all of them have a common core called the IntelliJ Platform. For more information, check out our guide for users migrating from another JetBrains IDE to WebStorm.

Can I work with database tools and SQL in WebStorm?

There is no out-of-the-box support for database tools and SQL in WebStorm. However, there are several ways to get it – you can learn more about them here. If you don’t have an active DataGrip or All Products Pack subscription, we recommend purchasing the database plugin mentioned in the blog post. You can start with a free 30-day trial.

How is WebStorm different from a code editor (Sublime Text, VS Code, etc.)?

WebStorm is an IDE (integrated development environment). Here are the benefits this gives you:

• Out-of-the-box experience. Just like any other professional IDE, WebStorm comes with all core functionality included. This means that you can get straight to coding without having to install any extensions.
• A workhorse for large projects and complex tasks. WebStorm analyzes your entire project and uses this information to power up all of its smart features. This can be useful when you’re working with large codebases, as it’s often hard to keep track of all aspects of a project on your own. The IDE will help navigate around your project and refactor code safely.

• A dedicated environment for JavaScript. This can be a strength or a weakness, depending on your needs. WebStorm helps you stay focused on a specific technology stack.

What’s the catch? As WebStorm comes with a bunch of predefined features, it tends to be slower than code editors. The abundance of features might also make WebStorm hard to get used to. To get help with the latter, we recommend checking out our migration guides for VS Code and Sublime Text.

What versions of WebStorm are supported?

We provide technical support and regular bug-fix updates for the current version of WebStorm. You can find a list of the current IDE versions here.

Security updates are provided for the current and previous versions of the IDEs. The exact list of previous versions that will get an update depends on the severity of the security vulnerability.

Is there a WebStorm community edition?

Unfortunately, a community edition doesn’t seem possible right now, mainly because WebStorm’s features are included in our other paid IDEs. If we made such a radical change, we’d have to restructure a lot of other things. That’s a significant commitment we aren’t ready to make at the moment.

We try to support the community in other ways, such as by giving subscriptions to open-source projects and students. You can also try our EAP builds, which are available three times a year – during our release periods – and are free to use.

Licensing and discounts

What is a perpetual fallback license?

A perpetual fallback license allows you to use a specific WebStorm version without an active subscription. You can learn more about it here.

Does WebStorm have a continuity discount?

Yes. JetBrains continuity discount works the same for all JetBrains IDEs and .NET subscriptions, including WebStorm. After paying for 12 consecutive months, you’ll get a 20% discount on the next year and up to 40% off from the third year onwards. To learn more about the JetBrains continuity discount, check out this page.

Can I get a WebStorm license for free?

There are several ways to use WebStorm for free or at a discounted price. Students, teachers, and open-source project contributors can apply to get an All Products Pack license free of charge. This license will include WebStorm and other JetBrains IDEs. Startups and non-profit organizations can receive a 50% discount on JetBrains tools.

There are more offers available, so please be sure to check our special offers page to see if you qualify for any of them.

You also have the opportunity to try WebStorm for free and help us improve the quality of the product at the same time. Three times a year, before each of our major releases, we run an Early Access Program. Each program lasts for two months and lets you be one of the first to try all the latest enhancements and newest features. To learn more about the program and why you should take part, check out this blog post.

Getting support

I have a problem with WebStorm. What should I do?

If you get stuck or encounter a problem in WebStorm, there are several places where you can get help:

• WebStorm help. Our documentation covers most of WebStorm’s functionality and how to use it, so you can find answers to many of your questions there.
• WebStorm community forum. There is a lot of information available on our community forum. You can use keywords to search through it. You can also try Stack Overflow.
• WebStorm blog. Here you can find information about product updates, IDE tips, tutorials, and events.

If you have failed to find an answer to your question in the resources above, you can also try to:

• Contact our support team. You can submit a new ticket here or via Help | Contact Support in WebStorm’s main menu.
• Report a bug or upvote an existing issue. We have a public issue tracker for reporting bugs and making feature requests. Before creating a new issue, we recommend searching the issue tracker for similar reports to avoid duplicates. If you find a similar issue, you can add a comment to it or give it an upvote to help bring it to the attention of the development team.

How can I share feedback about WebStorm with you?

You can use the feedback form to tell us what you like or don't like about WebStorm. To access the form, select Help | Submit Feedback in the WebStorm main menu.

Keymaps and shortcuts

Can I use the VS Code keymap in WebStorm?

Yes. To do so, go to Preferences / Settings | Keymap, set VSCode or VSCode (macOS) as your default keymap, and save the changes. Here’s a guide on how to switch to WebStorm from VS Code.

Note that the keymap might not be bundled in some versions of WebStorm. To install it, go to Preferences / Settings | Plugins and look for VSCode there. Once you've installed the keymap, you can go to Preferences / Settings | Keymap and set it as the default.

A shortcut is not working. What should I do?

First, make sure you’re using the right keymap. You can check what keymap is selected in Preferences / Settings | Keymap. Look for the action you’re trying to use – there might be a different shortcut assigned to it.

This can also happen if a WebStorm shortcut conflicts with certain global system actions or shortcuts for a third-party software program. To fix it, reassign or disable the conflicting shortcut(s). You can see a list of all conflicting shortcuts in the warning that appears at the bottom of the Keymap page of the Preferences / Settings dialog.

There is no shortcut for an action. How can I add it?

Go to Preferences / Settings | Keymap, find the action that requires a shortcut in the list, right-click it, and select Add Keyboard Shortcut. See more in Configure keyboard shortcuts.

How to memorize WebStorm shortcuts?

Here are a few tips that will help you learn WebStorm shortcuts faster.

Performance

What to do in case of WebStorm performance or memory issues?

See this article on how to report a performance problem. Please collect the information required for further investigation and create a new issue here so we can assist you.

How to speed up indexing?

Indexing large files might cause performance problems. There are some ways to speed up the processing of such files:

• You can mark them as plain text. To do this, right-click a file, select Override File Type, and then choose Plain text from the available options. This will completely exclude the file from indexing.
• You can turn off inspections/error highlighting for the current file. Please see this article for more information.

We also recommend excluding all dynamically generated files from the project by marking the build output folder as excluded. To do this, you can right-click the folder in question and select Mark Directory as > Excluded. This will help avoid project reindexing when flashing generated files to the disk.