Custom Shortcut to Manage Recent Projects in IntelliJ IDEA

Ankit Wadhwana
TechVerito
Published in
3 min readFeb 23, 2024

1. Introduction

Welcome to a comprehensive guide on optimizing your IntelliJ IDEA experience. This post focuses on creating a custom shortcut specifically designed for managing recent projects to open them in the IDE, a feature that can significantly enhance your workflow.

2. Significance of Custom Shortcuts in IntelliJ IDEA

Efficiency is key for developers, and custom shortcuts play a crucial role in achieving that. Discover why tailoring shortcuts to your preferences can boost your productivity when working with IntelliJ IDEA.

3. Creating a Custom Shortcut for Opening Recent Projects

a. Navigating to Keymap Settings

  • File > Settings > Keymap for Windows and Linux
  • IntelliJ IDEA > Settings > Keymap for macOS

b. Locating the “Manage Projects” Action

  • In the Keymap settings, locate the search bar and search for “Manage Projects”. We are interested in customizing the one that is under Main Menu > File >File Open Actions > Recent Projects > Manage Projects…This is the function we’ll customize to create your shortcut.

c. Assigning Your Preferred Shortcut

  • Right-click on “Manage Projects…” and choose either “Add Mouse Shortcut” or “Add Keyboard Shortcut.”
  • Enter your desired combination for opening recent projects. Ensure it does not conflict with existing shortcuts. Click OK and then APPLY + OK
  • I’m using cmd+shift+P, feel free to use what you like.

4. Verifying and Testing the Custom Shortcut

After assigning your custom shortcut, test its functionality by opening recent projects. Verify that the shortcut performs as intended, providing you with a swift and streamlined access experience.

5. Additional Tips for Optimizing IntelliJ IDEA

Explore further customization options within IntelliJ IDEA to tailor the IDE to your specific workflow. From code inspections to version control system (VCS) integration, there are numerous ways to optimize your development environment. Ref: https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/configuring-project-and-ide-settings.html

6. Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully created a custom shortcut in IntelliJ IDEA for opening recent projects.

Implement these steps and witness the transformation of your IntelliJ IDEA experience. Share your favorite shortcuts with fellow developers, and let’s make coding more efficient together! Happy coding!

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