IntelliJ IDEA Refactoring and Code Generation Shortcuts

IntelliJ Refactoring Shortcuts

IntelliJ IDEA is renowned for its refactoring capabilities. These shortcuts let you restructure code safely with full semantic understanding.

Essential Refactoring

• Rename (Shift+F6) — rename a symbol everywhere it is used, including across files, in imports, and in string references. Works for variables, methods, classes, files, and packages.
• Extract Variable (⌘+⌥+V / Ctrl+Alt+V) — introduce a local variable from a selected expression
• Extract Method (⌘+⌥+M / Ctrl+Alt+M) — create a new method from a selected block of code
• Extract Constant (⌘+⌥+C / Ctrl+Alt+C) — replace a value with a named constant
• Inline (⌘+⌥+N / Ctrl+Alt+N) — inline a variable, method, or constant back into its usage sites

Code Generation

• Generate (⌘+N / Alt+Insert) — open the Generate menu to create constructors, getters/setters, equals/hashCode, toString, and override methods
• Surround With (⌘+⌥+T / Ctrl+Alt+T) — wrap selected code in if/else, try/catch, for loop, or other constructs
• Live Templates (⌘+J / Ctrl+J) — insert code snippets like fori (for loop), sout (System.out.println), psvm (main method)

Quick Fixes and Intentions

• Show Intentions (⌥+Enter / Alt+Enter) — the most important shortcut in IntelliJ. Shows available quick fixes, code suggestions, and automated refactorings at the cursor position. Use this for:
  • Adding missing imports
  • Fixing compilation errors
  • Converting between code patterns
  • Implementing interface methods
  • Optimizing code

Formatting

• Reformat Code (⌘+⌥+L / Ctrl+Alt+L) — format the current file or selection
• Optimize Imports (⌘+⌥+O / Ctrl+Alt+O) — remove unused imports and sort them

IntelliJ tracks every refactoring operation and can undo complex multi-file changes with a single ⌘+Z / Ctrl+Z.