Install IntelliJ IDEA on Ubuntu 24.04

IntelliJ IDEA is an integrated development environment (IDE) from JetBrains tailored for Java development, but it also supports a wide range of other languages and frameworks. With smart code completion, advanced refactoring tools, version control integration, and robust build system support, it's a top choice for developers. This tutorial explains how to install IntelliJ IDEA on Ubuntu 24.04.

Install IntelliJ IDEA

First, get the most recent version of IntelliJ IDEA using JetBrains API:

IDEA_VERSION=$(curl -s "https://data.services.jetbrains.com/products/releases?code=IIU&latest=true&type=release" | grep -Po '"version":"\K[0-9.]+')

Download the corresponding archive:

wget -O idea.tar.gz https://download.jetbrains.com/idea/ideaIU-$IDEA_VERSION.tar.gz

Prepare the installation directory and unpack IntelliJ IDEA there:

sudo mkdir -p /opt/idea

sudo tar xf idea.tar.gz --strip-components=1 -C /opt/idea

Delete unneeded archive:

rm -rf idea.tar.gz

Testing IntelliJ IDEA

Run the IntelliJ IDEA from the terminal with command:

/opt/idea/bin/idea

When it opens, you'll have the option to create a desktop entry so that IntelliJ IDEA appears in the application menu.

Uninstall IntelliJ IDEA

If you want to uninstall IntelliJ IDEA, delete the installation directory:

sudo rm -rf /opt/idea

Remove the desktop entry:

sudo rm -rf /usr/share/applications/jetbrains-idea.desktop

Remove user-specific settings, cache, and local data:

rm -rf ~/.{cache,config,local/share}/JetBrains/IntelliJIdea*