IntelliJ IDEA

ApplicationJetBrains

Also called intellij, idea, idea64

JetBrainsProductivity

JetBrains' Java-first IDE. The 64-bit Windows process is idea64.exe. Community and Ultimate are different licenses. It is not Visual Studio Code.

What you need to know

IntelliJ is idea64.exe. VS Code is Code.exe.

IntelliJ IDEA is JetBrains' Java-first IDE. Community is free. Ultimate is paid. Visual Studio Code is Microsoft's editor. Android Studio ships studio64.exe even though it is built on IntelliJ platform code.

What is it?: JetBrains Java-first IDE
Same as VS Code?: No. Different vendor and exe
Community or Ultimate?: Different licenses on the same family

Feex says

If idea64.exe is the RAM hog, I would look at the project index and plugins inside IDEA. I would not close Code.exe to quit IntelliJ. VS Code is a different editor.

What is IntelliJ IDEA?

IntelliJ IDEA is JetBrains' Java and Kotlin IDE. Community and Ultimate share idea64.exe but not the same license. It is not VS Code and not Android Studio.

If you have never used it

If a Java class said install IntelliJ, download IDEA from jetbrains.com/idea/download. Community is the free Apache build. Ultimate is the paid edition with extra web and enterprise plugins. idea64.exe is this IDE. Code.exe is VS Code. Android Studio is a different Google product built on IntelliJ platform code.

What is it used for?

Java and Kotlin projects

Gradle, Maven, and the IntelliJ project model. VS Code can edit .java files without this indexer.

Community versus Ultimate

Community is the free Java/Kotlin core. Ultimate adds paid web and framework tools. PyCharm is a different JetBrains IDE.

Inspections and refactoring

The reason shops pick IDEA over a folder editor. Those indexes are why RAM grows.

Who is it for?

Java and Kotlin developers
Students whose school licenses Ultimate
Anyone who opened VS Code and thought it was IntelliJ

Current status

IntelliJ IDEA (2001) is a current java ide from JetBrains. The vendor still points Windows users at https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/download/.

How old is it?

JetBrains shipped IntelliJ IDEA in 2001. It is the same generation as Eclipse and older than VS Code (2015). Current Windows builds ship through Toolbox or the standalone installer.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Community

Ultimate

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per JetBrains
RAM	JetBrains lists 2 GB minimum and 8 GB recommended for current IDEA builds

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows what you open inside the app
RAM demand: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
idea64.exe	IntelliJ IDEA 64-bit IDE

Startup components

IDEA can reopen the last project. Toolbox can also start an update helper. That is not devenv.exe.

File locations

Common IntelliJ IDEA locations
Typical install	C:\Program Files\JetBrains\IntelliJ IDEA *\

File formats

JAVAKTGradleMaven

Common problems

People install VS Code for a Java course that wanted IDEA

The class likely meant idea64.exe and a JDK. Code.exe plus an extension is not the same indexer.

Community missing an Ultimate plugin

That feature is a license line, not a broken download. PyCharm Professional is still a different product.

Getting unstuck

Confirm Community versus Ultimate in Help > About

The edition name is on that screen. Toolbox can install both. VS Code About will never say IntelliJ.

Invalidate caches if indexes go stale

File > Invalidate Caches is an IDEA repair. It does not reset VS Code.

Install from jetbrains.com/idea/download or Toolbox

A cracked Ultimate is junk. JetBrains hosts the real builds.

Alternatives

Eclipse is the older school Java IDE. Android Studio is Google's Android IDE. VS Code is a lighter editor.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	www.jetbrains.com/idea/download/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/ Vendor support
Official site	www.jetbrains.com/idea/ Start here, not a random exe host
Toolbox App	www.jetbrains.com/toolbox-app/ JetBrains installer for this IDE and the others

Related hardware

JetBrains IDEs want several GB of RAM for a real project. An SSD helps the index. A GPU is not the bottleneck.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

IntelliJ IDEA official site · Vendor product page
IntelliJ IDEA help · Vendor support
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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