Steps for adding external jars in IntelliJ IDEA:

  1. Click File from the toolbar
  2. Select Project Structure option (CTRL + SHIFT + ALT + S on Windows/Linux, ⌘ + ; on Mac OS X)
  3. Select Modules at the left panel
  4. Select Dependencies tab
  5. Select + icon
  6. Select 1 JARs or directories option
Answer from Cambium on Stack Overflow
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JetBrains
jetbrains.com › help › idea › convert-a-regular-project-into-a-maven-project.html
Add Maven support to an existing Java project | IntelliJ IDEA Documentation
We successfully executed the created .jar file. Let’s summarize what we’ve done in this tutorial. We started with a regular Java project and converted it into a Maven project by adding a pom.xml file and defining our project configuration within it.
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Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 1051640 › correct-way-to-add-external-jars-lib-jar-to-an-intellij-idea-project
java - Correct way to add external jars (lib/*.jar) to an IntelliJ IDEA project - Stack Overflow
Top answer
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Steps for adding external jars in IntelliJ IDEA:

  1. Click File from the toolbar
  2. Select Project Structure option (CTRL + SHIFT + ALT + S on Windows/Linux, ⌘ + ; on Mac OS X)
  3. Select Modules at the left panel
  4. Select Dependencies tab
  5. Select + icon
  6. Select 1 JARs or directories option
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290

IntelliJ IDEA 15 & 2016

  1. File > Project Structure...

    or press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + S

  2. Project Settings > Modules > Dependencies > "+" sign > JARs or directories...

  3. Select the jar file and click on OK, then click on another OK button to confirm

  4. You can view the jar file in the "External Libraries" folder

Discussions
How do I put .jar files directly into my project rather than using them as external libraries?
Honestly if you want to do Java dev just learn to love maven or Gradle. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/IntelliJIDEA
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December 2, 2021
java - Creating a jar from a maven project in intellij - Stack Overflow
Releases Keep up-to-date on features we add to Stack Overflow and Stack Internal. ... Find centralized, trusted content and collaborate around the technologies you use most. Learn more about Collectives ... Bring the best of human thought and AI automation together at your work. Explore Stack Internal ... I created a new maven project in IntelliJ and set packaging to jar ... More on stackoverflow.com
🌐 stackoverflow.com
Use Jar as intelliJ/Maven Dependency - Stack Overflow
Releases Keep up-to-date on features we add to Stack Overflow and Stack Internal. ... Find centralized, trusted content and collaborate around the technologies you use most. Learn more about Collectives ... Bring the best of human thought and AI automation together at your work. Explore Stack Internal ... How do i use Jar files as a dependency using IntelliJ with Maven... More on stackoverflow.com
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Problem packaging Maven project into Jar (IntelliJ)
If you want maven to include ... use maven-assembly-plugin. By default will mvn package run the jar-plugin (for projects that is of type jar, which is the default type) that creates a jar-file with only your code. Any dependencies that are required in run-time has to be included on the classpath when you run your jar-file. ... Thank you, I'll try that tomorrow. Just for future reference, is it possible to build a 'fat jar' from normal intelliJ ... More on reddit.com
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February 8, 2023
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Tutorial Works
tutorialworks.com › intellij-maven-create-jar
How to create a JAR file with Maven in IntelliJ - Tutorial Works
December 20, 2024 - Expand your project in the tree, expand Lifecycle and double-click on package. IntelliJ will run the Maven package phase, and you’ll see the output in another window below. Your JAR file will be available at target/your-app-1.0.jar!
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Eviltester
eviltester.com › 2017 › 10 › maven-local-dependencies.html
Simple ways to add and work with a `.jar` file in your local maven setup - EvilTester.com
October 13, 2017 - TL;DR Hack - add as a library in IntelliJ project. Tactic - add as system scope in maven. Tactic/Strategic - install locally to .m2. Strategic - use a repository management tool, publish to maven central Sometimes you want to work with a jar file that isn’t hosted in maven central.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/intellijidea › how do i put .jar files directly into my project rather than using them as external libraries?
r/IntelliJIDEA on Reddit: How do I put .jar files directly into my project rather than using them as external libraries?
December 2, 2021 -

I would just like my project to have no external dependencies, and am finding Maven very frustrating to use. Edit: JavaFX

Top answer
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Honestly if you want to do Java dev just learn to love maven or Gradle.
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What kind of project will provide an answer. If it's a WAR, for example, put them in WEB-INF/lib since that's where they are at runtime. Basically, where we they'd wind up at runtime if you were to use Maven to package your app is where you put them.
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JetBrains
intellij-support.jetbrains.com › hc › en-us › community › posts › 4416008827538-Correct-way-to-add-external-jars-lib-jar-to-an-IntelliJ-IDEA-project
Correct way to add external jars (lib/*.jar) to an IntelliJ IDEA project – IDEs Support (IntelliJ Platform) | JetBrains
January 22, 2022 - You need to define it as a Project Library in Project Structure dialog and then add this library as a dependency to a module. But the recommended approach is to use Maven or Gradle for managing dependencies.
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DZone
dzone.com › testing, deployment, and maintenance › deployment › adding and working with jar files in your local maven setup
Adding and Working With JAR Files in Your Local Maven Setup
October 18, 2017 - Adding it to your project as a system-scoped file. Using a repository management tool like Nexus or Archiva. Publishing the dependency to Maven Central. For very quick hacks, add the .jar as an IntelliJ project dependency and bypass Maven.
Find elsewhere
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Java Code Geeks
javacodegeeks.com › home
IntelliJ IDEA Include External JAR Example - Java Code Geeks
March 13, 2025 - For this example, I downloaded the lombok.jar from the Maven Repository website and stored it in my PC’s Downloads folder. In IntelliJ IDE, click File->Project Structure ..., then it pops a new “Project Structure” window.
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JetBrains
jetbrains.com › help › idea › library.html
Libraries | IntelliJ IDEA Documentation
January 28, 2026 - In the main menu, go to File | Project Structure Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S and click Libraries to add a project library or Global Libraries to add a global library. Click and select From Maven.
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JetBrains
intellij-support.jetbrains.com › hc › en-us › community › posts › 360009494360-Add-all-local-maven-repository-jars-as-libraries
Add all local maven repository jars as libraries – IDEs Support (IntelliJ Platform) | JetBrains
August 3, 2020 - In this case you should add these projects to current project as Maven modules, see Link a Maven project. ... I think I have figured out the root issue, but I cannot resolve it. The .jar sources are being added as libraries by Maven like what Andrey said. However, the pom.xml uses a range to find which version source .jar to use ([8.200.0, 8.200.999]). MyEclipse is able to search the directories using that range to find which .jar to add as a source. IntelliJ is defaulting to using 8.200.0 and pulling in .jar.lastUpdated for some source files that don't have a version 8.200.0.
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Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 30204884 › creating-a-jar-from-a-maven-project-in-intellij › 30210471
java - Creating a jar from a maven project in intellij - Stack Overflow
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You should build you project using IDEA's Maven Projects view.

View -> Tool Windows -> Maven Projects

or open it from left bottom corner menu:

And then build your project with maven goals - i.e. package:

If packaging is set to jar in pom.xml, you will get a jar in target dir.

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Go to the maven project and double click clean and package.

For just do following:

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Baeldung
baeldung.com › home › ide › add external jar file to intellij project
Add External JAR File to IntelliJ Project | Baeldung
February 28, 2025 - We can add a JAR file to the project’s classpath through the Project Structure > Modules > Dependencies section. Then, we can expand the External Libraries section in the Project view to verify the JAR file inclusion in our IntelliJ project.
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Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 32798240 › use-jar-as-intellij-maven-dependency
Use Jar as intelliJ/Maven Dependency - Stack Overflow
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The easiest way to do it is by installing the jar file in your local Maven repository, as JB Nizet already mentioned:

mvn install:install-file -Dfile=<path-to-file> -DgroupId=<group-id> -DartifactId=<artifact-id> -Dversion=<version> -Dpackaging=<packaging>

See also How to add local jar files in maven project?

This works fine as long as you are only using your local Maven repository. However when others should be able to build your project, they will run into the same problem. So here the easiest way would be to install the jar file in proxy Maven repository if you have one (many companies do).

You could also reference the jar file as a system dependency:

<dependency>
    <artifactId>..</artifactId>
    <groupId>..</groupId>
    <scope>system</scope>
    <systemPath>${basedir}/lib/dependency.jar</systemPath>
</dependency>

There is also a very nice alternative: Maven: add a dependency to a jar by relative path

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnjava › problem packaging maven project into jar (intellij)
r/learnjava on Reddit: Problem packaging Maven project into Jar (IntelliJ)
February 8, 2023 - If you want maven to include ... use maven-assembly-plugin. By default will mvn package run the jar-plugin (for projects that is of type jar, which is the default type) that creates a jar-file with only your code.
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360learntocode
360learntocode.com › 2022 › 07 › How-to-add-external-jar-or-library-on-IntelliJ-IDEA-project.html
How to add external jar or library on IntelliJ IDEA project ~ 360learntocode
July 1, 2022 - After that in IntelliJ idea you can see the Gradle on the right side, click on it and refresh the Gradle project as below: Add the following system dependency inside pom.xml file. <dependency> <groupId>com.libName</groupId> <artifactId>lib-artifact</artifactId> <version>20220117</version> <scope>system</scope> <systemPath>${basedir}/libs/jar_file_name.jar</systemPath> </dependency> Make sure to change the group id, artifact id, and system path. After that from the IntelliJ idea on the right side, you can see the Maven click on it and refresh the project by clicking the project name as below.
🌐
JetBrains
jetbrains.com › help › idea › work-with-maven-dependencies.html
Maven dependencies | IntelliJ IDEA Documentation
Note that changing dependency's scope in the Project Structure dialog will not affect the pom.xml file. You can also add a custom jar file as a dependency using the Maven scope system when you define your dependency.
🌐
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › java › how-to-add-external-jar-file-to-an-intellij-idea-project
How to Add External JAR File to an IntelliJ IDEA Project? - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - Step 1: Open your installed IntelliJ IDEA Project and go to the File > Project Structure as shown in the image below. Step 2: After step 1 Select Modules at the left panel and select the Dependencies tab as shown in the below image.
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W3Docs
w3docs.com › java
Correct way to add external jars (lib/*.jar) to an IntelliJ IDEA project
Then, IntelliJ IDEA will automatically detect the JAR file and add it to the classpath of the project. Note that if you are using a build tool such as Maven or Gradle to manage the dependencies of your project, you should add the JAR file as a dependency in the build file instead of adding ...
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JetBrains
jetbrains.com › help › idea › working-with-module-dependencies.html
Module dependencies | IntelliJ IDEA Documentation
October 23, 2024 - ... JARs or directories: select a Java archive or a directory from files on your computer. Library: select an existing library or create a new one and then add it to the list of dependencies.
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SpigotMC
spigotmc.org › threads › how-to-build-jar-file-using-maven-in-intellij.537709
How to build JAR file using Maven in IntelliJ? | SpigotMC - High Performance Minecraft Software
December 13, 2021 - So, this is my pom.xml file:
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