I'd cast my vote for Eclipse, even if you only think you'll be using Java for a few months. Having a capable IDE to provide error-checking and auto-completion capabilities will save you a bundle of time over using any basic text editor. (And, as The Elite Gentleman has already pointed out, if you take to the environment, you can always continue to use it to develop in a variety of other languages after the course is over!)

Answer from Steve V. on Stack Overflow

I'd cast my vote for Eclipse, even if you only think you'll be using Java for a few months. Having a capable IDE to provide error-checking and auto-completion capabilities will save you a bundle of time over using any basic text editor. (And, as The Elite Gentleman has already pointed out, if you take to the environment, you can always continue to use it to develop in a variety of other languages after the course is over!)

Answer from Steve V. on Stack Overflow
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Brilworks
brilworks.com › blog › top-ides-for-java-development-on-mac
Top IDEs for Java Development on Mac
In this guide, we compare the best Java IDEs for Mac: IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, NetBeans, Visual Studio Code, and Oracle JDeveloper, highlighting their pros, cons, and key features so you can pick the one that fits your project needs.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnjava › lightweight ide to learn java
r/learnjava on Reddit: lightweight IDE to learn Java
August 19, 2022 -

Hi, I am trying to learn Java.

I'm probably going to learn it on both Mac and Windows.

For Mac, is there any lightweight IDE recommendation you guys have?

Then, for Windows, is it possible to use Notepad++ or is it recommended for java? I am working through a textbook "Programming and Problem Solving with Java".

I like Notepad++ because it is very lightweight, and I have past experience from botting Diablo II using it.

Best!

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JetBrains
jetbrains.com › idea › download
Download IntelliJ IDEA
June 1, 2021 - Download the latest version of IntelliJ IDEA, the leading IDE for professional development in Java and Kotlin. Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
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The Eclipse Foundation
eclipse.org › downloads › packages › release › luna › sr1 › eclipse-ide-java-developers
Eclipse IDE for Java Developers | Eclipse Packages
org.eclipse.mylyn.ide_feature · org.eclipse.mylyn.java_feature · org.eclipse.mylyn.wikitext_feature · org.eclipse.platform · org.eclipse.rcp · org.eclipse.recommenders.rcp.feature · org.eclipse.wb.core.feature · org.eclipse.wb.core.ui.feature · org.eclipse.wb.layout.group.feature · org.eclipse.wb.swing.feature · org.eclipse.wst.xml_ui.feature · Maintained by: Eclipse Mylyn Project · Windows: 32-bit | x86_64 · macOS: 32-bit ·
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Opensource.com
opensource.com › article › 20 › 7 › ide-java
5 open source IDE tools for Java | Opensource.com
NetBeans IDE is an integrated Java development environment that allows developers to craft modular applications for standalone, mobile, and web architecture with supported web technologies (i.e., HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS).
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Quora
quora.com › What-is-the-best-IDE-for-coding-in-Java-on-a-Mac
What is the best IDE for coding in Java on a Mac? - Quora
It wont make any IDE good or bad for others. So consider this answer very opinionated and not the facts. For simple projects or seasonal devs: Jetbrains IntelliJ is the best choice, as this IDE is as...
Find elsewhere
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › java › best-java-ide-for-developers
Java IDEs For Developers - GeeksforGeeks
NetBeans is an official Apache IDE for Java known for its simplicity and built-in support for Java SE, EE, and Maven. It runs smoothly on Windows, Linux, and macOS and offers tools covering the entire software development lifecycle.
Published   October 10, 2025
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Editrocket
editrocket.com › features › java_editor.html
Java Editor and IDE for Mac, Windows, and Linux
Java editor and IDE for macOS / Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux features such as syntax highlighting, the Java code assistant, and the Java method lookup tool
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/programming › coding on os x - what is the best java ide for a mac?
r/programming on Reddit: Coding on OS X - what is the best Java IDE for a Mac?
April 11, 2009 - Funny thing was, I did not contact their support - I wrote it on a message board and their support contacted me. ... I upvoted all the answers suggesting IntelliJ IDEA. It's not only the best Java IDE for Mac, but for all platforms on which ...
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AppleVis
applevis.com › forum › macos-mac-apps › accessible-java-ide-mac
Accessible Java IDE for Mac | AppleVis
I just got through a few years of computer science in school and had to do a lot of Java. Other people were mostly using Eclipse and Intellij Idea, neither of which really works with VoiceOver. As you mentioned, the text fields are usually the problem. I found that other parts of Eclipse weren’t very accessible either. Instead, I used a combination of TextMate as a text editor and Terminal to do almost all my computer science stuff for school.
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Old Dominion University
cs.odu.edu › ~zeil › FAQs › Public › vscodeMac › index.html
Installing a C++/Java IDE on Your MacOS PC
The Java Development Kit (JDK), also referred to as the Software Development Kit (SDK) includes the JRE plus the Java compiler. Get this here if you are interested in writing programs in Java. Either way, just download the installer for your PC’s operating system and run it.
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DEV Community
dev.to › brilworks › top-ides-for-java-development-on-mac-1p6i
Top IDEs for Java Development on Mac - DEV Community
December 27, 2024 - Moreover, if you are a newcomer, then we would recommend using it as it provides a simple and easy interface to start the Java development journey. Visual Studio Code isn't exactly what someone would call a traditional IDE, as it resembles more ...
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Coderanch
coderanch.com › t › 101543 › ide › Mac-OS-IDE
Mac OS X IDE (IDEs and Version Control forum at Coderanch)
It's a good, basic text editor that has all sorts of plugins available. Plus it's fun to run a real-live Swing application.. ... <potential-advertesque-thing> A lot of our customers have reported that Oracle9i JDeveloper works well on MacOS X with a little bit of tweaking.
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Placement Preparation
placementpreparation.io › home › blog › programming › best java ides and code editors
11 Best Java IDEs and Code Editors to Use in 2025
December 26, 2024 - BlueJ is an integrated development environment (IDE) specifically designed for teaching and learning object-oriented programming, primarily using Java. It is widely used in educational settings due to its simplicity and basic features that are ideal for beginners. ... Xcode is Apple’s integrated development environment (IDE) for macOS, used for developing software for macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS.
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Guru99
guru99.com › home › java tutorials › 11 best java ide (2025)
11 BEST Java IDE (2025)
February 26, 2025 - Xcode is an editor that lets me write my Java programs with ease. I particularly appreciate that it is one of the best Java IDE for Mac since it is best to have a top choice that is perfect for auto code completion, code folding, syntax highlighting, and more.
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Medium
medium.com › @Hilyas › how-to-setup-java-development-environment-and-ide-on-mac-a1c191a60cc2
How to setup Java Development Environment and IDE on Mac | by Hassan Liasu | Medium
March 5, 2024 - By following these steps, you will have successfully installed and confirmed the Java version using SDKMAN. The following steps are required to install IntelliJ · Step 1 : Navigate to this link to download IntelliJ IDEA app (Ultimate or Community ...
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Medium
medium.com › java-easily › setting-up-a-java-development-environment-on-mac-2a2be8b071a7
Setting Up a Java Development Environment on Mac | by Matt Speake | Java Easily | Medium
September 11, 2022 - ... Scroll down to the 2019 versions and click the link 2019.3.5 — macOD (dmg) in the IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition column (this is the free version; the Ultimate version is a paid offering that most organisations use, but we’ll use the ...
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Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 253611959
IDE's - Apple Community
Popular Mac text editors include Visual Studio Code, BBEdit, Sublime Text, Nova, and TextMate. Eclipse and NetBeans are popular IDEs for learning Java.