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.
IDRSolutions
blog.idrsolutions.com › home › the top 11 free ide for java coding, development & programming
The top 11 Free IDE for Java Coding, Development & Programming
October 15, 2024 - It can run on any platform that can run a Java Virtual Machine (Java version 1.5 or higher). At present the jGRASP web site offers downloads for Windows, Mac OS, and as a generic ZIP file suitable for Linux and other systems. JDeveloper is an IDE supplied by the Oracle Corporation and released as freeware.
Videos
12:34
How to Install Eclipse IDE on Mac | Install Eclipse IDE on macOS ...
08:17
How to Install IntelliJ IDEA on Mac (2025) | Complete Java IDE ...
08:17
How to Install IntelliJ IDEA on Mac | Install IntelliJ IDEA IDE ...
How To Install Java On MacBook with Eclipse IDE - YouTube
23:27
How to Set Up Java Development in Visual Studio Code on Mac | VSCode ...
Brilworks
brilworks.com › blog › top-ides-for-java-development-on-mac
Top IDEs for Java Development on Mac
Once you have a better overview of the different features and limitations of each of these options, you can make a better choice that will further enhance your Java development on macOS. NetBeans and Eclipse are the most popular free Java IDEs ...
BlueJ
bluej.org
BlueJ
A free Java Development Environment designed for beginners, used by millions worldwide. Find out more... "One of my favourite IDEs out there is BlueJ" — James Gosling, creator of Java. Requires 64-bit Windows, Windows 8 or later. Also available: Standalone zip suitable for USB drives. Requires macOS 11 or later.
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!
Top answer 1 of 5
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Please please please use intellij.
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IntelliJ is the industry standard and most used IDE for Java. It's code completion and linting are the best I've ever seen and UX is amazing. Either free version (Community) or paid (Ultimate) are good. If you want to use a ligthweight IDE, try VSCode but don't expect Java plugin to be any good... That being said, I don't find such a difference with IntelliJ since this last one indexes everything when opening projects.
Top answer 1 of 10
11
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!)
2 of 10
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Here are common GUI based options that you can have a closer look at:
Fullsize IDEs
- http://eclipse.org/
- http://netbeans.org/
- http://jetbrains.com/idea/
Smarter Text Editors
- http://macromates.com/
- http://sublimetext.com/
- http://chocolatapp.com/
Note: I chose the ones that make sense for me. There are also tons of other choices like Smultron, BBEdit and others. You can start browsing for them here:
http://alternativeto.net/software/eclipse/?platform=mac
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 · ....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 ·...
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).
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...
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › java › best-java-ide-for-developers
Java IDEs For Developers - GeeksforGeeks
Latest Feature (2025): Added JavaFX UI design templates to help developers create modern Mac-style Java interfaces. A beginner-friendly Java IDE designed for educational purposes. It provides a simple GUI and an interactive environment for learning and real-time programming. To provide help to beginners it facilitates online tutorials and documentation. Using this IDE, developers can also build 2D games. It is free to use and available in all major operating systems like macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Published October 10, 2025
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.
Eclipse IDE
eclipseide.org
Eclipse IDE | The Eclipse Foundation
Free and open source released under ... for imported bundles and enforce single active bundle instance. More and more, the Eclipse IDE is powered by individual contributors around the world....
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.
Coderanch
coderanch.com › t › 101781 › ide › IDE-Mac-OSX
Best IDE for Mac OSX? (IDEs and Version Control forum at Coderanch)
You can download the Mac version (currently only at 2.6 because JDK 1.4 isn't finalized) although I believe that the Linux version works okay as-is. If you've not seen IntelliJ IDEA then I can strongly recomend it. Simon ... You can also use Eclipse - here you need a M5 build.
Quora
quora.com › What-is-the-best-Java-IDE-for-Mac-OS-X-that-includes-code-auto-completion-and-other-rich-features-for-network-programming
What is the best Java IDE for Mac OS X that includes code auto completion and other rich features for network programming? - Quora
Answer (1 of 12): Im using eclipse in mountain lion. It has every feature I need for my job. Also a lot of programmer in my office use it.
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.
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 ...
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
Old Dominion University
cs.odu.edu › ~zeil › FAQs › Public › vscodeMac › index.html
Installing a C++/Java IDE on Your MacOS PC
This document will walk you through ... an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) on a MacOS PC that will help you to work with a C++ and/or Java compiler in local development mode. All software covered in this document is free. g++`` is no longer available as an official Apple distribution. However, you can obtain theclang` C++ compiler, a worthy “competitor” to g++ that has a very loyal following, in a package called “Command Line Tools for XCode” available ...
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 - It offers great flexibility with a plugin-based architecture that lets developers customize the IDE according to their needs. Eclipse is an open-source IDE and is completely free to use.