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
๐ŸŒ
IDRSolutions
blog.idrsolutions.com โ€บ home โ€บ 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.
๐ŸŒ
Brilworks
brilworks.com โ€บ blog โ€บ 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 ...
๐ŸŒ
Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/learnjava โ€บ 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!

๐ŸŒ
Opensource.com
opensource.com โ€บ article โ€บ 20 โ€บ 7 โ€บ 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).
๐ŸŒ
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" โ€” 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.
๐ŸŒ
Quora
quora.com โ€บ 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...
๐ŸŒ
JetBrains
jetbrains.com โ€บ idea โ€บ 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.
Find elsewhere
๐ŸŒ
Guru99
guru99.com โ€บ home โ€บ java tutorials โ€บ 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.
๐ŸŒ
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org โ€บ java โ€บ 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 ย  October 10, 2025
๐ŸŒ
The Eclipse Foundation
eclipse.org โ€บ downloads โ€บ packages โ€บ release โ€บ luna โ€บ sr1 โ€บ eclipse-ide-java-developers
Eclipse IDE for Java Developers | Eclipse Packages
org.eclipse.mylyn.ide_feature ยท ....wb.layout.group.feature ยท org.eclipse.wb.swing.feature ยท org.eclipse.wst.xml_ui.feature ยท Maintained by: Eclipse Mylyn Project ยท Windows: 32-bit | x86_64 ยท macOS: 32-bit ยท...
๐ŸŒ
Coderanch
coderanch.com โ€บ t โ€บ 101781 โ€บ ide โ€บ 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.
๐ŸŒ
Decipher Zone
decipherzone.com โ€บ blog-detail โ€บ best-free-java-development-ide
Top 5 Best Free Java Development IDE in 2020
Eclipse is one of the most prevalent and most established IDE for Java developers to make Java-based applications. It is additionally popular for C/C++ and PHP application development as it conveys every one of the highlights required for building any kind of unpredictable or basic undertakings dependent on these programming languages. You can without much of a stretch join language support and different highlights into any of its default bundles. As Eclipse is free and open-source subsequently its commercial center takes into consideration for all intents and purposes boundless customization and expansion according to the custom necessities of the venture.
๐ŸŒ
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....
๐ŸŒ
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com โ€บ thread โ€บ 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.
๐ŸŒ
DEV Community
dev.to โ€บ brilworks โ€บ top-ides-for-java-development-on-mac-1p6i
Top IDEs for Java Development on Mac - DEV Community
December 27, 2024 - Eclipse is an open-source IDE that is widely favored for Java development, especially in large-scale projects. It offers great flexibility with a plugin-based architecture that lets developers customize the IDE according to their needs.
๐ŸŒ
Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/programming โ€บ 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 ...
๐ŸŒ
Apache NetBeans
netbeans.apache.org โ€บ front โ€บ main โ€บ index.html
Welcome to Apache NetBeans
Apache NetBeans can be installed on all operating systems that support Java, i.e, Windows, Linux, Mac OSX and BSD.
๐ŸŒ
Educative
educative.io โ€บ blog โ€บ best-java-ides-2021
Top 10 best Java IDEs for 2025
This path is perfect for you if you already have experience programming, but are new to Java. Itโ€™ll help you become an employable Java developer with incredibly valuable skills, ready to jump in and contribute to real-world projects. ... JDeveloper is a freeware IDE offered by Oracle.