IntelliJ IDEA 2020 Silent Install (How-To Guide)

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IntelliJ IDEA is an integrated development environment (IDE) written in Java for developing computer software. This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform a silent installation of IntelliJ IDEA 2020 from the command line using the EXE installer.

How to Install IntelliJ IDEA Silently

IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition 2020 Silent Install (EXE)

  1. Navigate to: https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/download/other.html
  2. Under Version 2020.x, select the Community Edition EXE
  3. Download the ideaIC-2020.x.x.exe to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
  4. Open Notepad or your favorite text editor
  5. Add the following lines:
mode=admin
launcher64=1
  1. Save the file to the C:\Downloads directory and name it: silent.config
  2. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  3. Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
  4. Enter the following command:
    • ideaIC-2020.x.x.exe /S /CONFIG=.\silent.config /D=C:\Program Files\IntelliJ IDEA 2020
  5. Press Enter

After a few minutes you should see the IntelliJ IDEA 2020 Desktop Shortcut appear. You will also find entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.

Software Title:IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition 2020
Vendor:JetBrains s.r.o
Architecture:x86_x64
Installer Type:EXE
Silent Install Switch:ideaIC-2020.x.x.exe /S /CONFIG=.\silent.config /D=C:\Program Files\IntelliJ IDEA 2020
Silent Uninstall Switch:"%ProgramFiles%\IntelliJ IDEA 2020\bin\Uninstall.exe" /S
Download Link:https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/download/#section=windows
PowerShell Script:https://silentinstallhq.com/intellij-idea-2020-install-and-uninstall-powershell/

IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate Edition 2020 Silent Install (EXE)

  1. Navigate to: https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/download/other.html
  2. Under Version 2020.x, select the Ultimate Edition EXE
  3. Download the ideaIU-2021.x.x.exe to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
  4. Open Notepad or your favorite text editor
  5. Add the following lines:
mode=admin
launcher64=1
  1. Save the file to the C:\Downloads directory and name it: silent.config
  2. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  3. Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
  4. Enter the following command:
    • ideaIU-2020.x.x.exe /S /CONFIG=.\silent.config /D=C:\Program Files\IntelliJ IDEA 2020
  5. Press Enter

After a few minutes you should see the IntelliJ IDEA 2020 Desktop Shortcut appear. You will also find entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.

Software Title:IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate Edition 2020
Vendor:JetBrains s.r.o
Architecture:x86_x64
Installer Type:EXE
Silent Install Switch:ideaIU-2020.x.x.exe /S /CONFIG=.\silent.config /D=C:\Program Files\IntelliJ IDEA 2020
Silent Uninstall Switch:"%ProgramFiles%\IntelliJ IDEA 2020\bin\Uninstall.exe" /S
Download Link:https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/download/#section=windows
PowerShell Script:https://silentinstallhq.com/intellij-idea-2020-install-and-uninstall-powershell/

The information above provides a quick overview of the software title, vendor, silent install, and silent uninstall switches. The download link provided take you directly to the vendors website. Continue reading if you are interested in additional details and configurations.

Additional Configurations

Create an Installation Log File

The IntelliJ IDEA installer offers the option to generate a log file during installation to assist with troubleshooting should any problems arise. You can use the following commands to create a verbose log file with details about the installation.

IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition 2020 Silent Install with Logging

ideaIC-2020.x.x.exe /S /CONFIG=.\silent.config /LOG=C:\Windows\Temp\IntelliJ-Install.log /D=C:\Program Files\IntelliJ IDEA 2020

IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate Edition 2020 Silent Install with Logging

ideaIU-2020.x.x.exe /S /CONFIG=.\silent.config /LOG=C:\Windows\Temp\IntelliJ-Install.log /D=C:\Program Files\IntelliJ IDEA 2020

Exclude Desktop Shortcut During IntelliJ IDEA Install

  1. Open the silent.config file mentioned above with Notepad
  2. Modify the following line or exclude it all together
launcher64=0
  1. Save the file to update the changes
  2. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  3. Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
  4. Enter the following command:
    • ideaIC-2020.x.x.exe /S /CONFIG=.\silent.config /D=C:\Program Files\IntelliJ IDEA 2020
  5. Press Enter

Add the Launchers Path to the PATH Environment Variable

  1. Open the silent.config file mentioned above with Notepad
  2. Add the following line:
updatePATH=1
  1. Save the file to update the changes
  2. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  3. Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
  4. Enter the following command:
    • ideaIC-2020.x.x.exe /S /CONFIG=.\silent.config /D=C:\Program Files\IntelliJ IDEA 2020
  5. Press Enter

Add “Open Folder as Project” to Context Menu

  1. Open the silent.config file mentioned above with Notepad
  2. Add the following line:
updateContextMenu=1
  1. Save the file to update the changes
  2. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  3. Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
  4. Enter the following command:
    • ideaIC-2020.x.x.exe /S /CONFIG=.\silent.config /D=C:\Program Files\IntelliJ IDEA 2020
  5. Press Enter

Regenerating the Shared Archive

  1. Open the silent.config file mentioned above with Notepad
  2. Add the following line:
regenerationSharedArchive=1
  1. Save the file to update the changes
  2. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  3. Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
  4. Enter the following command:
    • ideaIC-2020.x.x.exe /S /CONFIG=.\silent.config /D=C:\Program Files\IntelliJ IDEA 2020
  5. Press Enter

Register File Associations

  • Open the silent.config file mentioned above with Notepad
  • Add the following line for java file association:
.java=1
  • Add the following line for groovy file association:
.groovy=1
  • Add the following line for kt file association:
.kt=1
  • Save the file to update the changes
  • Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  • Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
  • Enter the following command:
    • ideaIC-2020.x.x.exe /S /CONFIG=.\silent.config /D=C:\Program Files\IntelliJ IDEA 2020
  • Press Enter

IntelliJ IDEA Silent Configuration Template (silent.config)

; Installation mode. It can be user or admin.
; NOTE: for admin mode please use "Run as Administrator" for command prompt to avoid UAC dialog.
mode=admin

; Desktop shortcut for launchers
launcher32=0
launcher64=1

; Add launchers path to PATH env variable
updatePATH=0

; Add "Open Folder as Project" to context menu
updateContextMenu=1

; Download and install jre32
jre32=0

; Regenerating the Shared Archive
; https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/11/vm/class-data-sharing.html
regenerationSharedArchive=1

; List of associations. To create an association change value to 1.
.java=0
.groovy=0
.kt=0

How to Uninstall IntelliJ IDEA Silently

Check out the IntelliJ IDEA 2020 Install and Uninstall (PowerShell) post for a scripted solution.

  1. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  2. Enter the following command:

IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition 2020 Silent Uninstall (EXE)

"%ProgramFiles%\IntelliJ IDEA 2020\bin\Uninstall.exe" /S

IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate Edition 2020 Silent Uninstall (EXE)

"%ProgramFiles%\IntelliJ IDEA 2020\bin\Uninstall.exe" /S

Always make sure to test everything in a development environment prior to implementing anything into production. The information in this article is provided “As Is” without warranty of any kind.