How to Fix "IntelliJ IDEA Autorebuild Not Working"

If the auto-build feature in IntelliJ IDEA is not working, it can cause delays in seeing changes to your code reflected immediately.

This issue can arise due to incorrect settings, corrupted caches, or misconfigured build tools.

Here’s how to fix it: First, ensure that the auto-build feature is enabled in IntelliJ IDEA.

Go to File > Settings > Build, Execution, Deployment > Compiler, and check that the option Build project automatically is selected.

This ensures that IntelliJ will rebuild your project whenever files are changed.

If the setting is correct but auto-build is still not working, try manually triggering a rebuild by going to Build > Rebuild Project.

This can sometimes fix any issues with the auto-build process.

Another common reason why auto-build might not work is due to changes in the build configuration.

If you're using a build tool such as Maven or Gradle, make sure that the pom.xml or build.gradle file is properly configured.

If the build file is not set up correctly, IntelliJ may not be able to rebuild the project automatically.

Try refreshing your project dependencies by right-clicking the project and selecting Maven > Reimport or Gradle > Refresh Project.

If this doesn’t help, try invalidating the caches by going to File > Invalidate Caches / Restart, then select Invalidate and Restart.

This will remove any corrupted data that might be causing issues with the auto-build process.

If the issue persists, check your project’s file watcher settings.

IntelliJ IDEA uses file watchers to track changes to project files and trigger automatic rebuilding.

Go to File > Settings > File Watchers and check whether there are any file watchers configured that might be interfering with the auto-build feature.

Finally, if you’re using a version control system like Git, ensure that IntelliJ IDEA is properly synchronized with the repository.

Sometimes, unsynchronized changes can prevent the auto-build from functioning correctly.

By following these steps, IntelliJ IDEA’s auto-build feature should start working as expected.