How to Fix "PyCharm Running Slowly" on Windows, macOS, or Linux
If PyCharm is running slowly, it can significantly slow down your development process.
Slow performance in PyCharm can be caused by a number of factors, including insufficient system resources, a large project size, high memory usage, or improper configuration settings.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to speeding up PyCharm: First, check if your system meets the recommended system requirements for running PyCharm.
Ensure that your machine has sufficient RAM (at least 8GB recommended) and that your disk has enough free space.
Slow performance can often be linked to system resource limitations, so close unnecessary applications to free up resources.
PyCharm uses a significant amount of memory, especially when working on large projects or when multiple files are open simultaneously.
To optimize memory usage, open File > Settings > Appearance & Behavior > System Settings > Memory and adjust the IDE memory settings.
Increase the values for Xmx (maximum heap size) and Xms (initial heap size) to allocate more memory to PyCharm.
Another way to improve PyCharm’s speed is to disable unused plugins.
Open the Settings menu, go to Plugins, and disable any plugins you don’t need.
Plugins for languages or frameworks you’re not using can consume unnecessary system resources, slowing down the IDE.
If PyCharm is still slow, try clearing the cache and restarting the IDE.
PyCharm caches many files for faster access, but a corrupted cache can cause performance issues.
Go to File > Invalidate Caches / Restart, select Invalidate and Restart, and PyCharm will rebuild the cache, which may improve performance.
Another possible issue is the indexing of project files.
If your project is very large, PyCharm might be indexing files in the background, which can take up significant resources.
You can pause the indexing process by clicking the progress bar at the bottom right corner of the IDE.
If indexing is taking too long, consider excluding directories or files that don’t need to be indexed, such as logs, __pycache__ folders, or virtual environment directories.
To exclude directories, go to File > Settings > Project: <your project name> > Project Structure, select the directory you want to exclude, and mark it as Excluded.
Lastly, make sure your PyCharm installation is up to date.
JetBrains regularly releases updates to improve performance and fix bugs.
Go to Help > Check for Updates and ensure that you are using the latest version.
If PyCharm is still running slowly, consider reinstalling it.
Download the latest version from the official website and perform a clean installation.
This can often resolve lingering performance issues caused by corrupted installation files.
With these steps, PyCharm should run faster, improving your development experience.
