JetBrains IDE Logs
JetBrains IDEs write rolling log files and diagnostic output under the JetBrains folders in LocalAppData to record startup events, plugin loading, indexing activity, file watcher errors, JVM exceptions, and performance snapshots. These logs accumulate across updates and troubleshooting sessions as plain text logs, thread dumps, heap dump references, and other diagnostic artifacts that are useful briefly but rarely needed once they are older. Kudu removes settled JetBrains IDE logs and diagnostic output older than one week while leaving projects, IDE settings, accounts, and passwords untouched.
Why clean JetBrains IDE Logs?
- Runaway idea.log growth after repeated plugin errors or indexing loops can consume gigabytes of space, which shows up as unexpectedly low free disk space on the system drive
- Old thread dumps and diagnostic snapshots from past freezes linger long after the problem is gone, so cleanup removes stale troubleshooting artifacts without affecting current IDE behavior
- Years of accumulated logs from multiple IDE versions make the JetBrains folder hard to inspect during real debugging, and users notice it becomes difficult to find the newest relevant error entries
- Repeated file watcher, Gradle sync, or language server warnings can generate noisy rolling logs every session, leading to constant background disk writes and a JetBrains cache folder that keeps growing
- When crash-related diagnostic output is left behind after forced terminations, it can look like the IDE is still repeatedly failing because old exception traces remain mixed with fresh logs
- Large volumes of historical logs from IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, and other JetBrains tools stack up across upgrades, so users often notice LocalAppData filling even though their projects themselves have not grown
Cache paths Kudu targets
Windows
%LocalAppData%/JetBrains |
Common questions about JetBrains IDE Logs
Download Kudu and reclaim your disk space.
Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. No account required, no feature gates, no telemetry without consent. All cleaning targets are open source and community-auditable.