Why Is PhpStorm So Slow / Freezing?

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Find what is using the CPU

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   1. Open Help | Diagnostic Tools | Activity Monitor (if available in your version)
   2. Check which process or plugin is busy
   3. Disable the plugin under Settings | Plugins if it is the culprit
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Reduce load

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   1. Enable File | Power Save Mode temporarily to pause inspections and background tasks
   2. Exclude generated folders from the project
   3. Close unused projects and tool windows
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Increase memory and update

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   1. Raise the heap under Help | Change Memory Settings
   2. Update the IDE to the latest build via Help | Check for Updates
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Typing lags, the UI freezes for seconds, the editor flickers, or "UI is not responding" dialogs appear.

Why it happens

• Background indexing or inspections running on a large project
• Heap too small, causing constant garbage collection
• A slow or incompatible plugin
• Antivirus or file-sync software scanning project files
• Low RAM on the machine with many other apps open

This guide also covers

• why is phpstorm so slow
• phpstorm freezing
• phpstorm not responding
• phpstorm lagging

The same problem in other apps

All crashes, freezes & blank screens guides →

• Sublime Text Crashing or Misbehaving: Use Safe Mode (Sublime Text)
• IntelliJ IDEA Slow or Freezing (JetBrains IntelliJ)

Other PhpStorm errors

• PhpStorm Xdebug Not Connecting / Breakpoints Not Hit
• PhpStorm PHP Interpreter Is Not Configured
• PhpStorm Composer and Laravel Not Working (Autocomplete, Undefined Class)
• PhpStorm Indexing Takes Forever / Stuck on Indexing
• PhpStorm Out of Memory: How to Increase Heap Size
• PhpStorm License Activation Error / License Not Found
• PhpStorm Plugin Incompatible After Update
• PhpStorm AI Assistant Quota Exceeded / Not Working