How to Enable Full File Paths in IntelliJ-Based IDEs

Overview

Some IntelliJ-based IDEs (such as IntelliJ IDEA, PhpStorm, WebStorm, PyCharm, and others from JetBrains) do not display the full file path in the window header by default.

Memtime relies on the window title to identify and track the currently active file. If the full path is hidden or shortened, tracking may be incomplete or less accurate.

Enabling the “Always show full paths in window header” setting helps Memtime capture file activity more reliably.

Enable Full File Paths in the Window Header

Open your JetBrains IDE.
Go to:Settings / Preferences → Appearance & Behavior → Appearance
Enable the option:Always show full paths in window header
Restart the IDE if the change does not appear immediately.

Example

Before

The IDE window title may show only:

README.md
/project/.../src/...

After

The full path becomes visible, for example:

/Users/username/projects/my-app/src/components/Header.tsx

This allows Memtime Core to detect and track the active file more accurately.

Notes for macOS Users

On macOS, JetBrains IDEs may still display paths relative to the project root instead of the absolute system path. This is expected behavior from JetBrains.

Example:

my-project/src/components/Header.tsx

instead of:

/Users/username/projects/my-project/src/components/Header.tsx

In most cases, this is still sufficient for tracking.

If the Path Still Does Not Appear

Try the following:

Restart the IDE
Restart your computer
Make sure the setting is enabled
Update the IDE to the latest version

Some Linux desktop themes may also make the title text difficult to see because of low contrast colors.

Support

Need help with the article or have any questions? Reach out to us anytime at:

🔗 support@memtime.com