IntelliJ IDEA 2026.1.1 released with several bug fixes and improvements

IntelliJ IDEA version 2026.1.1 addresses issues such as one where users were unable to set up a WSL Python SDK.

David Uzondu Neowin · Apr 23, 2026 15:16 EDT with 0 comments

JetBrains has released IntelliJ IDEA 2026.1.1, a small bug fix update to address several issues that popped up in the previous version of the software.

The team has fixed the issue where developers were unable to set up a Python SDK from the Windows Subsystem for Linux. According to the bug report, attempting to add a WSL-based Python interpreter would cause the dialog to get stuck on the "WSL distribution introspection" screen, completely disabling the "Next" button and preventing users from proceeding.

The next bug that was fixed has been a persistent problem for at least five years, particularly for those using remote development. The Emmet abbreviation expansion, a big feature for web developers, was completely broken for guest participants in Code With Me or Gateway sessions. When a remote user tried to expand something simple like "div" by pressing Tab, the IDE would just insert a tab character.

Other changes to expect when you upgrade to 2026.1.1 include a correction for a Gradle sync failure that was causing a class cast error, a fix for locating WSL 2 JDKs, and the restoration of the Ant tool window's behavior so that double-clicking a target correctly runs it. JetBrains also resolved a problem where the IDE failed to connect to the WildFly admin process after server startup, which prevented automatic deployments.

In other IDEA news, JetBrains recently made Wayland the default display server protocol for its Linux users, starting with the 2026.1 release cycle. This should mean no more blurry text on HiDPI displays or weird fractional scaling artifacts because the software no longer needs the XWayland compatibility layer. If you prefer the old behavior, there's still a way to force the IDE to use X11. You can go to "Help > Edit Custom VM Options" and add this line: -Dawt.toolkit.name=XToolkit.

Since December, IntelliJ IDEA has also been available through a unified installer. This change marked the end of the "Community Edition" moniker, with the free version gaining several features that were once exclusive to the paid tier. For Ultimate subscribers, the new model means that when a license expires, you'll no longer lose access to the IDE entirely. Instead, the app gets downgraded to the free feature set.