Java 26 in IntelliJ IDEA | The IntelliJ IDEA Blog

Java 26, released on March 17, 2026, introduces several performance improvements and new library additions, although it includes no new stable language features. Supported by IntelliJ IDEA, Java 26 brings ten JEPs, with highlights including JEP 516's advancements in ahead-of-time object caching to enhance startup and warmup performance, JEP 517's integration of HTTP/3 for the HTTP Client API, and JEP 522's improvements to the G1 garbage collector's throughput. Additionally, preview features such as enhanced pattern matching for primitive types and the Vector API continue to evolve, with IntelliJ IDEA providing comprehensive support for these features. The release also marks the removal of the Applet API, which has been deprecated since JDK 17. Developers can experiment with these features using IntelliJ IDEA's built-in tools, which facilitate easy setup and configuration of Java 26, including preview and incubator features.