Forced User Agreement on Jetbrains IntelliJ software
JetBrains requires acceptance of its User Agreement as a condition of using its software products.[1] In 2025, users with subscriptions that ended before 2025 reported being shown the new agreement inside older IDE versions, with the options limited to accepting it or exiting the application.
Background
[edit | edit source]JetBrains sells its IDEs, including IntelliJ IDEA and WebStorm, under a subscription system that includes a perpetual fallback license. The fallback license allows a customer to use a particular software version indefinitely after a subscription ends, but upgrading to a newer version requires buying or renewing the subscription.[2]
Agreement requirement
[edit | edit source]The JetBrains User Agreement covers use of JetBrains products by individual users, and acceptance of its terms is a condition of using the software.[3] Prior versions of the agreement, such as version 1.4 effective from 22 September 2021, carried the same acceptance requirement, presented as a click-through.[4]
Reported popups
[edit | edit source]In 2025, users of versions released in 2024 or earlier, including WebStorm 2024.1.7 running under a fallback license, reported popups presenting the JetBrains User Agreement with no option to decline and continue using the already-installed version.[5] Users documented workarounds involving removing or restricting access to the local JetBrains configuration directory.
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "JetBrains User Agreement". JetBrains. Archived from the original on 22 Oct 2026. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
- ↑ "What is a perpetual fallback license, and how do I use one?". JetBrains Sales. Archived from the original on 22 Oct 2026. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
- ↑ "JetBrains User Agreement". JetBrains. Archived from the original on 22 Oct 2026. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
- ↑ "JetBrains User Agreement (version 1.4)" (PDF). JetBrains. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
- ↑ "Jetbrains User Agreement screenshot". Consumer Rights Wiki. Archived from the original on 2026-10-22. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
