Eclipse save automatically

Question

I would like Eclipse to automatically save every time I edit a file, in much the same way that it builds automatically. Because I've been using IntelliJ for the last year (which saves automatically by default), I keep having the following problem:

Make some changes in Eclipse
Forget to press save
Run the build, unit tests, and notice some strange behaviour
(Some time later....) realize that the unexpected behaviour occurred because I forgot to save the changes

Is there any way I can make Eclipse save automatically?

I would recommend against using auto-save plugins. The reason is that a save will always cause an incremental build. If you are using Java only, this is not problem. But, when you start using other languages, like AspectJ, Groovy, or even non-compiled languages like JavaScript, incremental builds can be much longer. This is because a change in a single file can cause a much longer build (since dependency graphs between files tend to be denser). I would recommend using the "Save automatically" option instead of the autosave plugins. — Andrew Eisenberg, Jun 17 '13 at 17:23
No need to install more plugin. please look at my answer below — UmAnusorn, Oct 10 '16 at 11:35

score 117 · Accepted Answer · answered May 19 '16 at 21:00

Eclipse Neon (4.6)

Window > Preferences

General > Editors > Autosave > check Enable autosave for dirty editors > choose the value for autosave interval (in seconds)

Details in M7:

Auto-save of dirty editors is now available in Eclipse. The autosave option is disabled by default. A new autosave preference page (Preferences > General > Editors > Autosave) is available and allows to enable/disable the autosave and change the interval of autosave. The countdown is reset on keyboard activity, mouse click, or when a popup is displayed (e.g. content assist, preference page, ...).

score 33 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 14 '10 at 11:14

33

You can go here and check the box Save automatically before build

Windows > Preferences > General -> Workspace

answered Apr 14 '10 at 11:14

GuruKulki

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UmAnusorn · Answer 3 · 2016-10-20T06:30:35.820

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First, try Window -> Preferences -> General -> Workspace. There you can check "Save automatically before build" and "Build automatically."

If that does not work,

PLEASE TRY

Preferences -> Run/Debug -> Launching -> "Save dirty editors before launching"

edited Oct 20 '16 at 06:30

answered Apr 20 '14 at 05:27

UmAnusorn

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Only the second one worked for my JUnit tests, thanks. – Noumenon Feb 28 '17 at 18:44

score 19 · Answer 4 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:02

19

You can do it with the saveDirtyEditor plugin as referenced in this question/answer. There is no non-plugin way of doing it.

edited May 23 '17 at 12:02

Community

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answered Apr 14 '10 at 08:42

Nick Fortescue

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There is a non-plugin way of doing it, given by umitems answer. – James Hirschorn Dec 17 '15 at 16:07
@JamesHirschorn Thats for more recent Eclipse versions. Mars does have the AutoSave option inbuilt. – ng.newbie May 19 '18 at 11:18

score 18 · Answer 5 · answered Mar 19 '13 at 17:15

18

I wrote an Eclipse plugin for this called smartsave. It's available in the Eclipse Market Place.

It saves your files at a specified interval and you can even tune it to prevent saving if errors, or warnings, are present in the preferences dialog.

answered Mar 19 '13 at 17:15

mystilleef

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Hey, nice plugin. It would really be cool if you could filter which tiles (by extension) are saved automatically. For instance, I want to save .txt files, but not .xml files. – Lincoln May 01 '13 at 15:10
It doesn't work on Eclipse 4.5.1, It doesn't show up in Preferences. Please fix. – wesamly Jan 12 '16 at 19:18
FYI: if formatter is configured to run when a file is saved, it does trigger the formatter when it saves. yay. – simpleuser Mar 10 '16 at 23:20
A very nice feature (which I use in MATLAB) is to save file when the file looses focus, mostly on tab switch. This proved to be very effective as it seems that we mostly need files to be saved when we switch to other file. – Danijel Jun 19 '20 at 09:25

score 7 · Answer 6 · answered Jun 17 '13 at 17:16

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In Helios this can be done by going to preferences and setting:

Run/Debug > Launching > Save required dirty editors before launching

answered Jun 17 '13 at 17:16

AnthonyW

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score 0 · Answer 7 · answered Nov 15 '17 at 11:38

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For Eclipse Mars 2, the settings are below Window > Preferences > General > Workspace. These settings are in minutes and not in seconds.

answered Nov 15 '17 at 11:38

Tatkal

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score 0 · Answer 8 · edited Jul 03 '18 at 18:55

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You could go to Windows > Preferences > Autosave and set the auto intervals to 1.

edited Jul 03 '18 at 18:55

rbento

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answered Jul 03 '18 at 14:14

Jasbin karki

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Eclipse save automatically

8 Answers8

Eclipse Neon (4.6)

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