Show "Documentation" panel in IntelliJ

Question

I have seen a "Documentation" panel appear in the lower right side of the IDE window in IntelliJ 2019.x. The panel automatically updated to display Javadoc for the class or method currently selected in the code editor.

➥ Unfortunately, that "Documentation" panel is gone. How can I get it back?

I do not see any such item listed on the View, Tools, or Window menus.

I do not see any such item listed on the pop-up menu of tool panels that appears when hovering the mouse over the box in the lower-left corner of the IDE window.

I do not see any such item minimized as a labeled tab on the right, left, or bottom edges of the IDE window.

None of the items on this reference page work.

I can select a class or method in the code editor, and choose View > Quick Definition to see the panel as displayed in the screenshot below. That is the kind of content I want to see in the corner panel rather than a floating windoid.

Answer 1

View > Quick Documentation > ⋮ > Open as Tool Window

See this answer how to view quick documentation in IntelliJ IDEA. You are choosing View > Quick Definition, but should choose Quick Documentation instead (“definition” versus “documentation”).

Once you have the popup open, there is an option to make it a tool window (Open as Tool Window) in the vertical ellipsis (⋮) pop-up menu.

Or you may see the vertical ellipsis (⋮) pop-up menu in the bottom-right corner.

Another way to switch the display mode is to press the shortcut you are using to display the quick documentation twice.

Either way, you should see the Documentation panel in the lower right corner of the IDE window.

Answer 2

Press F1 once on a function that has javadoc defined to bring up the inline help then press F1 again and it will switch to being in that documentation pane you are looking for.

At least that is how i get it back when i close it by mistake.