Eclipse IDE 2025-09: Small update before Java 25

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Eclipse, the open-source IDE for Java, C/C++ and other programming languages, has been released in version 2025-09. A new feature is the ability to compare selected text in the editor with the contents of the clipboard. Developers can also compare entire files with the clipboard or replace their content with that of the clipboard.

The Heise Conference on Java 25

On October 14, everything at the betterCode() Java 2025 will revolve around Java 25, which is planned for September. The online conference, organized by iX and dpunkt verlag, will cover the main innovations in six presentations. A keynote speech by Adam Bien on 30 years of Java will round off the day.

For Java development, there are detailed improvements such as a new quick correction and clean-up function for fields marked as deprecated (obsolete) as well as setting a trigger point or a breakpoint with hit count by right-clicking on a line number. Support for the upcoming Java version 25 is not yet available. A pre-release version will be offered via the Eclipse Marketplace next week for the official launch of Java 25.

General improvements

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A new function of the Eclipse platform makes it possible to compare text areas in the editor with the content of the clipboard in the Compare editor. To achieve this, first select the text, right-click, and select Compare With | Clipboard. If no text is selected or if you right-click on a file in the Project or Package Explorer, Eclipse compares the entire file with the clipboard instead.

In the same way, Replace With | Clipboard can be used to replace a text area or an entire file with the contents of the clipboard. The replacement of bitmap graphics with graphics in SVG format, which was started in the previous release, has been continued. This makes icons and graphics appear sharper at very high or crooked resolutions.

Java updates

Sticky scrolling and code folding in the Java editor have also been improved. Sticky scrolling, i.e., sticking the parent lines to the top edge instead of disappearing into the invisible scroll area, is now based on the code structure in the Java editor instead of on the indentation of the text as in pure text editors, so that the lines that developers expect and not other lines remain visible even with commented-out code or special formatting. With user-defined code folding, areas without an explicit end marker can now also be defined that extend to the next user-defined folding area or to the end of the parent block.

In parallel, the Eclipse team has further developed the Java tooling and Eclipse's own Java compiler to make them fit for Java 25 – the next version after Java 21, for which Java vendors want to offer long-term support. For the release of Java 25 next week, a pre-release version is planned to be made available for post-installation via the Eclipse Marketplace. In the December release of the Eclipse IDE, Java 25 support is then planned as a fixed component.

Upgrade or download

Ten expandable basic packages of the Eclipse development environment for different purposes are available for Windows, Linux, and macOS. All packages contain everything you need to run Eclipse and develop: Java 21 and Git, as well as Maven and Gradle in the Java IDE packages.

The Eclipse IDE packages can be installed via the Eclipse Installer or downloaded as ZIP files. An existing Eclipse IDE can be updated via Help | Check for Updates. Further information and the new features of the Eclipse projects involved in this release can be found on the Eclipse IDE website.

(mki)