When the editor lost focus on a file or is closed, this immediately saves any modifications to that file. Autosave is typically provided by editors on a file.

All the editors such as VSCode provide saving files automatically.

Normally, after modifying a file, you can save it using the shortcut keys Ctrl + S.

Does Netbeans provide an autosave feature?

Netbeans does not provide an auto-save feature by default.

You can achieve this by installing the Editor:: Autosave plugin.

Netbeans autosave a file

Following are steps to install the Autosave plugin

  • First, Download the plugin from here

  • It downloads autosave-1.3.nbm to the file system.

  • Next, Click on the Tools Menu

  • Select Plugins Menu Item

  • It opens the Plugins popup window

  • Select the Downloaded tab

  • Click on Add Plugin

  • It prompts the user to select the downloaded plugin from the file system, Click Open

  • Next, Click on the Install button

  • It opens the Netbeans IDE Plugin installer window

  • Click on the Next button, and follow the steps to finish the installation

  • Once installation is successful, You can configure the below options

  • Go to Tools -> Options -> Editor tab

  • Select Autosave tab

  • Configure and check the below options

    • Save files every n minutes, where is a number
    • Save the file when the focus is lost

  • You can disable autosave by unchecking the above two options