Can't see project folders in IntelliJ IDEA

Question

Every once in a while, I open an old project and I can't see any of the folders in the intelliJ project viewer. I can see all the files at the root.. but no folders. Yes I can delete the .iml file and .idea folder and re-create the project, but come on.. there's gotta be an easier way to fix this.

Is there?

Answer 1

If you look in project settings (ctrl-shift-alt-s), you should see a module structure. If you instead see "Nothing to see", do the following:

1. In Project Structure -> Modules, press the + button,
2. press enter (since, for some weird reason, it won't let me click on "New Module")
3. In the window that pops up, click on the "..." next to Content root, find your root folder, and select it
4. Press ok
5. ignore any warning that says the name is already in use (or to that effect)

Answer 2

the simplest solution worked from me, just delete the .idea folder

keep in mind this will delete all of idea's current project configuration, it'll create the folder with default settings when reload the project again... but all other configuration will be lost if not properly backed-up

Answer 3

It might be because the project didn't have any modules defined. Try adding existing source code by hitting File > New > Module from Existing Sources and select the parent directory of the project for source code