Intellij does not open existing projects after update

Question

I updated to Intellij 2018.3.5 today and now it wont open any of my previous projects that are .idea based. In the logs I can see the following. This was working fine with 2018.3.4.

This appears to happen only in Ubuntu not in Windows.

2019-03-07 14:58:06,594 [ 246696]   INFO - roject.impl.ProjectManagerImpl - Fatal error initializing plugin com.intellij.uiDesigner 
com.intellij.ide.plugins.PluginManager$StartupAbortedException: Fatal error initializing plugin com.intellij.uiDesigner
    at com.intellij.ide.plugins.PluginManager.handleComponentError(PluginManager.java:253)
    at com.intellij.openapi.components.impl.PlatformComponentManagerImpl.handleInitComponentError(PlatformComponentManagerImpl.java:43)
    at com.intellij.openapi.components.impl.ComponentManagerImpl$ComponentConfigComponentAdapter.getComponentInstance(ComponentManagerImpl.java:504)
    at com.intellij.openapi.components.impl.ComponentManagerImpl.createComponents(ComponentManagerImpl.java:104)
    at com.intellij.openapi.components.impl.ComponentManagerImpl.init(ComponentManagerImpl.java:88)
    at com.intellij.openapi.project.impl.ProjectImpl.init(ProjectImpl.java:264)
    at com.intellij.openapi.project.impl.ProjectManagerImpl.initProject(ProjectManagerImpl.java:285)
    at com.intellij.openapi.project.impl.ProjectManagerImpl.loadProject(ProjectManagerImpl.java:314)
    at com.intellij.openapi.project.impl.ProjectManagerImpl.loadProject(ProjectManagerImpl.java:306)
    at com.intellij.projectImport.ProjectOpenProcessorBase.doOpenProject(ProjectOpenProcessorBase.java:197)
    at com.intellij.ide.impl.ProjectUtil.openOrImport(ProjectUtil.java:137)
    at com.intellij.ide.actions.OpenFileAction.doOpenFile(OpenFileAction.java:111)
    at com.intellij.ide.actions.OpenFileAction.lambda$prepareFileChooserAndOpen$1(OpenFileAction.java:66)
    at com.intellij.openapi.fileChooser.ex.FileChooserDialogImpl.choose(FileChooserDialogImpl.java:145)
    at com.intellij.openapi.fileChooser.FileChooser.chooseFiles(FileChooser.java:114)
    at com.intellij.openapi.fileChooser.FileChooser.chooseFiles(FileChooser.java:91)
    at com.intellij.ide.actions.OpenFileAction.prepareFileChooserAndOpen(OpenFileAction.java:58)
    at com.intellij.ide.actions.OpenFileAction.lambda$actionPerformed$0(OpenFileAction.java:44)
    at com.intellij.openapi.application.TransactionGuardImpl$2.run(TransactionGuardImpl.java:315)
    at com.intellij.openapi.application.impl.LaterInvocator$FlushQueue.doRun(LaterInvocator.java:435)
    at com.intellij.openapi.application.impl.LaterInvocator$FlushQueue.runNextEvent(LaterInvocator.java:419)
    at com.intellij.openapi.application.impl.LaterInvocator$FlushQueue.run(LaterInvocator.java:403)
    at java.awt.event.InvocationEvent.dispatch(InvocationEvent.java:311)
    at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEventImpl(EventQueue.java:756)
    at java.awt.EventQueue.access$500(EventQueue.java:97)
    at java.awt.EventQueue$3.run(EventQueue.java:709)
    at java.awt.EventQueue$3.run(EventQueue.java:703)
    at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
    at java.security.ProtectionDomain$JavaSecurityAccessImpl.doIntersectionPrivilege(ProtectionDomain.java:80)
    at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(EventQueue.java:726)
    at com.intellij.ide.IdeEventQueue.defaultDispatchEvent(IdeEventQueue.java:719)
    at com.intellij.ide.IdeEventQueue._dispatchEvent(IdeEventQueue.java:668)
    at com.intellij.ide.IdeEventQueue.dispatchEvent(IdeEventQueue.java:363)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForFilters(EventDispatchThread.java:201)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForFilter(EventDispatchThread.java:116)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(EventDispatchThread.java:105)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:101)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:93)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(EventDispatchThread.java:82)
Caused by: com.intellij.diagnostic.PluginException: Could not initialize class java.awt.dnd.DragSource [Plugin: com.intellij.uiDesigner]
    ... 39 more
Caused by: java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: Could not initialize class java.awt.dnd.DragSource
    at com.intellij.ide.palette.impl.PaletteWindow.<init>(PaletteWindow.java:75)
    at com.intellij.ide.palette.impl.PaletteToolWindowManager.<init>(PaletteToolWindowManager.java:43)
    at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance0(Native Method)
    at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.java:62)
    at sun.reflect.DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.java:45)
    at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstance(Constructor.java:423)
    at org.picocontainer.defaults.InstantiatingComponentAdapter.newInstance(InstantiatingComponentAdapter.java:193)
    at com.intellij.util.pico.CachingConstructorInjectionComponentAdapter.doGetComponentInstance(CachingConstructorInjectionComponentAdapter.java:85)
    at com.intellij.util.pico.CachingConstructorInjectionComponentAdapter.instantiateGuarded(CachingConstructorInjectionComponentAdapter.java:62)
    at com.intellij.util.pico.CachingConstructorInjectionComponentAdapter.getComponentInstance(CachingConstructorInjectionComponentAdapter.java:45)
    at com.intellij.openapi.components.impl.ComponentManagerImpl$ComponentConfigComponentAdapter.getComponentInstance(ComponentManagerImpl.java:462)
    ... 36 more
2019-03-07 14:58:39,041 [ 279143]   WARN - roject.impl.ProjectManagerImpl - Fatal error initializing plugin com.intellij.uiDesigner 
com.intellij.ide.plugins.PluginManager$StartupAbortedException: Fatal error initializing plugin com.intellij.uiDesigner
    at com.intellij.ide.plugins.PluginManager.handleComponentError(PluginManager.java:253)
    at com.intellij.openapi.components.impl.PlatformComponentManagerImpl.handleInitComponentError(PlatformComponentManagerImpl.java:43)
    at com.intellij.openapi.components.impl.ComponentManagerImpl$ComponentConfigComponentAdapter.getComponentInstance(ComponentManagerImpl.java:504)
    at com.intellij.openapi.components.impl.ComponentManagerImpl.createComponents(ComponentManagerImpl.java:104)
    at com.intellij.openapi.components.impl.ComponentManagerImpl.init(ComponentManagerImpl.java:88)
    at com.intellij.openapi.project.impl.ProjectImpl.init(ProjectImpl.java:264)
    at com.intellij.openapi.project.impl.ProjectManagerImpl.initProject(ProjectManagerImpl.java:285)
    at com.intellij.openapi.project.impl.ProjectManagerImpl.newProject(ProjectManagerImpl.java:196)
    at com.intellij.projectImport.ProjectOpenProcessorBase.doOpenProject(ProjectOpenProcessorBase.java:204)
    at com.intellij.ide.impl.ProjectUtil.openOrImport(ProjectUtil.java:137)
    at com.intellij.ide.actions.OpenFileAction.doOpenFile(OpenFileAction.java:111)
    at com.intellij.ide.actions.OpenFileAction.lambda$prepareFileChooserAndOpen$1(OpenFileAction.java:66)
    at com.intellij.openapi.fileChooser.ex.FileChooserDialogImpl.choose(FileChooserDialogImpl.java:145)
    at com.intellij.openapi.fileChooser.FileChooser.chooseFiles(FileChooser.java:114)
    at com.intellij.openapi.fileChooser.FileChooser.chooseFiles(FileChooser.java:91)
    at com.intellij.ide.actions.OpenFileAction.prepareFileChooserAndOpen(OpenFileAction.java:58)
    at com.intellij.ide.actions.OpenFileAction.lambda$actionPerformed$0(OpenFileAction.java:44)
    at com.intellij.openapi.application.TransactionGuardImpl$2.run(TransactionGuardImpl.java:315)
    at com.intellij.openapi.application.impl.LaterInvocator$FlushQueue.doRun(LaterInvocator.java:435)
    at com.intellij.openapi.application.impl.LaterInvocator$FlushQueue.runNextEvent(LaterInvocator.java:419)
    at com.intellij.openapi.application.impl.LaterInvocator$FlushQueue.run(LaterInvocator.java:403)
    at java.awt.event.InvocationEvent.dispatch(InvocationEvent.java:311)
    at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEventImpl(EventQueue.java:756)
    at java.awt.EventQueue.access$500(EventQueue.java:97)
    at java.awt.EventQueue$3.run(EventQueue.java:709)
    at java.awt.EventQueue$3.run(EventQueue.java:703)
    at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
    at java.security.ProtectionDomain$JavaSecurityAccessImpl.doIntersectionPrivilege(ProtectionDomain.java:80)
    at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(EventQueue.java:726)
    at com.intellij.ide.IdeEventQueue.defaultDispatchEvent(IdeEventQueue.java:719)
    at com.intellij.ide.IdeEventQueue._dispatchEvent(IdeEventQueue.java:668)
    at com.intellij.ide.IdeEventQueue.dispatchEvent(IdeEventQueue.java:363)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForFilters(EventDispatchThread.java:201)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForFilter(EventDispatchThread.java:116)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(EventDispatchThread.java:105)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:101)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:93)
    at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(EventDispatchThread.java:82)
Caused by: com.intellij.diagnostic.PluginException: Could not initialize class java.awt.dnd.DragSource [Plugin: com.intellij.uiDesigner]
    ... 38 more
Caused by: java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: Could not initialize class java.awt.dnd.DragSource
    at com.intellij.ide.palette.impl.PaletteWindow.<init>(PaletteWindow.java:75)
    at com.intellij.ide.palette.impl.PaletteToolWindowManager.<init>(PaletteToolWindowManager.java:43)
    at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance0(Native Method)
    at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.java:62)
    at sun.reflect.DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.java:45)
    at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstance(Constructor.java:423)
    at org.picocontainer.defaults.InstantiatingComponentAdapter.newInstance(InstantiatingComponentAdapter.java:193)
    at com.intellij.util.pico.CachingConstructorInjectionComponentAdapter.doGetComponentInstance(CachingConstructorInjectionComponentAdapter.java:85)
    at com.intellij.util.pico.CachingConstructorInjectionComponentAdapter.instantiateGuarded(CachingConstructorInjectionComponentAdapter.java:62)
    at com.intellij.util.pico.CachingConstructorInjectionComponentAdapter.getComponentInstance(CachingConstructorInjectionComponentAdapter.java:45)
    at com.intellij.openapi.components.impl.ComponentManagerImpl$ComponentConfigComponentAdapter.getComponentInstance(ComponentManagerImpl.java:462)
    ... 35 more
2019-03-07 14:59:20,708 [ 320810]   INFO - ution.rmi.RemoteProcessSupport - Terminating: 17961/Maven3ServerImpl9b795730 
2019-03-07 14:59:20,721 [ 320823]   INFO -           #cursive.repl.server - Shutting down local REPL 

Answer 1

IntelliJ IDEA reinstall will fix this problem.

You can reinstall without removing the IDE folders with the configuration, only the installation folder.

This way all your settings will be preserved. You can also use IDE Settings Sync plug-in to keep your settings in the JetBrains account and easily backup/sync them between the machines.

Another option is to use the Toolbox app for the seamless updates which also supports reverting to the previous version if something goes wrong.