How to Restore Eclipse Default View

Did you mess up rearranging your Eclipse environment and now want the default user interface, so you can start over? That’s a common problem and a suitable request. After all, Eclipse IDE (integrated development environment) is software used as a workspace by computer programmers. Though it was written in Java and designed for development in the same programming language, plug-ins expand its capabilities drastically. Thus, it can be employed for developing apps in C, C++, C#, Lasso, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby, JavaScript, and many others. In other words, the demand for our guide is far greater than it may seem. Thus, let’s demonstrate how to restore the Eclipse default view.

1. Restore Eclipse default view by resetting Perspective

Though we believe most know this, new developers are likely confused about how Perspective works. Perspective in Eclipse IDE represents a myriad of subwindows that users open and position as they work on designing the workplace for their programming language. The key benefit and our main problem are that the location and type of views (essentially, any changes) you bring up remain even after you rearrange the layout, close the session, or close the Eclipse window. Luckily, the software lets you configure and save different Perspective diners for multilanguage programming. Unsurprisingly, they also let you reset it to the default Perspective by following these steps:

1. Click the Open Perspective button in the upper right corner. It’s a block icon with a twinkle next to “Debug” or “Java”, depending on the version.
2. You’ll now see a list of Perspectives you have saved. There will be a minimum of two, the default one and the current one.
3. Note. The two can also be identical if you configured the current perspective as the default one.
4. You now have two options:
   1. Reset the current Perspective to default by right-clicking on its name, then selecting Reset. This procedure is irreversible.
   2. Select the default perspective, whether brand-new (frequently titled “Java(Default)”), or the one you set up as the default one.
5. When asked to confirm changes on the prompt, select OK.

Note. Depending on the version of Eclipse IDE and the add-ons you installed, the option might be moved. For instance, some plugins add new options and move the option from step 1 to the “Java” button, and require you to right-click, not left-click, the button. They do so to distinguish perspectives from custom tools.

2. Going back to the default Eclipse view using the Window menu

A secondary way to restore the default view in Eclipse IDE requires you to use the Window menu in this fashion:

1. Click on Window in the top menu.
2. Find the Perspective option.
3. Select Open Perspective. (Some versions allow you to select Reset Perspective right away).
4. Go to Other…
5. You’ll now see a list akin to the one above. Either click Resource(Default) or select the one you configured as default.
6. Click on OK to confirm.

If you cannot see the options below, try going to Windows → Show View → Select the default view for Eclipse. Also, you can press the Alt + W shortcut to open the Perspective windows. If it works, you can skip most steps and quickly switch between perspectives. If the main menu is hidden, you can press F10 to show/hide it, too.

3. Delete the workspace configuration file in the Eclipse folder

Like lots of applications, Eclipse stores a plethora of settings in a hidden folder, this time called “metadata”. However, the danger is that Eclipse will revert the workspace to factory settings. Plus, it may regress some general settings you added to the IDE that you may need. Thus, utilize this method as a last resort, when the menu refuses to work, perspectives are glitchy, or you accidentally made the window invisible or unreachable in other ways. Here’s what to do:

1. Make sure you close Eclipse IDE or else the changes won’t apply. The software will regenerate the current view.
2. Open Windows Explorer or Mac Finder and go to the main system drive or the folder Eclipse is installed in.
3. Search for the following folder workspace/.metadata/.plugins/org.eclipse.e4.workbench or try to go there manually.
4. If you cannot see the folder, it means files and folders are hidden. In that case, do the following based on the operating system:
   • Windows — Open Start and search for “hidden files”. Then:
     1. Select Show hidden files.
     2. Click on Show settings next to “Change settings to show hidden and system files”.
     3. Click the circle next to Show hidden files, folders, and drives.
   • Mac — Go to the ~/Library folder and search for the Eclipse folder. Now:
     1. Determine if you can see the “workspace” folder. If you can view the folder, proceed until you can’t.
     2. Whenever you get stuck (or right at the beginning), press Command + Shift + . (dot/period) to show hidden folders.
5. Delete the workbench folder, close the Explorer or Finder, and open Eclipse.