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title: Internal Actions - UI Inspector
redirect_from:
- /reference_guide/internal_actions/internal_uii.html
---
The _UI Inspector_ is a tool to interrogate elements of the IntelliJ IDEA UI to get an internal description of each element.
UI elements can be tested interactively by clicking on the element while the _UI Inspector_ is enabled.
If the menu item **Tools \| Internal Actions \| UI \| UI Inspector** is not available in IntelliJ IDEA, then the first step is to [enable internal mode](enabling_internal.md)
## Enabling the UI Inspector
Before using the _UI Inspector_, it must be enabled by selecting the menu item **Tools \| Internal Actions \| UI \| UI Inspector**.
The enabled state of the _UI Inspector_ is modal; it remains enabled until it is disabled by selecting the _UI Inspector_ menu item again.
## Using the UI Inspector
While enabled, centering the cursor on a UI element and pressing Control/Cmd+Alt when _clicking_ the mouse reveals the properties of the Swing component.
> **TIP** If the component relates to an [Action](/basics/action_system.md) (e.g. Action Button or Menu Item), the Action class name and its ID will be shown.
For example, to get information about the _Build Project_ button's icon (hammer) on the toolbar (highlighted in green), put the mouse cursor on the icon and press Control/Cmd+Alt while clicking the mouse.
The _UI Inspector_ displays that the icon has the internal path `Allcons.Actions.Compile`:

## Providing Additional Properties
Custom Swing components can provide additional properties to be displayed in the _UI Inspector_ dialog via [`UiInspectorContextProvider`](upsource:///platform/platform-impl/src/com/intellij/internal/inspector/UiInspectorContextProvider.java) (2020.1 and later).