For a static file, begin with the ordinary HTML preview or configured browser. Add a debugging session only when you need its behavior; opening a browser tab alone does not start Live Edit.
Confirm the file you are looking at
Use a development copy of an HTML page. Change a visible heading from “Packing room” to “Returns desk,” save it, and compare that exact text in the preview. This original fixture helps identify the active file without depending on a subtle style change.
In the Project window, confirm the file path. In the browser, inspect the address. Two files called index.html, or two development servers on different ports, can make a working reload look broken.
IntelliJ's HTML documentation describes both built-in preview and opening a file in a configured browser. Its default automatic reload reacts to saved HTML and linked JavaScript or stylesheet files. The reload behavior is configurable under Tools | Web Browsers and Preview. IntelliJ HTML editing
Test saving before changing debugger settings
Make one text change and explicitly save. If the heading updates, repeat with a linked CSS rule. If HTML updates but CSS does not, check that the page actually references the file you edited. A generated stylesheet in an output folder may be different from its source file.
If nothing updates, reload the page manually and compare again. A manual reload that shows the change points toward update configuration. A manual reload that still shows old content calls for a path, server, build-output, or caching investigation.
Use the browser's Network panel to inspect the response for the affected file when needed. HTML DevTools checks explain how to follow the resource the browser received.
Use Live Edit when you need changes during debugging
JetBrains documents Live Edit as available during a debugging session, with JavaScript debugging in Chrome and other Chromium browsers. Its current instructions require the JavaScript and TypeScript plugin plus the JavaScript Debugger and Live Edit plugins; the latter plugins require an Ultimate subscription. Check those conditions in your installation before looking for the feature. Live Edit requirements
Under Build, Execution, Deployment | Debugger | Live Edit, enable updating the application in Chrome on changes. The documented default covers HTML and CSS; select the JavaScript option when the intended workflow also needs JavaScript changes.
Do not diagnose a missing Live Edit update from an ordinary browser tab. First confirm that the intended debugging session is attached to the page being observed.
Check the effect of a reload on your page
A full reload can reset unsaved form input or other temporary page state. For a static preview, that may be harmless. For a form you are debugging, record the steps needed to recreate the state before changing update settings.
After confirming the heading, test the behavior that matters: a link destination, form validation message, or interactive control. A text update proves that the new markup reached the page; it does not prove that every script change took effect correctly.
Keep the source file as the durable change. A temporary edit in the browser's Elements panel can help diagnose a layout, but it will not update the IntelliJ file. Finish by reopening the intended page from the maintained source and checking the “Returns desk” heading and the affected behavior together.