Options

This submenu allows you to change various options and settings:

See also Menu Bar submenus.

Text Representation Dialog

This command changes the look of the disassembly. Here you can change the values of the following checkboxes/input fields:

Line prefixes

        This checkbox enables or disables line prefixes display.
        Line prefix is the address of the current byte:

         3000:1000      mov ax, bx
         ^^^^^^^^^

IDA.CFG parameter: SHOW_LINEPREFIXES Number of opcode bytes

        Opcode bytes are shown below:

         3000:1000 55           push    bp
                   ^^^^^^^^^

        The opcode is the operation code of the current instruction.
        For the data items, the opcodes are elements of data directives.
        Sometimes there is not enough place to display all bytes of an item
        (of a large array, for example). In this case, IDA will display just
        the few first bytes of the item. For the code items, IDA will try
        to display all bytes of the instruction, even if it requires adding
        more lines just for the opcode bytes. If this behavior is not desired,
        the number of opcode bytes can be specified as a negative value.
        A negative value -N means to display N opcode bytes on a line but
        never display empty lines just for the opcode bytes.
        By default, IDA does not display the opcodes.

IDA.CFG parameter: OPCODE_BYTES Use segment names

        This option controls the appearance of the segment names in the
        addresses. Example (codeseg has base 3000):

           Enabled:     codeseg:0034
           Disabled:    3000:0034

IDA.CFG parameter: USE_SEGMENT_NAMES Segment addresses

        Marking this checkbox, you can disable segment addresses in the
        disassembly. IDA will show only offsets. Example:

           Enabled:     codeseg:0034
           Disabled:    0034

IDA.CFG parameter: SHOW_SEGMENTS Function offsets

        This option controls the appearance of the line prefixes.
        If it is enabled, the addresses will be displayed as offsets
        from a function beginning. Example:

           Enabled:     somefunc+0x44
           Disabled:    cseg:0x4544

Right margin

        This option controls the length of disassembly lines for data
        directives.

IDA.CFG parameter: MAX_DATALINE_LENGTH Instruction indention

        You can change indention of disassembled instructions:

                         mov ax, bx
         <-------------->
            indention

IDA.CFG parameter: INDENTION Display bad instruction <BAD> marks

        Some assemblers do not understand some instructions even if they
        must. For example, the Z80 processor has several undocumented
        instructions and many assemblers fail to recognize them. IDA knows
        about this fact and tries to produce an output that can be compiled
        without errors, so it replaces such instructions with data bytes.

        The problem is more severe with Intel 80x86 processors: the same
        instruction can be coded differently. There are 2 operation codes
        for ADD instruction, etc. The worst thing is that the different
        operation codes have different lengths. If the assembler used to
        compile a file and your assembler produce different operation codes,
        you may obtain completely different output files.

        That is why IDA can mark such instructions as <BAD> and replace them
        with data bytes. Example:

           Enabled:
                        db 0Fh,86h,7Eh,0,0,0 ; <BAD> jbe     loc_0_205
                        db 0Fh,82h,78h,0,0,0 ; <BAD> jb      loc_0_205
                        db 0Fh,83h,72h,0,0,0 ; <BAD> jnb     loc_0_205
           Disabled:
                        jbe     loc_0_205
                        jb      loc_0_205
                        jnb     loc_0_205

IDA.CFG parameter: SHOW_BAD_INSTRUCTIONS Use tabulations in output

        You can disable the tab chars (0x09) in the output file if you do not
        like them. By default, IDA produces output files with tab chars.

IDA.CFG parameter: USE_TABULATION low suspicious limit high suspicious limit Click here to get information about these fields. Display stack pointer

        If this option is set, IDA will display the value of
        the stack pointer in the line prefix.

IDA.CFG parameter: SHOW_SP

Comments Dialog

This command changes the look of the disassembly comments. Here you can change the values of the following checkboxes/input fields:

Comment indention

        You can change indention of comments:

                mov ax, bx                      ; this is a comment
        <-------------------------------------->
                       indention

IDA.CFG parameter: COMMENTS_INDENTION Display of 'suspicious' marks This option enables or disables suspicious marks display. Usually the suspicious marks are disabled because IDA displays the suspicious operands in red/orange anyway. IDA.CFG parameter: SHOW_SUSPICOUS Display of empty lines

        This option enables or disables the presence of the autogenerated
        empty lines in the disassembly. It could be useful to decrease
        the number of the blank lines on the screen increasing amount
        of information on it.

IDA.CFG parameter: SHOW_EMPTYLINES Display of basic blocks

        This option enables or disables the presence of the autogenerated
        empty lines at the end of basic blocks in the disassembly.

IDA.CFG parameter: SHOW_BASIC_BLOCKS Display borders between data/code

        This command enables or disables the presence of the autogenerated