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Edit

A simple terminal text editor with VS Code-like controls, inspired by MS-DOS Edit.

GitHub Download v2.0.0
Stars
14.7k
Forks
739
Licence
MIT
Language
Rust
Last update
6 days ago
Type
App

What it is

Edit is a simple text editor that runs in a terminal window. It is modeled on the classic MS-DOS Editor but uses a modern interface and keyboard controls similar to VS Code. It aims to be easy for people who are not comfortable with terminals.

  • Make quick edits to a config file from the terminal
  • Edit text files without learning complex editor commands
  • Use search and replace in a file (the README notes this depends on ICU)

Great for

  • People who want a simple editor for quick text or code edits in a terminal
  • Users new to command-line tools who want an approachable editor
  • Developers who want a lightweight editor over SSH or in a terminal session

Not ideal for

  • Users who need advanced editing features such as plugins or deep language tooling, since the README describes a simple editor for simple needs
  • Users on platforms without a listed binary or build path, since install options are documented only for Windows, Linux, and macOS
Step-by-step guide: how to use EditInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs
Edit vs microEdit vs VSCodeVim

How to get it

  1. 1

    Install with a package manager

    Windows (WinGet)

    winget install Microsoft.Edit

    macOS (Homebrew)

    brew install msedit
  2. 2

    Run it

    • Install Edit using the command for your operating system
    • Open a terminal and run `edit` (or `msedit`, the alternative name) with a file path
    • Use the VS Code-style keyboard controls to edit and save the file
  3. 3

    Get the most out of it

    • Check the Releases page for prebuilt binaries if your platform has no package
    • Use the Linux install script with --dev to build from the main branch, or --system to install into /usr/local/bin
    • Set EDIT_CFG_LANGUAGES at build time to include only the languages you need
    • Install ICU if you want search and replace to work

Downloads

Source code (.zip)main branch · straight from GitHubRelease v2.0.05 files incl. edit-2.0.0-aarch64-windows.zip

Strengths

  • Familiar VS Code-style controls, so it is easy to pick up
  • Installable on Windows via WinGet, on macOS via Homebrew, and via binaries or an install script on Linux
  • Released under the MIT license and developed in Rust

Trade-offs

  • The README describes it as intentionally simple, so it lacks many advanced editor features
  • Search and replace requires the ICU library, and Linux builds may need extra configuration

How it compares

ProjectStarsTypeLevelUpdatedBest for
edit (this)14.7kAppbeginner6 days agoPeople who want a simple editor for quick text or code edits in a terminal
Vim15.2kAppbeginner6 days agoDevelopers who already know Vim and want its keybindings in VS Code
micro29.8kAppbeginner4 days agoPeople who work mostly in a terminal and want an easy editor
oni11.2kAppintermediate6.6 years agoVim users who want a graphical editor with extra IDE features built in
slate31.7kFrameworkadvanced8 days agoDevelopers building a custom rich text editor inside a web app
trix20kLibraryintermediate9 days agoDevelopers adding a rich text box to a Rails or other web app

Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.