Microsoft has unveiled Edit, a new open-source command-line text editor, during its Build 2025 conference. Designed to deliver a lightweight and modern editing experience, Edit will soon be bundled with Windows 11, offering users a native alternative to well-known editors like Nano and Vim.
Background and Motivation
For years, 64-bit Windows lacked a default command-line text editor, a gap that persisted since the days of the 32-bit MS-DOS Edit. Recognizing this shortcoming, Microsoft set out to create a tool that would be both accessible and efficient for developers and system administrators. The company chose a modeless design for Edit, aiming to provide a more intuitive and user-friendly experience compared to modal editors such as Vim. This approach allows users to focus on editing without the need to switch between different modes, streamlining workflow for both beginners and experienced users.
Key Features
- Lightweight and Fast: Edit is written in Rust and has a minimal footprint, with the binary size under 250KB.
- Modern User Interface: The editor adopts input controls and design elements reminiscent of Visual Studio Code, ensuring familiarity for many users.
- Mouse Support: Users can navigate and interact with the editor using a mouse, enhancing usability.
- Multiple File Handling: Edit allows opening and switching between multiple files within the same session.
- Find and Replace: Includes robust search capabilities, supporting regular expressions for advanced text manipulation.
- Word Wrap: Automatically wraps text for improved readability.
- No Right-Click Menu: The interface is streamlined, omitting context menus to maintain simplicity.
Development Choices
Microsoft evaluated several existing modeless editors, including nano, kilo, micro, and yori. However, the team found these options either too large for bundling, lacking in Unicode support, or not sufficiently integrated with Windows’ requirements. The decision to develop Edit in-house was driven by the need for:
- A compact binary suitable for distribution with all Windows variants
- Comprehensive Unicode support
- VT output-based architecture for seamless SSH integration
- First-class Windows compatibility
According to the main contributor, micro was the closest fit among third-party editors, but its size exceeded Microsoft’s requirements for inclusion in the Windows distribution.
Community Response
The announcement of Edit has sparked active discussions on developer forums such as Reddit and Hacker News. Opinions are mixed regarding the necessity of a new command-line editor for Windows. Some developers question its relevance given the availability of tools like Nano and Vim through WSL or Git Bash. Others, however, appreciate the prospect of a native, lightweight editor for quick edits without the need for third-party installations or subsystems.
Licensing and Availability
Edit is released under the MIT license, emphasizing Microsoft’s commitment to open-source software. While the editor is not yet available in the stable release of Windows 11, interested users can access the source code and download pre-release builds from the project’s GitHub repository.
Conclusion
Microsoft Edit represents a significant step forward in providing Windows users with a modern, efficient, and native command-line text editor. Its lightweight design, open-source nature, and user-friendly interface position it as a valuable tool for developers and system administrators seeking quick and simple text editing capabilities within the Windows environment.
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