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GNU Emacs, an extensible, customizable, self-documenting real-time display text editor built around an Emacs Lisp interpreter.

Open-source alternative to:Sublime Text

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What is it?

GNU Emacs is a text editor whose behavior is defined by its Emacs Lisp interpreter, so most of its functionality, from editing to the user interface, is implemented as Lisp code that users can read, extend, and modify. The C core provides the Lisp interpreter, the redisplay engine, and basic editing primitives, while the bulk of the editor lives in the lisp directory.

This repository is a mirror of the Emacs source tree. It contains the build system (configure, Makefile templates), the C sources under src, utility programs such as movemail and etags under lib-src, the Emacs Manual and Lisp Reference sources under doc, and platform directories for MS-Windows, MS-DOS, macOS/NeXTSTEP, and Android. Building requires running configure and make; the INSTALL file describes the steps on various systems.

The project is maintained by the Free Software Foundation. Bug reports are sent to the bug-gnu-emacs mailing list or filed with M-x report-emacs-bug, and the etc/NEWS file lists user-visible changes between releases.

Key features

  • 01Behavior and UI are implemented in Emacs Lisp, which users can extend and customize.
  • 02A C core provides the Lisp interpreter, redisplay engine, and basic editing primitives.
  • 03Self-documenting, with built-in help and an Info-based manual.
  • 04Builds on Unix-like systems via configure and make, with separate directories for MS-Windows, MS-DOS, macOS, and Android.
  • 05Includes bundled utilities such as movemail and etags.

Use cases

  • Developers who want a programmable editor they can customize with Lisp.
  • Building Emacs from source or contributing patches to the core editor.
  • Reading the Emacs source, manuals, or Lisp reference documentation.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Unpack or check out the entire Emacs file tree

  2. 2

    Read the INSTALL file in the tree for build and install steps on your system

  3. 3

    Follow the INSTALL instructions to build and install GNU Emacs

Things to know

  • This tree is version 32.0.50, a development snapshot rather than a stable release.
  • Building from source requires a toolchain, and non-POSIX platforms need extra tools that are not part of the standard OS distribution.
  • Licensed under GPL-3.0, a copyleft license.

Topics

#text-editor#emacs-lisp#editor#lisp#gnu

FAQ

What is emacs?
GNU Emacs, an extensible, customizable, self-documenting real-time display text editor built around an Emacs Lisp interpreter. GNU Emacs is a text editor whose behavior is defined by its Emacs Lisp interpreter, so most of its functionality, from editing to the user interface, is implemented as Lisp code that users can read, extend, and modify. The C core provides the Lisp interpreter, the redisplay engine, and basic editing primitives, while the bulk of the editor lives in the lisp directory.
Is emacs free to use? What license does it have?
emacs is open source under the GPL-3.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is emacs still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to emacs was on Oct 21, 2026.
What can I use emacs for?
Developers who want a programmable editor they can customize with Lisp. Building Emacs from source or contributing patches to the core editor. Reading the Emacs source, manuals, or Lisp reference documentation.
How do I install emacs?
Unpack or check out the entire Emacs file tree Read the INSTALL file in the tree for build and install steps on your system Follow the INSTALL instructions to build and install GNU Emacs
Where can I get emacs?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/emacs-mirror/emacs

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