Repolode
Submit
micro-editor

micro-editor/micro

A modern, easy-to-use terminal text editor that ships as a single static binary with no dependencies, positioned as a successor to nano.

Open-source alternative to:Sublime Text

View on GitHubWebsite
Stars
29,742
Forks
1,392
Open issues
921
Last commit
2 hours ago

What is it?

micro is a terminal-based text editor aimed at people who spend much of their time in a shell or edit files over SSH. It is distributed as one statically linked binary with no external dependencies, so it can be downloaded and run immediately. It is designed to be an easier-to-install and easier-to-use alternative to nano, with common keybindings such as Ctrl-s, Ctrl-c and Ctrl-v.

Beyond basic editing, micro supports multiple cursors, splits and tabs, and mouse selection by drag, double-click (word) and triple-click (line). It includes a built-in diff gutter, persistent undo, simple autocompletion, linting notifications and syntax highlighting for over 130 languages. Color schemes are available for 16-color, 256-color and true color terminals.

Extensibility comes from a Lua-based plugin system with a built-in plugin manager for installing, removing and updating plugins. Keybindings and options can be customized, and the editor works on any platform Go supports, with Windows included.

Key features

  • 01Single static binary with no dependencies.
  • 02Multiple cursors, splits and tabs.
  • 03Mouse selection by drag, double-click and triple-click.
  • 04Syntax highlighting for over 130 languages.
  • 05Lua plugin system with a built-in plugin manager.
  • 06Persistent undo and built-in diff gutter.

Use cases

  • Quickly editing config files on a remote server over SSH.
  • Replacing nano for everyday terminal editing.
  • Editing text piped in from other commands via stdin.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Install micro with Homebrew on Mac

    brew install micro
  2. 2

    Install micro with Snap on Linux

    snap install micro --classic
  3. 3

    Install micro on Windows with Scoop

    scoop install micro
  4. 4

    Open a file in micro

    micro path/to/file.txt

Things to know

  • Windows Cygwin, Mingw and Plan9 are not officially supported.
  • Some Windows terminals support only 16 colors, so the default theme may look poor there.

Topics

#text-editor#terminal#command-line#golang#cross-platform#lua#editor#go#micro

FAQ

What is micro?
A modern, easy-to-use terminal text editor that ships as a single static binary with no dependencies, positioned as a successor to nano. micro is a terminal-based text editor aimed at people who spend much of their time in a shell or edit files over SSH. It is distributed as one statically linked binary with no external dependencies, so it can be downloaded and run immediately. It is designed to be an easier-to-install and easier-to-use alternative to nano, with common keybindings such as Ctrl-s, Ctrl-c and Ctrl-v.
Is micro free to use? What license does it have?
micro is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is micro still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to micro was on Oct 22, 2026.
What can I use micro for?
Quickly editing config files on a remote server over SSH. Replacing nano for everyday terminal editing. Editing text piped in from other commands via stdin.
How do I install micro?
Install micro with Homebrew on Mac: brew install micro Install micro with Snap on Linux: snap install micro --classic Install micro on Windows with Scoop: scoop install micro Open a file in micro: micro path/to/file.txt
Where can I get micro?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/micro-editor/micro

Summary generated by AI from the project's README. GitHub stats refresh daily.

Related projects