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qvacua/vimr

A native macOS GUI for Neovim written in Swift, embedding the Neovim editor with Mac-style features like a file finder and workspaces.

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What is it?

VimR is a graphical front end for Neovim that runs on macOS. It embeds the Neovim editor inside a native Cocoa window and adds GUI conveniences similar to those found in other editors, while keeping Neovim as the editing engine.

The app includes a Markdown preview, a generic HTML preview that keeps its scroll position on reload, a fuzzy file finder modeled on Xcode's Open Quickly, a simple file browser, and a workspace model for organizing projects. Trackpad pinch-to-zoom and two-finger scrolling are supported, and ligatures can be enabled in preferences.

The project is also split into reusable Swift packages. NvimView is an NSView that bundles the Neovim binary and runtime for embedding in other Cocoa apps, and NvimApi offers synchronous and asynchronous access to Neovim. Pre-built signed binaries are available from the Releases page, and the app requires macOS 13.0 or later.

Key features

  • 01Embeds Neovim in a native macOS window
  • 02Markdown and generic HTML preview
  • 03Fuzzy file finder similar to Xcode's Open Quickly
  • 04Simple file browser and workspace model
  • 05Trackpad pinch-to-zoom and two-finger scrolling
  • 06Command line tool included

Use cases

  • Vim users who want a native macOS window around Neovim
  • Previewing Markdown or HTML files while editing
  • Embedding a Neovim view in a Cocoa application via NvimView

Quick start

  1. 1

    Download the pre-built signed app from the Releases page

  2. 2

    Clone the repository and initialize submodules

    git submodule update --init
  3. 3

    Install the Xcode command line tools and dependencies, then build

    clean=true notarize=false trust_plugins=true ./bin/build_vimr.sh

Things to know

  • macOS only; requires macOS 13.0 or later.
  • Building from source needs Xcode 26 and Homebrew.

In collections

Open-source Mac apps

Topics

#neovim#vim#macos#swift#text-editor#cocoa#neovim-clients#neovim-experience#neovim-guis#objective-c

FAQ

What is vimr?
A native macOS GUI for Neovim written in Swift, embedding the Neovim editor with Mac-style features like a file finder and workspaces. VimR is a graphical front end for Neovim that runs on macOS. It embeds the Neovim editor inside a native Cocoa window and adds GUI conveniences similar to those found in other editors, while keeping Neovim as the editing engine.
Is vimr free to use? What license does it have?
vimr is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is vimr still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to vimr was on Oct 10, 2026.
What can I use vimr for?
Vim users who want a native macOS window around Neovim Previewing Markdown or HTML files while editing Embedding a Neovim view in a Cocoa application via NvimView
How do I install vimr?
Download the pre-built signed app from the Releases page Clone the repository and initialize submodules: git submodule update --init Install the Xcode command line tools and dependencies, then build: clean=true notarize=false trust_plugins=true ./bin/build_vimr.sh
Where can I get vimr?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/qvacua/vimr

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