Editora 0.20.0 docs. You are reading an archived version, kept so links from that release keep working. Read the 0.21.0 docs →
FAQ
Is Editora free and open source?
Yes, it’s free and released under the MIT License. Source is on GitHub.
Does it phone home or collect telemetry?
There are no accounts, no telemetry, and no analytics. Nothing about you or your code is collected or sent anywhere as a matter of course.
There are two exceptions:
- The update check. Once a day at startup Editora asks GitHub whether a newer release exists. It sends nothing about you or your files, and it’s a checkbox in Settings → Workspace if you’d rather it didn’t.
- The AI features, which are off by default. If you turn them on, the text you act on is sent to whichever endpoint you configure (a local model, or a provider you supply a key for). That is how the feature works, and it is the one part of Editora that transmits your code, so it stays opt-in.
Settings sync, also off by default, sends your snippets, abbreviations, templates, and dictionary to a Git repository that you name and own, and nowhere else.
Plugins you install run with full access and can do their own thing (see below).
Which platforms are supported?
macOS (Intel & Apple Silicon), Windows (x64), and Linux (x64 & arm64). Windows-on-ARM runs the x64 installer under emulation.
Do I need Java installed?
Not for the regular platform installers; they bundle their own Java runtime.
The portable fat jar does need JDK 25 (java -jar). Running a Java file from
the gutter ▶ needs JDK 25 or newer, either selected in Settings as the Default
JDK or available as java on your PATH.
The separately labeled experimental GraalVM Native Image archives do not bundle a JVM. They use separate settings and have feature and performance limitations; the regular installers remain the recommended downloads.
The installer says it’s from an unidentified developer.
Installers are currently unsigned, so macOS Gatekeeper and Windows SmartScreen stop the first launch until you allow it. The steps for both are in Troubleshooting. Signing is on the roadmap.
Which features are off by default?
Fewer than you might expect. They fall into two groups.
Off until you ask for them are the features that run code, reach the network, or change how the editor works: language servers, debugging, plugins, the AI features, the MCP server, and Settings sync. Turn on what you want in Settings; each has its own page in these docs.
On, but invisible until their tool exists is the larger group. Git, GitHub,
Mermaid, the diagram tools, Typst and the rest are enabled by default, and
they self-gate: the button, panel or gutter icon isn’t there until Editora finds
the command it needs. A fresh install stays uncluttered without you having to
switch anything on, and installing git or mmdc later makes the feature
appear on its own. Doctor shows you what was found.
Projects are on from the start too; Settings → Workspace turns them off.
What happens to unsaved changes if Editora crashes?
While a tab has unsaved changes, Editora keeps a recovery copy of its text in the config folder, untitled buffers included. If the editor does not close normally (a crash, a kill, a logout, a power cut), the next launch lists those copies and offers to restore them as unsaved tabs. Restoring never writes to your files. See crash recovery.
Saved versions are a separate matter: every save is recorded in local file history.
Can I use the same snippets and templates on several computers?
Yes, with Settings sync (Beta, off by default). It keeps snippets, abbreviations, templates, and your personal dictionary the same on every computer through a private Git repository you own. Preferences, keymaps, macros, and themes are not synced; to move those, copy the config folder or use Export Configuration….
How do I add a language, snippet, or dictionary word?
Snippets: drop a snippets/<language>.json in your config folder (they override
the bundled ones). Spell-check: “Add to Dictionary” saves to dictionary.txt,
and you pick a language per file with “Spell Check: Set Language…”. See
Configuration and
Languages & highlighting.
Do I need to install anything else?
No, for editing, previews, and everything that works on plain text. Yes, for
the features that drive an external tool, and by design: Editora shells out to
the git, ripgrep, language servers and diagram tools already on your
machine instead of bundling its own copies, so you get your versions and your
configuration.
Nothing breaks when a tool is missing. The feature stays hidden until it
appears. Run Doctor (view.doctor) to see what was found, what’s only
half-configured, and what’s missing, with an install button on the ones Editora
can fetch for you. See Doctor.
Is this an Emacs clone? Do I need to know Emacs?
No, and no. Emacs is the default keymap because the editing model is inherited
from Emacs: a kill ring, a mark ring, C-x r rectangles, narrowing,
query-replace, C-u prefix arguments. If that’s your muscle memory, most of it
is already here, and Emacs heritage lists what
carried over and what deliberately didn’t.
If it isn’t, pick CUA, Sublime Text, VS Code or IntelliJ IDEA in
Settings → Keymaps and you’ll never meet a C-x chord. There’s no Elisp
and no modal editing, and every command is discoverable by name in the palette
rather than something you have to know in advance.
How does it compare to VS Code or IntelliJ?
There’s a page for that: how Editora compares. It covers startup measurements taken on one machine with one method, where each editor is stronger, and a section on when Editora is probably the wrong choice for you.
Can I rebind keys or use a different keymap?
Yes. In Settings → Keymaps you can switch between Emacs (default), CUA,
Sublime Text, VS Code, and IntelliJ IDEA, and rebind any command with the
built-in editor. Changes apply live and are saved in settings.json. See
Keymaps & keybindings.
Are plugins safe?
Plugins are off by default and run with full access (no sandbox), like a VS Code or IntelliJ extension. The registry adds defenses (a capability disclosure before you enable one, sha-256 verification of downloads, and an Ed25519-signed index), but you should still only install plugins you trust. See Plugins.
Where are my settings and how do I reset them?
In a config folder (~/.editora/ by default). Its live path is in About
Editora. You can export it or reset to defaults from Settings → Advanced,
and run a throwaway config with --dev or --config-dir. A reset first saves
the previous preferences as settings.json.before-reset-<date>.bak in that
folder. See Configuration.
Is it slow to start? It’s a Java app.
That’s the usual assumption, so here are measurements. On one Apple M5, opening the same file, Editora and VS Code were level at about 1.5 seconds, and IntelliJ IDEA took about 5.6. Opening a real project folder, Editora reached its window in about 2.3 seconds against 2.9 for VS Code and 7.3 for IntelliJ. The method, the caveats, and the run-to-run spread are all on how Editora compares.
The native builds bake in an AOT class cache, which is worth roughly a third of the startup time on its own. If startup or editing ever feels slow, see Troubleshooting.
Why JavaFX?
It gives one native-feeling, cross-platform codebase with a fast text surface (RichTextFX), and lets Editora ship a single app per platform without a browser engine.
Didn’t find your answer? Open an issue.