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 You are reading an archived version, kept so links from that release keep working.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 →

Getting Started

Install Editora, open a folder or a file, and learn the handful of keys that make it feel fast.

Install

Grab the package for your platform from the releases page (or use the OS-detected button on the home page). The native packages bundle their own Java runtime, so there’s nothing else to install.

macOS

Download the .dmg for your Mac (macos-arm64 for Apple Silicon, macos-x64 for Intel), open it, and drag Editora to Applications.

Windows

Run the .msi (x64). The installer lets you choose the folder and adds a Start Menu group and a desktop shortcut.

Linux

Pick the format that suits your system. .deb, .rpm, and .AppImage are x64 only; the .tar.gz comes for x64 and arm64.

# Debian / Ubuntu: adds an `editora` command and a menu entry
sudo apt install ./Editora-<version>-linux-x64.deb

# Fedora / RHEL / openSUSE: adds a menu entry; the launcher is /opt/editora/bin/Editora
sudo dnf install ./Editora-<version>-linux-x64.rpm

# AppImage: no install step
chmod +x Editora-<version>-linux-x64.AppImage
./Editora-<version>-linux-x64.AppImage

# Tarball: adds an `editora` command and a menu entry
tar xzf Editora-<version>-linux-x64.tar.gz && cd editora-x86_64
./install.sh          # per-user  -> ~/.local/editora  (+ ~/.local/bin/editora)
sudo ./install.sh     # system    -> /opt/editora       (+ /usr/local/bin/editora)
./install.sh --uninstall   # remove it again

The .deb also makes Editora Expert Mode the system-wide default for text and source files; your own per-user choice still wins, and the previous defaults are put back when you uninstall the package. See the command-line reference for where the launcher lives in each package.

First launch

The installers are currently unsigned, so macOS Gatekeeper and Windows SmartScreen stop the first launch until you allow it. The steps are in Troubleshooting.

Or run from source

Requires JDK 25+. The Maven wrapper is bundled (use mvnw.cmd on Windows).

git clone https://github.com/adriandeleon/Editora.git
cd Editora
./mvnw javafx:run           # run the app
./mvnw -Pfatjar package     # build a self-contained jar
java -jar target/Editora-*.jar

Open a folder or a file

A fresh install opens on the Welcome page. Its buttons are the quickest way in:

Open Folder as a Project… opens a folder with its file tree in the Project tool window. This is the usual way to work on a codebase; each project gets its own window and remembers its open files.
Open File… opens a single file.
New File starts an empty buffer, and Clone Git Repository… fetches a repository and opens it.

Every one of these is also a command in the palette. Reopen the page any time with View: Welcome Page.

Starting Editora again while it is running does not open a second editor: the launch goes to the one already running. And if the editor ever stops without closing normally, the next launch offers your unsaved edits back; see crash recovery.

Choose your keymap

Editora ships five keymaps: Emacs (the default), CUA, Sublime Text, VS Code, and IntelliJ IDEA. If Emacs chords aren’t your muscle memory, switch before you learn anything else: open Settings (the gear in the toolbar, or “Settings” in the palette), go to Keymaps, and pick one. The change is live, and every shortcut shown in menus, tooltips, and the palette follows it. See Keymaps & keybindings.

Reading the key notation

These docs write the Emacs keymap’s chords the Emacs way:

C- is Ctrl, M- is Alt (Option on macOS), and S- is Shift. So M-x is Alt+X and C-S-f is Ctrl+Shift+F.
A space separates the steps of a sequence: C-x C-f is Ctrl+X, then Ctrl+F.
C-g cancels a half-typed sequence.

First steps

Editora is keyboard-first. These get you moving:

Do this	Emacs keymap	VS Code keymap
Open the command palette (everything is here)	`M-x`	`Ctrl+Shift+P` or `F1`
Find or open a file by path	`C-x C-f`	`Ctrl+P`
Save	`C-x C-s`	`Ctrl+S`
Jump to a symbol in the file	`M-g i`	`Ctrl+Shift+O`
Switch between open files	`C-x b`	(palette)
Find in the current file	`C-s`	`Ctrl+F`
Search Everywhere	`M-S-x`	`Ctrl+Shift+E`
Toggle a bookmark	`C-c m`	(palette)
Open Settings	(palette)	`Ctrl+,`

On macOS the VS Code keymap uses Cmd where the table shows Ctrl. The CUA, Sublime Text, and IntelliJ IDEA keymaps differ in places; the Keybindings page has a tab for each.

Don’t memorize these. Open the palette, type a few letters of what you want, and run it. Each entry shows its key, so you pick up shortcuts as you go. The full list lives on the Commands and Keybindings pages.

If you don’t yet know which picker holds the command, file or symbol you want, run Search Everywhere and type its name. See Navigation & search.

If you’d rather browse than recall, there is also a menu bar (File / Edit / Find / View / Navigate / Code / Run / VCS / Tools / Window / Help) built over the same commands, with each item showing its current keybinding. Its Help menu links to the documentation for the version you are running.

A command that can’t run right now stays listed and dimmed rather than disappearing, whether its feature is switched off or there is nothing for it to act on. Hover a dimmed row and it tells you which, and names the command that would fix it.

Make it yours

Themes & fonts: open Settings and go to Appearance. Editora Light and Dark are the default pair, with 26 more themes and five bundled fonts. See Themes & fonts.
Keymap: switch keymaps live in Settings → Keymaps, or rebind individual commands. See Keymaps & keybindings.
Projects: on by default. Project: Open Folder… (C-x C-p in the Emacs keymap) opens a folder as a workspace, each in its own window, and New Project From Template scaffolds one from scratch. See Projects, windows & files.

Turning on the bigger features

Off until you turn them on are the features that run code or reach the network. Enable the ones you want in Settings:

Language servers for definitions, references, and diagnostics.
Debugging.
Plugins.
AI assistance and the MCP server.
Settings sync, to share snippets, abbreviations, templates, and your dictionary between computers.

On, but dormant until their tool is installed is the larger group: Git, GitHub, Mermaid, diagrams, and Typst are enabled by default, and their buttons and panels appear once Editora finds the command they need (git, gh, mmdc, and so on). Run View: Doctor to see what was found; see Troubleshooting.

Projects, the HTTP client, HTML preview, and Personal notes are on from the start and need nothing else.