CotEditor
Free text editor for Mac with syntax highlighting, regex find and replace and split panes.
CotEditor is a plain text editor for macOS. It opens fast and uses standard Mac windows, menus and settings, so it feels like a built-in app.
It colors more than 60 languages, including HTML, PHP, Python, Ruby and Markdown, and you can add your own syntax definitions. Find and replace uses the ICU regular expression engine. Other tools include an outline menu to jump between sections, split panes to view two parts of a file, a character inspector for Unicode details, and a check for characters that will not survive a change of text encoding.
It backs up documents automatically while you edit, detects file encodings, and supports vertical text for CJK languages. You can extend it with scripts in Python, Ruby, Perl, PHP, shell, AppleScript or JavaScript. All settings live in a normal settings window, not in config files.
CotEditor is free and open source. The code is under the Apache License 2.0, while the image resources use a Creative Commons non-commercial licence. It is available from the Mac App Store and as a direct download. The current version needs macOS 26 Tahoe or later.
Frequently asked questions
Is CotEditor free?
Yes. CotEditor is free on the Mac App Store and on coteditor.com, with no paid features.
Is CotEditor safe and open source?
Yes. The source code is on GitHub under the Apache License 2.0. The app runs with the macOS sandbox and hardened runtime enabled.
How do I install CotEditor?
Get it from the Mac App Store, or download the disk image from coteditor.com or GitHub. With Homebrew, run brew install --cask coteditor.
What macOS version does CotEditor need?
CotEditor 7.1 needs macOS 26 Tahoe or later. The project supports the latest two major macOS releases, and older compatible versions are kept on the Archives page at coteditor.com.
How does CotEditor compare to BBEdit?
BBEdit is a long-running commercial editor, and its full feature set needs a paid licence. CotEditor is free, sticks to plain text editing with a native Mac interface, and keeps its settings simple.
Can I write scripts or macros for CotEditor?
Yes. CotEditor can run your own scripts as macros, written in Python, Ruby, Perl, PHP, shell, AppleScript or JavaScript. It also responds to AppleScript commands.
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