micro

Easy, modern terminal text editor with normal keybindings and mouse support.

Verified facts: 4 of 4
Alternatives ranked: 4
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About micro

micro is a terminal-based text editor for people who want something more capable than nano without learning Vim or Emacs. It uses the keybindings most people already know, such as Ctrl-S to save, Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V to copy and paste and Ctrl-Z to undo, and it has full mouse support for selecting and scrolling. Despite the simple surface it includes Sublime-style multiple cursors, split panes, a built-in terminal, syntax highlighting for over 75 languages, truecolor themes and a plugin system with a plugin manager; plugins and advanced configuration are written in Lua, and options and keys live in JSON files. It ships as a single static binary with no dependencies, so it is easy to drop onto a server. micro is free and MIT-licensed, written in Go, and runs on Linux, macOS, Windows and BSD. It is not an IDE, and language server support relies on a plugin, but for quick edits in a terminal it is very approachable.

Best for: People who edit files in a terminal and don't want to learn modal keybindings.

What works

Familiar Ctrl-key shortcuts and mouse support
Single static binary, easy to install anywhere
Multiple cursors and Lua plugins

Why people leave

Not an IDE; LSP needs a plugin
Smaller plugin library than Vim or Emacs
Less efficient for heavy editing than modal editors

Top micro alternatives

See all 4

1
Neovim
Highly extensible terminal editor for people ready to invest in a config.
74.6
2
Vim
Available everywhere and far more powerful once modal editing is learned.
66.5
3
Helix
A modern terminal editor with LSP built in, if you're open to modal editing.
62.6
4
Notepad++
A simple, free GUI editor for Windows users who prefer a desktop app.
57.2

Why people left micro

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micro: common questions

Is micro free?

Yes. micro is free, open-source software.

Is micro open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at micro-editor/micro.

What platforms does micro run on?

micro is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to micro?

The highest-ranked micro alternatives right now are Neovim, Vim and Helix. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 4 micro alternatives

micro facts

4 of 4 verified

License: MIT; Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab); “License: MIT (MIT License).”
Install: Single static binary; Checked Oct 25, 2026micro-editor.github.io(opens source in a new tab); “it's just a static binary with no dependencies) and easy to use.”
Languages: 75+ with syntax highlighting; Checked Oct 25, 2026micro-editor.github.io(opens source in a new tab); “Colors and Highlighting Micro supports over 75 languages and has 7 default colorschemes to choose from.”
Plugins: Lua, with a plugin manager; Checked Oct 25, 2026micro-editor.github.io(opens source in a new tab); “Plugins are written in Lua and there is a plugin manager to automatically download and install your plugins for you.”