Microsoft Introduces Lightweight ‘Edit on Windows' CLI Text Editor at Build 2025

At its recently concluded Build 2025 conference, Microsoft introduced Edit on Windows, a new open-source command-line text editor built to streamline the developer experience. The tool will soon be available through the Windows Insider Program and is designed for quick and efficient file editing directly within the terminal.
By simply typing 'edit' in the command prompt, developers can now launch the editor without needing to switch to another app. Much like traditional terminal editors such as vim, Edit on Windows allows users to open, edit, and manage files inside the command line — but with a modern, simplified twist.
'What motivated us to build Edit was the need for a default CLI text editor in 64-bit versions of Windows,' explained Christopher Nguyen, product manager of Windows Terminal. '32-bit versions of Windows ship with the MS-DOS Edit or, but 64-bit versions do not have a CLI editor installed inbox.'
The new editor is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. At under 250KB in size, Edit is lightweight and supports essential features like word wrapping, find and replace, match case, and regular expressions. All menu functions have key bindings, and developers can switch between multiple files using the Ctrl + P shortcut.
Importantly, Microsoft sought to create a modeless experience to avoid the confusion associated with modal editors like vim. 'Because we wanted to avoid this for a built-in default editor, we decided that we wanted a modeless editor for Windows,' Nguyen said, referencing the famous developer meme: 'how do I exit vim?'
Microsoft is also making changes beyond the text editor. The company announced that it is rebranding its Windows Dev Home to Advanced Windows Settings. 'Advanced Windows Settings allow developers to easily control and personalize their Windows experience,' said Windows chief Pavan Davuluri. Rather than launching as a separate app, these settings will now appear as part of the main Windows 11 settings interface. Notable features include enabling GitHub control details within File Explorer. Together, these updates reinforce Microsoft's ongoing commitment to improving the developer environment within Windows.

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