Getting started

Install

On Linux and macOS:

curl -fsSL https://janoeditor.dev/install.sh | bash

With Homebrew:

brew tap jano-editor/jano && brew install jano

On Windows, in PowerShell:

irm https://janoeditor.dev/install.ps1 | iex

jano is a single binary. It needs no Node.js, no runtime and no config file. On Linux and macOS the install script checks the download against the release's published checksums before it puts anything on your system (releases before 1.0 publish none, then it says so). The Windows installer doesn't check checksums yet.

Open a file

jano notes.md

Without a file name, jano starts with an empty buffer and asks for a name when you save. Type, then press Ctrl+S to save and Ctrl+Q to quit. If there are unsaved changes, jano asks first.

Press F1 at any time to see every shortcut.

Add languages

jano itself knows no language. Highlighting, formatting and autocomplete come from plugins. On the first start a welcome dialog suggests the common ones. Press Enter and they are installed and active right away, without a restart.

You can also install plugins from the command line:

jano plugin install python

All plugins are listed in the plugin store.

Stay up to date

jano update

jano knows how it was installed (install script, Homebrew or npm) and updates the same way. When a new version is out, a banner on startup tells you.

On Windows, jano update can't replace the running binary yet. Run the install command again instead.