Support

Found a bug, or have a question or an idea? Open an issue on GitHub or write to us. Please include your macOS version and, for a bug, the steps that cause it.

Common questions

Where do my unsaved tabs go when I quit?

NeatEdit keeps them and brings them back the next time it opens. To get rid of one for good, close its tab.

Why can't I type in a large file?

Files over 20 MB open in a read-only viewer, which is what keeps them instant. To change something, right-click a line and choose Edit Lines, or press ⌘⏎.

What happens to a log that's still being written when I use Edit Lines?

An edit of the same length is written in place, so nothing else notices. An edit that changes the length writes a new copy of the file, keeping everything appended up to that moment. A program that still has the old file open keeps writing to the old copy until it reopens the file, so use same-length edits on live logs, or restart the logger afterwards.

Why is my file not coloured?

The language is picked from the file's extension, and text over 2 MB stays plain. The viewer for large files has no colours either. You can also check that View ▸ Syntax Highlighting is on.

Line numbers are missing.

View ▸ Show Line Numbers, or ⌥⌘L. The editor and the large file viewer each have their own setting.

The text looks garbled.

The file is probably in a different encoding. Click the encoding in the status bar and reopen it as another one.

How do I open files from Terminal?

Choose NeatEdit ▸ Install Command Line Tool, then run the command it shows once. After that, neatedit file.txt works anywhere.

What do I need to run it?

A Mac with macOS 14 or later.

Where do I get it, and what does it cost?

NeatEdit is free. Download it here, open the disk image and drag NeatEdit to Applications. It's notarized by Apple, and it's coming soon to the Mac App Store.

Is it open source?

Yes, under the MIT licence. The code is on GitHub.

Does NeatEdit collect anything?

No. See the Privacy Policy.