Microsoft has introduced a new command-line text editor for Windows called Edit. This open-source project allows developers and enthusiasts to build it from source code. The tool will appear in Windows 11 Insider builds in coming months before being included in stable releases. At under 250KB, it's remarkably lightweight.

Edit solves the long-standing absence of a built-in text editor in 64-bit Windows command line environments (32-bit versions previously included MS-DOS Edit).

Microsoft aimed to create an accessible tool for both beginners and power users, deliberately opting for a non-modal interface rather than modal editors like Vim (infamous for the "how to exit Vim?" meme). With existing alternatives either lacking Windows support or being overly complex, Microsoft developed its own solution.

Key Features of Edit

• Launching: Start the editor with edit or edit <filename> directly in Command Prompt for seamless file editing without context switching.
• Text User Interface (TUI): All menu options feature memorable hotkeys displayed alongside items. Mouse support included.
• Multi-file editing: Open multiple files simultaneously and switch between them using Ctrl+P or by clicking the file list in the bottom-right corner.
• Search/Replace: Find/replace functionality (Ctrl+R or via Edit > Replace) supports case sensitivity and regular expressions.
• Word wrap: Toggle line wrapping (Alt+Z or via View > Word Wrap) for better readability of long lines.

Source