Large File Support

EmEditor is capable of opening very large files using a large file controller. EmEditor opens up to 248 GB or 2.1 billion lines - whichever is reached first, when opening a file - with only a little memory. EmEditor skillfully handles files larger than 248 GB by opening a section of the file with the Large File Controller.

EmEditor opens a 226 GB file (1.9 billion lines).

Large Files Tutorial Video

By default, EmEditor uses temporary files when it opens a file larger than 300 MB. You can check and edit this size in the Advanced tab of the Customize dialog box. If you open a file larger than this size, a few highlighting features are disabled, including multiple-line comments. Wrapping modes are also disabled for optimal speed. If you are opening a file larger than this size, make sure there is enough disk space in the temporary file folder. The default temporary folder is the system temporary folder, specified by the %TEMP% environment variable. You can override the temporary folder to any folder you would like, that has enough space available.

the Large File Controller dialog box

Large File Controller Tutorial Video

When you open a large file (that is - larger than the size specified in the Minimum File Size to Open Asynchronously text box), EmEditor displays the Large File Controller by default. The Large File Controller allows you monitor the entire file size, the amount of the file already opened, and the available disk space. Within the Large File Controller, you can stop the opening process by clicking the Stop button. After that, you can select which portion of the file you want to open by sliding the From, To, and/or the Size slides, and pressing Apply. Notice that the numbers you specify will be adjusted to the nearest new lines when opened, unless binary files are opened. You can also change the display unit between Bytes and Terabytes. After opening a portion of your file, editing and saving, the whole file will be saved as one file.

If you don't want the large file controller to appear during the opening process, you can go to the File tab of the Customize dialog box, and clear the "Displays Large File Controller when a large file is opened" check box. You can always open the large file controller by clicking "Large File Controller" on the View menu.