EmEditor v25.2.0 Released – AI Feature Enhancements, Sort by Date, Toolbar Customization, Performance Improvements
We’re excited to announce the release of EmEditor v25.2.0!
Expanded Generative AI Features (ChatAI plug-in required)
One of the major highlights in v25.2 is the enhancement of generative AI features. While EmEditor has supported the OpenAI API since v23.1, we’ve received many requests to support additional generative AI services, especially those compatible with the OpenAI API. In response, Makoto Emura has made the following improvements to AI prompts and chat features:
- Support for DeepSeek API
The DeepSeek models, deepseek-chat and deepseek-reasoner, are now supported on Chat with AI and AI prompts. DeepSeek provides AI services similar to OpenAI. To use DeepSeek, you will need to create a DeepSeek API key.
- Support for LM Studio
Using the OpenAI or DeepSeek APIs requires an internet connection and sends data externally, but running an AI model locally is more private. That’s why we’ve experimentally added support for LM Studio, a program that lets you run various open-source AI models on your own PC. After installing LM Studio, you can try many different AI models. Note that some models require significant disk space or specific hardware (CPU/GPU). For example, Gemma 3 12B (8.15GB) didn’t work in my environment, but Gemma 3 1B (720MB) ran fine. Local models may not match OpenAI or DeepSeek in performance or response speed, but they’re free and don’t rely on paid services. Even more powerful models may be available in the future.
- Support for Compatible Models
You can now freely customize endpoint URLs for both the OpenAI and DeepSeek APIs, making it easier to use other services compatible with these APIs. However, simply changing the API endpoint doesn’t guarantee compatibility, so please use this feature at your own risk.
With these updates, you can choose between the OpenAI API, DeepSeek API, and LM Studio. OpenAI and DeepSeek offer similarily powerful models. If you want a free and secure (but possibly slower) AI, LM Studio is a great choice. Select the AI model that best fits your needs and budget.
- AI Connection Settings Moved
The AI settings for Chat with AI that were previously in Customize AI Options and Customize Chat with AI have been moved into the Chat with AI window. You can access the new settings dialog window by opening Chat with AI, clicking the ⚙ (Settings) icon, and selecting Settings.
- Reasoning Support
Chat with AI now supports reasoning models, including DeepSeek’s deepseek-reasoner and OpenAI’s o4-mini. These models provide more intelligent and accurate responses compared to non-reasoning models. When you use a reasoning model, the response will show a Show reasoning button at the top of the response. By default, the reasoning output will be visible, but you can hide it by clicking the button.
- How to Use
Since v25.0, you need to install the ChatAI plugin to use AI features in EmEditor (not available in the Store version). If you haven’t installed it yet, please do so first, then check Enable AI in the AI Options of the Customize dialog. Starting with this version, API keys and model settings for the OpenAI and DeepSeek APIs are now configured from the ⚙ (Settings) icon in the sidebar at the top left of the AI and Chat screen. API keys and models entered in the AI Options of the Customize dialog are now used specifically for the AI-assisted writing feature. For details on obtaining API keys or setting up LM Studio, please see the How to Use the Chat with AI Plugin. Please note that the AI-assisted writing feature currently only supports the OpenAI API, but support for other AI services is planned.
Improved Sorting by Date and Time
Sorting by date and time has been available for a while, but there are many date formats used around the world. For example:
June 13, 2026
2025-06-10
6/12/2025
11/6/2025
2025年6月9日
All of these are dates, but which formats were recognized depended on the Windows API. In this version, you can now specify date formats explicitly for more accurate sorting. The format specification method is the same as the numeric range expressions for search and filter added in v21.3.
For example:yyyy-MM-dd|M/dd/yyyy|yyyy年M月d日
If you specify this and run Sort by Date and Time Newest to Oldest, the example above would be sorted as follows:
6/12/2025
2025-06-10
2025年6月9日
June 13, 2026
11/6/2025
Lines that don’t match the specified formats remain at the bottom, and only matching lines are sorted. If you want to see which dates are being sorted, you can set the same format for search or filter, and only matching dates will be highlighted. Specifying the date/time format also improves sorting speed.
Expanded Toolbar Customization
Previously, only the basic toolbar could be customized. Now, you can freely customize the search, filter, and Markdown toolbars too. Add any command as a button and use your favorite icons. The toolbar customization dialog is now integrated as a page within the Customize dialog, replacing the old fixed-size dialog. Menu and file encoding settings dialogs have also been integrated in the same way.
Better Usability in the Customize Dialog
The Customize dialog now has 40 pages, which made finding the right page difficult. You can now sort pages alphabetically in your Windows language or hide pages you don’t use. Click Filter/Sort from the new > button next to the search box at the top left.
Previously, entering a keyword in the search box only showed the relevant page, but it could still be hard to locate a specific setting. Now, by selecting Search All Options from the > button menu, you can search for a setting throughout EmEditor.
Support for 64-bit Windows 8.1 and Later Only, Plus Performance Improvements
As previously announced, this version drops support for Windows 7 and all 32-bit versions. You’ll need 64-bit Windows 8.1 or later, or Windows Server 2012 R2 or later. Microsoft ended support for Windows 7 in January 2020. By supporting only newer OS versions, we’ve been able to further optimize EmEditor, improving startup speed and more. According to our tests, startup speed is now 1.79 times faster and date filtering is 1.45 times faster compared to v25.0.
Bugs reported during the preview version have also been fixed.
We hope you enjoy using EmEditor, whether you choose the Professional or Free version. Please contact us or write in our forums if you have any questions, feature requests, or suggestions.
Thank you for using EmEditor!
— Yutaka Emura
Check out the EmEditor v25.2 New Features for more details and screenshots.
If you use the Desktop Installer version, you can select Check for Updates from the Help menu to download the latest version. If this method fails, please download the latest version, and run the downloaded installer. If you use the Desktop portable version, you can go to the Download page to get the latest version. The Store App version can be updated through the (Microsoft Store after a few days.
