Today, we released EmEditor v26.3.
1. Fast View Mode for Huge Files
EmEditor has long been known as a text editor that can open huge files, and we have improved the performance of opening and editing large files in almost every version. However, when a file is much larger than the physical memory of your PC, opening the whole file still takes time, and the PC may slow down because of a memory shortage. In many cases, you open a huge file such as a log file or a database dump only to view, find, or filter it, and you do not need to edit it.
In this version, we added the new Fast View mode for such cases. Fast View opens a huge file almost instantly in read-only mode without loading the whole file into memory. EmEditor finds the positions of the lines in the background and reads only the lines that are displayed. You can jump to the end of the document immediately after you start opening the file, even while EmEditor is still finding the positions of the lines. Line numbers are not displayed until the positions of the lines are found.
Files larger than the Minimum file size to enable Fast View mode (4,096 MB by default) are opened in Fast View mode automatically, and a notification appears when a file is opened in Fast View mode. You can change this size on the Advanced page of the Customize dialog box. To switch between the normal mode and Fast View mode, select Fast View on the Edit menu. You can also select the Fast View mode check box in the Large File Controller.
1-1. What You Can Do in Fast View Mode
Although Fast View mode is read-only, most of the features you need for viewing and analyzing huge files are available.
- Both the Pro and Free versions
- Scroll, select (including vertical selection), copy (including Copy in Quotes), Jump, and Tag Jump.
- Display highlighted strings, comments, quoted strings, markers, marks, and the ruler.
- Find text, including regular expressions, the Number range and Fuzzy options, and counting the matches.
- Reload in a different encoding, including binary views, and Save As with a different encoding or newline characters.
- Compare documents, including with a document in the normal mode.
- Run external tools.
- Pro version only
- Extract with the Find dialog box, Multi-Find with the Batch Find dialog box, and filter and extract with the Filter toolbar.
- Use CSV modes, the Large File Controller, macros, plug-ins, and the AI menu.
Note that in Fast View mode, the number of bookmarks is limited to 100,000 per document, and the Incremental search options are disabled.
1-2. Much Faster, Even When the File Is Larger Than Physical Memory
Opening, finding, filtering, and extracting in a huge file are much faster in Fast View mode than in the previous version, even when the file is much larger than the physical memory. In our tests, filtering became about 9 times faster, and extracting became more than 10 times faster than in v26.2. If you often work with huge log files or CSV files, please try Fast View mode.
1-3. Macros and Plug-ins
Macros and plug-ins can also be used in Fast View mode. The properties and methods of the Document and Selection objects that do not change the document can now be used in Fast View mode, and we added the FastView property to the Document object. For plug-in developers, we added the EI_GET_FAST_VIEW parameter to the EE_INFO message and the EEID_FAST_VIEW command ID. Properties, methods, and messages that change the document fail in Fast View mode.
We also added the Text and TextLength properties to the Document object, and the scrollBy and scrollTo methods and the scrollX and scrollY properties to the WebBar object.
2. Enhanced Chat with AI
2-1. MCP Connectors
In this version, Makoto Emura added MCP connectors to the Chat with AI plug-in. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standard protocol that connects AI to external services. By adding MCP connectors, the AI can access external services and data while chatting with you. You can add new connectors on the new MCP Connectors page of the Settings dialog box using the JSON configuration of an MCP server. Currently, only HTTP servers are supported (STDIO and SSE connections are not supported).
Makoto also added the EmEditor Help Pages MCP connector. When you ask the AI about how to use EmEditor, the AI can use this connector to access up-to-date EmEditor help pages. We found that this MCP gives better answers than web search tools.
One example of a complex task that AI used to struggle with is writing EmEditor macros, such as “Write an EmEditor macro to find the sum of values in column 2.” With the EmEditor Help Pages MCP connector, AI can now reference the macro help pages to write better macros.
EmEditor Help Pages MCP is also available to use in other apps such as ChatGPT or Claude. See this article which explains how to use this MCP server in other apps.
2-2. Per-Chat AI Settings
Previously, AI settings such as the provider and model were shared by all chats. In this version, you can change the AI settings for each chat. Per-chat settings apply only to that chat, and changing them does not affect the global settings. For example, you can use a lightweight model in one chat and a reasoning model in another.
Makoto also added an AI model and tools indicator to the chat input box. It shows the current AI model and the selected tools for the chat, and clicking the model name opens the Settings dialog box.
2-3. The ChatAI Plug-in Is Required
Please note that to use the AI features, including Chat with AI, you need to install the ChatAI plug-in in addition to EmEditor. The Store version and the new Installer version (MSIX) include the ChatAI plug-in, so there is no need to install it separately.
3. Other Improvements
The Explorer plug-in now uses the dialog box font size specified on the Window page of the Customize dialog box.
We hope you will be satisfied with both the Pro and Free versions. If you have any questions, feature requests, or ideas, please contact us.
Thank you for your continued support of EmEditor.
— Yutaka Emura
For more details, including the main changes and screenshots, please see “New in Version 26.3”.
If you use the legacy MSI installer, select Help > Check for Updates to update EmEditor. If the update does not complete successfully, please download the latest version and run the installer manually. If you download the MSI installer directly, please verify that its digital signature is issued by Emurasoft, Inc.
The Microsoft Store version is expected to be available within the next few days. We recommend using the Microsoft Store version or the new MSIX installer. Updates for the legacy MSI installer are currently scheduled to end in March 2027. For more information, see FAQ: Store Version and New Installer (MSIX).
If you uninstall the old MSI version and install the Store version or the new MSIX version, “Edit in EmEditor” may appear twice in the context menu when you right-click in File Explorer. In this case, the new Store/MSIX version will show a dialog box to prompt you to remove the old entry.
If we release minor updates (v26.3.x) in the future, this blog post may be updated to include those changes.
EmEditor v26.4 Released — Edit Huge Files in Fast View Mode, Faster Startup, and 31% Smaller Files
/in EmEditor Core/by Yutaka EmuraToday, we released EmEditor v26.4.
1. Edit Huge Files in Fast View Mode
In v26.3, we introduced Fast View mode, which opens a huge file almost instantly without loading the whole file into memory. Fast View mode was read-only, so to edit a huge file, you still had to switch to the normal mode and wait for the whole file to load.
In this version, Fast View mode supports editing. You can edit a huge file without loading it into memory: you can type, paste, Undo and Redo, Replace All, use multiple selections, and run most commands on the Insert, Convert, and Sort menus. The original file does not change until you save it.
1-1. Merge the Edits, or Save Only the Changes
When you save a huge file in Fast View mode, you can choose how to save it:
The diff file also keeps the positions of the lines, so the file opens instantly the next time. You can save, load, and discard diff files with the new Save Diff, Load Diff, and Discard Diff commands (File > Diff submenu of the All Commands menu).
1-2. CSV Editing, Workspaces, and the FAST Indicator
We also added the Fast View page to the Customize dialog box. The Minimum file size to enable Fast View mode setting has moved to this page from the Advanced page, and you can choose whether to prompt when saving a huge file, whether to save only the changes to a diff file, and whether to save the line positions of huge files. The page also lists the diff files so you can delete them.
1-3. Macros and Plug-ins
Most properties and methods of the Document and Selection objects that change the document can now be used in Fast View mode, and we added the GetFastViewDiffPath method to the Editor object. For plug-in developers, most messages that change the document can now be used in Fast View mode, and we added the EI_GET_FAST_VIEW_DIFF_PATH parameter to the EE_INFO message and new command IDs for the diff commands and the Customize Fast View command.
1-4. Command Line Options
We added the
/fastand/tailcommand line options./fastopens a file in Fast View mode even if the file is smaller than the Minimum file size to enable Fast View mode, and/tailopens a file in Fast View mode and displays the end of the file immediately./tailis equivalent to/fast /l -1, and we believe it is useful for quickly viewing the last part of a very large file, such as a log file. If you select Auto-Reload from the Changed by another program drop-down list on the File page of the configuration properties, the file is reloaded automatically whenever another program changes it, and EmEditor scrolls to the end of the file, which is useful for monitoring a log file that is still being written.2. Faster
EmEditor starts faster in this version, and many operations on huge files are also much faster, especially in Fast View mode. In our tests, the main window was ready 1.93 times faster than in v26.3. With a 48 GB file on a PC with 16 GB of memory, Replace All became about 5 times faster and saving the file about 13 times faster, and opening the file the second time took only 0.02 seconds thanks to the line positions saved in the diff file. Sort and Delete Duplicate Lines in the normal mode also became about 6 times and 3 times faster.
3. 31% Smaller Files
In this version, we reviewed the code and the libraries of EmEditor and its plug-ins and made almost every EXE and DLL file smaller. We measured the speed before and after each change and kept only the changes that did not slow EmEditor down in our tests. EmEditor.exe is 57% smaller, and the plug-ins are about 50% to 75% smaller. pcre.dll, zlib1.dll, vccorlib140.dll, and msvcp140.dll are no longer installed. In total, the EXE and DLL files are 31% smaller (69,962 KB to 48,431 KB in the portable version). Smaller files load faster, which also contributes to the faster startup.
4. Other Improvements
emeditor /registerandemeditor /unregistercommand-line options for per-machine registration, which lets all users of the same PC use the same license (Pro version only). The Registration Information dialog box now displays the email address of a per-machine registration.5. Security Update
This version addresses the eMudhra Intermediate CA Compromise, a critical security issue. Node.js, which is bundled for the Language Server Protocol feature, was affected, so we updated it to v26.12.1. We scanned the EmEditor source code and found no other affected area: EmEditor uses the Windows CA certificates, and the WebPreview and ChatAI plug-ins use the Microsoft Edge installed on your PC. We recommend keeping Windows and your web browser up to date.
We hope you will be satisfied with both the Pro and Free versions. If you have any questions, feature requests, or ideas, please contact us.
Thank you for your continued support of EmEditor.
— Yutaka Emura
For more details, including the main changes and screenshots, please see “New in Version 26.4”.
If you use the legacy MSI installer, select Help > Check for Updates to update EmEditor. If the update does not complete successfully, please download the latest version and run the installer manually. If you download the MSI installer directly, please verify that its digital signature is issued by Emurasoft, Inc.
The Microsoft Store version is expected to be available within the next few days. We recommend using the Microsoft Store version or the new MSIX installer. The Update Checker of the legacy MSI version is retired after March 31, 2027 (UTC). After that date, EmEditor no longer checks for updates, and Check for Updates is unavailable. For more information, see FAQ: Store Version and New Installer (MSIX).
If we release minor updates (v26.4.x) in the future, this blog post may be updated to include those changes.
EmEditor v26.3 Released — Fast View Mode for Huge Files and MCP Connectors for Chat with AI
/in EmEditor Core/by Yutaka EmuraToday, we released EmEditor v26.3.
1. Fast View Mode for Huge Files
EmEditor has long been known as a text editor that can open huge files, and we have improved the performance of opening and editing large files in almost every version. However, when a file is much larger than the physical memory of your PC, opening the whole file still takes time, and the PC may slow down because of a memory shortage. In many cases, you open a huge file such as a log file or a database dump only to view, find, or filter it, and you do not need to edit it.
In this version, we added the new Fast View mode for such cases. Fast View opens a huge file almost instantly in read-only mode without loading the whole file into memory. EmEditor finds the positions of the lines in the background and reads only the lines that are displayed. You can jump to the end of the document immediately after you start opening the file, even while EmEditor is still finding the positions of the lines. Line numbers are not displayed until the positions of the lines are found.
Files larger than the Minimum file size to enable Fast View mode (4,096 MB by default) are opened in Fast View mode automatically, and a notification appears when a file is opened in Fast View mode. You can change this size on the Advanced page of the Customize dialog box. To switch between the normal mode and Fast View mode, select Fast View on the Edit menu. You can also select the Fast View mode check box in the Large File Controller.
1-1. What You Can Do in Fast View Mode
Although Fast View mode is read-only, most of the features you need for viewing and analyzing huge files are available.
Note that in Fast View mode, the number of bookmarks is limited to 100,000 per document, and the Incremental search options are disabled.
1-2. Much Faster, Even When the File Is Larger Than Physical Memory
Opening, finding, filtering, and extracting in a huge file are much faster in Fast View mode than in the previous version, even when the file is much larger than the physical memory. In our tests, filtering became about 9 times faster, and extracting became more than 10 times faster than in v26.2. If you often work with huge log files or CSV files, please try Fast View mode.
1-3. Macros and Plug-ins
Macros and plug-ins can also be used in Fast View mode. The properties and methods of the Document and Selection objects that do not change the document can now be used in Fast View mode, and we added the FastView property to the Document object. For plug-in developers, we added the EI_GET_FAST_VIEW parameter to the EE_INFO message and the EEID_FAST_VIEW command ID. Properties, methods, and messages that change the document fail in Fast View mode.
We also added the Text and TextLength properties to the Document object, and the scrollBy and scrollTo methods and the scrollX and scrollY properties to the WebBar object.
2. Enhanced Chat with AI
2-1. MCP Connectors
In this version, Makoto Emura added MCP connectors to the Chat with AI plug-in. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standard protocol that connects AI to external services. By adding MCP connectors, the AI can access external services and data while chatting with you. You can add new connectors on the new MCP Connectors page of the Settings dialog box using the JSON configuration of an MCP server. Currently, only HTTP servers are supported (STDIO and SSE connections are not supported).
Makoto also added the EmEditor Help Pages MCP connector. When you ask the AI about how to use EmEditor, the AI can use this connector to access up-to-date EmEditor help pages. We found that this MCP gives better answers than web search tools.
One example of a complex task that AI used to struggle with is writing EmEditor macros, such as “Write an EmEditor macro to find the sum of values in column 2.” With the EmEditor Help Pages MCP connector, AI can now reference the macro help pages to write better macros.
EmEditor Help Pages MCP is also available to use in other apps such as ChatGPT or Claude. See this article which explains how to use this MCP server in other apps.
2-2. Per-Chat AI Settings
Previously, AI settings such as the provider and model were shared by all chats. In this version, you can change the AI settings for each chat. Per-chat settings apply only to that chat, and changing them does not affect the global settings. For example, you can use a lightweight model in one chat and a reasoning model in another.
Makoto also added an AI model and tools indicator to the chat input box. It shows the current AI model and the selected tools for the chat, and clicking the model name opens the Settings dialog box.
2-3. The ChatAI Plug-in Is Required
Please note that to use the AI features, including Chat with AI, you need to install the ChatAI plug-in in addition to EmEditor. The Store version and the new Installer version (MSIX) include the ChatAI plug-in, so there is no need to install it separately.
3. Other Improvements
The Explorer plug-in now uses the dialog box font size specified on the Window page of the Customize dialog box.
We hope you will be satisfied with both the Pro and Free versions. If you have any questions, feature requests, or ideas, please contact us.
Thank you for your continued support of EmEditor.
— Yutaka Emura
For more details, including the main changes and screenshots, please see “New in Version 26.3”.
If you use the legacy MSI installer, select Help > Check for Updates to update EmEditor. If the update does not complete successfully, please download the latest version and run the installer manually. If you download the MSI installer directly, please verify that its digital signature is issued by Emurasoft, Inc.
The Microsoft Store version is expected to be available within the next few days. We recommend using the Microsoft Store version or the new MSIX installer. Updates for the legacy MSI installer are currently scheduled to end in March 2027. For more information, see FAQ: Store Version and New Installer (MSIX).
If you uninstall the old MSI version and install the Store version or the new MSIX version, “Edit in EmEditor” may appear twice in the context menu when you right-click in File Explorer. In this case, the new Store/MSIX version will show a dialog box to prompt you to remove the old entry.
If we release minor updates (v26.3.x) in the future, this blog post may be updated to include those changes.
EmEditor v26.2.9 Released
/in EmEditor Core/by Yutaka EmuraEmEditor v26.2.9 is now available. This release focuses on stability and includes the fixes and improvements listed below. We recommend updating to the latest version for the best experience.
Note: If the AI features stop working, open Plug-ins > Plug-in Settings and verify that the ChatAI plug-in version is 26.2.9. If it is a different version, reinstall the ChatAI plug-in.
If you use the legacy MSI installer, select Help > Check for Updates to update EmEditor. If the update does not complete successfully, please download the latest version and run the installer manually. If you download the MSI installer directly, please verify that its digital signature is issued by Emurasoft, Inc.
We recommend using the Microsoft Store version or the new MSIX installer. Updates for the legacy MSI installer are currently scheduled to end in March 2027. For more information, see FAQ: Store Version and New Installer (MSIX).
EmEditor v26.2.8 Released
/in EmEditor Core/by Yutaka EmuraEmEditor v26.2.8 is now available. This release focuses on stability and includes the fixes and improvements listed below. We recommend updating to the latest version for the best experience.
If you use the legacy MSI installer, select Help > Check for Updates to update EmEditor. If the update does not complete successfully, please download the latest version and run the installer manually. If you download the MSI installer directly, please verify that its digital signature is issued by Emurasoft, Inc.
We recommend using the Microsoft Store version or the new MSIX installer. Updates for the legacy MSI installer are currently scheduled to end in March 2027. For more information, see FAQ: Store Version and New Installer (MSIX).
EmEditor v26.2.7 Released
/in EmEditor Core/by Yutaka EmuraEmEditor v26.2.7 is now available. This release focuses on stability and includes the fixes and improvements listed below. We recommend updating to the latest version for the best experience.
If you use the legacy MSI installer, select Help > Check for Updates to update EmEditor. If the update does not complete successfully, please download the latest version and run the installer manually. If you download the MSI installer directly, please verify that its digital signature is issued by Emurasoft, Inc.
We recommend using the Microsoft Store version or the new MSIX installer. Updates for the legacy MSI installer are currently scheduled to end in March 2027. For more information, see FAQ: Store Version and New Installer (MSIX).
EmEditor v26.2.6 Released
/in EmEditor Core/by Yutaka EmuraEmEditor v26.2.6 is now available. This release focuses on stability and includes the fixes and improvements listed below. We recommend updating to the latest version for the best experience.
If you use the legacy MSI installer, select Help > Check for Updates to update EmEditor. If the update does not complete successfully, please download the latest version and run the installer manually. If you download the MSI installer directly, please verify that its digital signature is issued by Emurasoft, Inc.
We recommend using the Microsoft Store version or the new MSIX installer. Updates for the legacy MSI installer are currently scheduled to end in March 2027. For more information, see FAQ: Store Version and New Installer (MSIX).
EmEditor v26.2.5 Released
/in EmEditor Core/by Yutaka EmuraEmEditor v26.2.5 is now available. This release focuses on stability and includes the fixes and improvements below. We recommend updating to the latest version for the best experience.
If you use the legacy MSI installer, select Help > Check for Updates to update EmEditor. If the update does not complete successfully, please download the latest version and run the installer manually.
The Microsoft Store version is expected to be available within the next few days. If you download the MSI installer directly, please verify that its digital signature is issued by Emurasoft, Inc.
We recommend using the Microsoft Store version or the new MSIX installer. Updates for the legacy MSI installer are currently scheduled to end in March 2027. For more information, see FAQ: Store Version and New Installer (MSIX).
EmEditor v26.2.4 Released
/in EmEditor Core/by Yutaka EmuraEmEditor v26.2.4 is now available. This release focuses on stability and includes the fixes and improvements below. We recommend updating to the latest version for the best experience.
If you use the legacy MSI installer, select Help > Check for Updates to update EmEditor. If the update does not complete successfully, please download the latest version and run the installer manually.
The Microsoft Store version is expected to be available within the next few days. If you download the MSI installer directly, please verify that its digital signature is issued by Emurasoft, Inc.
We recommend using the Microsoft Store version or the new MSIX installer. Updates for the legacy MSI installer are currently scheduled to end in March 2027. For more information, see FAQ: Store Version and New Installer (MSIX).
EmEditor v26.2.3 Released
/in EmEditor Core/by Yutaka EmuraEmEditor v26.2.3 is now available. This release focuses on stability and includes the fixes and improvements below. We recommend updating to the latest version for the best experience.
If you use the legacy MSI installer, select Help > Check for Updates to update EmEditor. If the update does not complete successfully, please download the latest version and run the installer manually.
The Microsoft Store version is expected to be available within the next few days. If you download the MSI installer directly, please verify that its digital signature is issued by Emurasoft, Inc.
We recommend using the Microsoft Store version or the new MSIX installer. Updates for the legacy MSI installer are currently scheduled to end in March 2027. For more information, see FAQ: Store Version and New Installer (MSIX).
EmEditor v26.2.2 Released
/in EmEditor Core/by Yutaka EmuraEmEditor v26.2.2 is now available. This release focuses on stability and includes the fixes and improvements listed below. We recommend updating to the latest version for the best experience.
If you use the Desktop Installer edition, select Help > Check for Updates to update EmEditor. If the update does not work, please download the latest version and run the installer manually.
The Microsoft Store version is expected to become available within the next few days. If you download the MSI file directly, please verify that its digital signature is signed by Emurasoft, Inc.