PyEdit — Edit Text. Run Code. Have Fun.

Quick look: newer and older screenshots. Welcome to the products page for PyEdit, a cross-platform text editor and code launcher. PyEdit is a GUI written in Python/Tk, that can be used as both standalone program and library component. It can serve as your go-to text editor, as well as a lightweight IDE that runs Python code and other content. For a quick tour of PyEdit's features, see its User Guide's Introducing PyEdit, its PC screenshots, and its Android how-to. New: As of Dec-2024, the new PyEdit 4.0 adds emojis support and cross-process open checks; eliminates code patches on Android; uses real buttons on Linux; speeds code startups, deblurs the GUI, and shows a splashscreen on Windows; and more. For info on 4.0, see its release notes and latest screenshots.

Download

Both the current 4.0 and legacy 3.0 versions of PyEdit are available in the following sections. Users are encouraged to install the current 4.0, given its many enhancements. Click the download links below to fetch the packages you wish to use.

Version 4.0 (latest)

PyEdit 4.0 runs on macOS, Windows, Linux, and Android. It's available as a portable and complete source-code package that runs unpatched on all four platforms, plus a platform-specific macOS app and Windows executable. The macOS app works natively on both Apple M and Intel devices running Catalina+, and the Windows executable works on 64-bit Windows 11 and 10 devices.

macOS app	☞	Download PyEdit--macOS.zip
Windows exe	☞	Download PyEdit--Windows.zip
Source-code package	☞	Download PyEdit--source.zip

Version 3.0 (legacy)

PyEdit 3.0 runs on macOS (f.k.a. Mac OS X), Windows, Linux, and Android. It's available as a platform-specific macOS app (Intel native), Windows exe (both 64- and 32-bit), and Linux executable, plus a portable and complete source-code package that runs on all four platforms but requires minor patches on Android per ahead. Click the download link below to fetch the package you wish to use. The app, exes, and executable may be easier to install and run, but source code can be studied, is required on Android today, and nullifies issues covered by the next section'spointers.

macOS app	☞	Download PyEdit.app.zip
Windows exe, 64 bit	☞	Download PyEdit-64bit.zip
Windows exe, 32 bit	☞	Download PyEdit-32bit.zip
Linux executable	☞	Download PyEdit.zip
Source-code package	☞	Download PyEdit-source.zip

Usage

For more details on PyEdit's download packages, as well as their complete install and usage instructions, see the main README.txt. In brief, you'll fetch, unzip, and run either the unzipped app itself (macOS), a same-named executable inside the unzip (Windows and Linux), or the program's main script in the unzipped source code (all platforms).

The latest getting-started pointers:

Source-code users (all platforms)

PyEdit 4.0 requires Python 3.5 and later but works best on Pythons 3.11 and later and their Tks 8.6.12 and later. It also requires an install of the third-party psutil system.

macOS app users

See the tips and fixes for your platform's first-run warnings and app-folder permissions. Both of these apply only to the macOS app, not source code. The readme covers file associations and Launchpad on your platform.

Mojave users: see also this to fix crashes and blank windows caused by macOS dark mode.

Apple M-chip users: the Rosetta 2 emulator is required to run the app package (until 4.0) but not source code.

Recent updates:

(2023) New constraints for 3.0 [defunct]

Per vetting on macOS Ventura, launching the 2017 app package still mostly works, but its Run Code option is unable to read the output streams of launched code; if this feature is needed, instead use the source-code package, in which Run Code still works in full.

(2024) Multiple improvements in 4.0

PyEdit 4.0 addresses most preceding concerns on macOS. The macOS app runs natively on both Intel and Apple M-chip devices, and both dark mode and Run Code work correctly. In addition, there are new usability enhancements, including a warning about other open windows when closing Main and a fix for a former macOS memory leak covered here.

(2025) Highlight-color workaround

A macOS Catalina test machine began using white as the highlight color for all selected text in dark mode, which is unusable with light backgrounds. This impacts all Tk-based GUIs on this machine and is likely a macOS or Tk bug. Fortunately, its one-time workaround is easy: open System Preferences => General, and change the "Highlight color" there to Blue (or other). Alternatively, pick a darker color scheme via the Color button and/or textConfig.py settings, or use light mode on your macOS PC.

(2025) New first-run requirement

Recent versions of macOS have grown more heavy-handed in their treatment of apps installed from sources other than the Apple app store. This includes PyEdit, whose first run will generate an ominous and wholly invalid warning with neither pointers to remedies nor options in Settings. To get PyEdit to open on these macOS versions, you must first run either of the following command lines in the Terminal app (replace Applications with your unzip/install folder if it differs):

xattr -c -r /Applications/PyEdit.app
xattr -d -r comp.apple.quarantine /Applications/PyEdit.app

The first of these clears all extended attributes on the app and the second removes just its quarantine attribute. Once you've run either of these one-time setup steps, the app will open without warnings thereafter. For screen captures of the process, see this gallery, which uses the similarly impacted Frigcal app as an example. Though untested, you may also be able to fully disable the Gatekeeper layer behind the new constraints; more info here and here.

(2025) New autosave requirement

macOS Sequoia, and possibly other recent versions, run PyEdit with translocation, an over-zealous security measure which runs non-store programs like PyEdit in a read-only folder instead of their app-bundle folder. Because PyEdit stores its autosave files in its run folder by default, translocation prevents autosaves from being saved.

This is a known issue formerly covered here. Weirdly, though, translocation now seems to happen even if either of the xattr commands above is run to clear quarantine, whether before or after app unzip. Moreover, an initial move of the unzipped app no longer has any effect on translocation or first runs. The rules for translocation seem to have grown either tighter or buggy.

Luckily, the workaround is simple: change the location of the autosaves folder in PyEdit's configs file, textConfig.py, which is normally located here:

/Applications/PyEdit.app/Contents/Resources/textConfig.py

Context-click on the .app to show its contents, and use your install folder instead of /Applications in this path if it differs. Within this file, change the one-line assignment to name autoSaveToFolder to this:

autoSaveToFolder = '/Users/yourid/__pyedit-autosaves__'    # in your home folder

Replace yourid with your account ID (name) to store autosaves in your home folder. Alternatively, you might set this to use your account's Documents folder or other. Once you make this mod, autosaves will appear in your configured folder as usual; they just won't show up in the app's Contents/Resources as they do in prior macOS versions.

Like the preceding note's xattr first-run requirement, this is a regrettable user step, but it's a one-time task and can be avoided only by a new release that changes the setting's default. Given that the xattr first-run step cannot be automated—and that macOS is prone to new and arbitrary lockdowns in the future—app recourse is limited. Alas, macOS has grown so obsessed with security that it now trounces functionality.

Windows executable users

See the tips and fixes for your platform's first-run warnings, executable start-up speed, and blurry text on Windows 10+. The first two of these apply only to Windows executables, not source code. The readme covers file associations on your platform.

Recent updates:

(2023) Window 11 verified

This program's app and source-code have now been vetted to work well on Windows 11, in addition to 7, 8, and 10.

(2024) Multiple improvements in 4.0

PyEdit 4.0 automatically fixes GUI blurriness on Windows, for both executable and source-code usage. Version 4.0 now also issues a caution when opening or saving a file already open in another PyEdit instance (process), which is common on Windows.

Linux executable users (version 3.0)

See this tip to set your associations to open PyEdit on file clicks, add it to your applications launcher, and improve its usability. See also this tip for a possibly useful library fix for the executable.

Recent updates:

(2020) Executable broken, use source

Per this note, PyEdit's Linux executable was broken by recent Linux changes; please use the source-code package instead.

(2024) Linux executable dropped in 4.0

PyEdit 4.0 dropped the Linux executable altogether due to the potential for library skew; please run source code on this platform.

Android users

See this doc for details on running PyEdit on your platform. In short, you'll fetch and patch its source-code package, and launch it in an app's IDE. Note that PyEdit's multi-window interface does not mesh well with fullscreen launches in Pydroid 3.

Android 11+ users: see also this for recent changes on Android; these may impact PyEdit file access.

Recent updates:

(2023) Host app limits storage support [defunct]

Pydroid 3's version 6 imposed extra rules for running this program on Android; see the coverage here.

(2024) Host app improves storage support

Pydroid 3's version 7 finally obtained Android's All Files Access permission, which restores access to shared storage in code the app runs and negates the preceding note. See the update.

(2024) Multiple enhancements in 4.0

Android no longer requires code patches, because Pyedit 4.0's source-code package incorporates all former Android patches: simply install and run its textEditor.py in the Pydroid 3 app. You may also configure as usual in textConfigs.py, and a commented-out code line in textEditor.py may be enabled to support file-explorer opens and shortcuts. For more details, see "Usage Notes" in 4.0's docs.

Resources

• For a preview of PyEdit in action, see its screenshots—older and newer.

• For information on using PyEdit, explore its User Guide.

• For highlights of PyEdit's releases, view its recent changes.

• For PyEdit's full source code online, browse its unzipped code.

• For more tips and updates, see the support page and older list.