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nano for Mac

Free (GNU) replacement for the Pico text editor

Quick answer: nano is a developer tool for macOS. Install it with brew install nano. It is distributed under the GPL-3.0-or-later licence. It has 2,425 Homebrew installs in the last 30 days.

What nano is

nano is a developer tool for macOS: free (GNU) replacement for the Pico text editor.

It is distributed as a Homebrew formula, which builds or pours a binary and puts it on your PATH. It is distributed under the GPL-3.0-or-later licence.

How to install nano

  1. Open Terminal (press ⌘ + Space and type “Terminal”).
  2. If Homebrew is not installed yet, run the installer below once.
  3. Run brew install nano.

Homebrew installer, if you need it:

Prefer a graphical installer? Download it from the official site. MacPicks never hosts or mirrors binaries — the Homebrew command always pulls from the vendor's own release.

Similar apps in Developer Tools

Closest apps in the same category, ordered by description similarity and install base. These are related tools, not confirmed substitutes; the comparison pages cover hand-picked head-to-head matchups.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I install nano on Mac?

Run brew install nano in Terminal. This requires Homebrew; if you do not have it, install it first with the command below.

Is nano open source?

Yes — Homebrew distributes it under the GPL-3.0-or-later licence.

Does nano run on Apple silicon?

Homebrew publishes this formula for macOS. If upstream does not ship an Apple silicon build, Rosetta 2 handles the Intel binary.

How popular is nano?

It was installed 2,425 times in the last 30 days according to Homebrew analytics, ranking #592 in this catalogue.

What version of nano is current?

The latest packaged version is 9.3.