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< ol class = "chapter" > < li class = "chapter-item expanded affix " > < a href = "title-page.html" > Helix< / a > < / li > < li class = "chapter-item expanded " > < a href = "install.html" class = "active" > < strong aria-hidden = "true" > 1.< / strong > Installation< / a > < / li > < li class = "chapter-item expanded " > < a href = "usage.html" > < strong aria-hidden = "true" > 2.< / strong > Usage< / a > < / li > < li > < ol class = "section" > < li class = "chapter-item expanded " > < a href = "keymap.html" > < strong aria-hidden = "true" > 2.1.< / strong > Keymap< / a > < / li > < li class = "chapter-item expanded " > < a href = "commands.html" > < strong aria-hidden = "true" > 2.2.< / strong > Commands< / a > < / li > < li class = "chapter-item expanded " > < a href = "lang-support.html" > < strong aria-hidden = "true" > 2.3.< / strong > Language support< / a > < / li > < / ol > < / li > < li class = "chapter-item expanded " > < a href = "from-vim.html" > < strong aria-hidden = "true" > 3.< / strong > Migrating from Vim< / a > < / li > < li class = "chapter-item expanded " > < a href = "configuration.html" > < strong aria-hidden = "true" > 4.< / strong > Configuration< / a > < / li > < li > < ol class = "section" > < li class = "chapter-item expanded " > < a href = "themes.html" > < strong aria-hidden = "true" > 4.1.< / strong > Themes< / a > < / li > < li class = "chapter-item expanded " > < a href = "remapping.html" > < strong aria-hidden = "true" > 4.2.< / strong > Key remapping< / a > < / li > < li class = "chapter-item expanded " > < a href = "languages.html" > < strong aria-hidden = "true" > 4.3.< / strong > Languages< / a > < / li > < / ol > < / li > < li class = "chapter-item expanded " > < a href = "guides/index.html" > < strong aria-hidden = "true" > 5.< / strong > Guides< / a > < / li > < li > < ol class = "section" > < li class = "chapter-item expanded " > < a href = "guides/adding_languages.html" > < strong aria-hidden = "true" > 5.1.< / strong > Adding languages< / a > < / li > < li class = "chapter-item expanded " > < a href = "guides/textobject.html" > < strong aria-hidden = "true" > 5.2.< / strong > Adding textobject queries< / a > < / li > < li class = "chapter-item expanded " > < a href = "guides/indent.html" > < strong aria-hidden = "true" > 5.3.< / strong > Adding indent queries< / a > < / li > < li class = "chapter-item expanded " > < a href = "guides/injection.html" > < strong aria-hidden = "true" > 5.4.< / strong > Adding injection queries< / a > < / li > < / ol > < / li > < / ol >
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< h1 id = "installing-helix" > < a class = "header" href = "#installing-helix" > Installing Helix< / a > < / h1 >
<!-- toc:start -->
< ul >
< li > < a href = "#pre-built-binaries" > Pre-built binaries< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "#linux-macos-windows-and-openbsd-packaging-status" > Linux, macOS, Windows and OpenBSD packaging status< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "#linux" > Linux< / a >
< ul >
< li > < a href = "#ubuntu" > Ubuntu< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "#fedorarhel" > Fedora/RHEL< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "#arch-linux-extra" > Arch Linux extra< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "#nixos" > NixOS< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "#flatpak" > Flatpak< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "#snap" > Snap< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "#appimage" > AppImage< / a > < / li >
< / ul >
< / li >
< li > < a href = "#macos" > macOS< / a >
< ul >
< li > < a href = "#homebrew-core" > Homebrew Core< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "#macports" > MacPorts< / a > < / li >
< / ul >
< / li >
< li > < a href = "#windows" > Windows< / a >
< ul >
< li > < a href = "#winget" > Winget< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "#scoop" > Scoop< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "#chocolatey" > Chocolatey< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "#msys2" > MSYS2< / a > < / li >
< / ul >
< / li >
< li > < a href = "#building-from-source" > Building from source< / a >
< ul >
< li > < a href = "#configuring-helixs-runtime-files" > Configuring Helix's runtime files< / a >
< ul >
< li > < a href = "#linux-and-macos" > Linux and macOS< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "#windows" > Windows< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "#multiple-runtime-directories" > Multiple runtime directories< / a > < / li >
< / ul >
< / li >
< li > < a href = "#validating-the-installation" > Validating the installation< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "#configure-the-desktop-shortcut" > Configure the desktop shortcut< / a > < / li >
< / ul >
< / li >
< / ul >
<!-- toc:end -->
< p > To install Helix, follow the instructions specific to your operating system.
Note that:< / p >
< ul >
< li >
< p > To get the latest nightly version of Helix, you need to
< a href = "#building-from-source" > build from source< / a > .< / p >
< / li >
< li >
< p > To take full advantage of Helix, install the language servers for your
preferred programming languages. See the
< a href = "https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/wiki/How-to-install-the-default-language-servers" > wiki< / a >
for instructions.< / p >
< / li >
< / ul >
< h2 id = "pre-built-binaries" > < a class = "header" href = "#pre-built-binaries" > Pre-built binaries< / a > < / h2 >
< p > Download pre-built binaries from the
< a href = "https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases" > GitHub Releases page< / a > . Add the binary to your system's < code > $PATH< / code > to use it from the command
line.< / p >
< h2 id = "linux-macos-windows-and-openbsd-packaging-status" > < a class = "header" href = "#linux-macos-windows-and-openbsd-packaging-status" > Linux, macOS, Windows and OpenBSD packaging status< / a > < / h2 >
< p > < a href = "https://repology.org/project/helix/versions" > < img src = "https://repology.org/badge/vertical-allrepos/helix.svg" alt = "Packaging status" / > < / a > < / p >
< h2 id = "linux" > < a class = "header" href = "#linux" > Linux< / a > < / h2 >
< p > The following third party repositories are available:< / p >
< h3 id = "ubuntu" > < a class = "header" href = "#ubuntu" > Ubuntu< / a > < / h3 >
< p > Add the < code > PPA< / code > for Helix:< / p >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > sudo add-apt-repository ppa:maveonair/helix-editor
sudo apt update
sudo apt install helix
< / code > < / pre >
< h3 id = "fedorarhel" > < a class = "header" href = "#fedorarhel" > Fedora/RHEL< / a > < / h3 >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > sudo dnf install helix
< / code > < / pre >
< h3 id = "arch-linux-extra" > < a class = "header" href = "#arch-linux-extra" > Arch Linux extra< / a > < / h3 >
< p > Releases are available in the < code > extra< / code > repository:< / p >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > sudo pacman -S helix
< / code > < / pre >
< blockquote >
< p > 💡 When installed from the < code > extra< / code > repository, run Helix with < code > helix< / code > instead of < code > hx< / code > .< / p >
< p > For example:< / p >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > helix --health
< / code > < / pre >
< p > to check health< / p >
< / blockquote >
< p > Additionally, a < a href = "https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/helix-git/" > helix-git< / a > package is available
in the AUR, which builds the master branch.< / p >
< h3 id = "nixos" > < a class = "header" href = "#nixos" > NixOS< / a > < / h3 >
< p > Helix is available in < a href = "https://github.com/nixos/nixpkgs" > nixpkgs< / a > through the < code > helix< / code > attribute,
the unstable channel usually carries the latest release.< / p >
< p > Helix is also available as a < a href = "https://nixos.wiki/wiki/Flakes" > flake< / a > in the project
root. Use < code > nix develop< / code > to spin up a reproducible development shell. Outputs are
cached for each push to master using < a href = "https://www.cachix.org/" > Cachix< / a > . The
flake is configured to automatically make use of this cache assuming the user
accepts the new settings on first use.< / p >
< p > If you are using a version of Nix without flakes enabled,
< a href = "https://docs.cachix.org/installation" > install Cachix CLI< / a > and use
< code > cachix use helix< / code > to configure Nix to use cached outputs when possible.< / p >
< h3 id = "flatpak" > < a class = "header" href = "#flatpak" > Flatpak< / a > < / h3 >
< p > Helix is available on < a href = "https://flathub.org/en-GB/apps/com.helix_editor.Helix" > Flathub< / a > :< / p >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > flatpak install flathub com.helix_editor.Helix
flatpak run com.helix_editor.Helix
< / code > < / pre >
< h3 id = "snap" > < a class = "header" href = "#snap" > Snap< / a > < / h3 >
< p > Helix is available on < a href = "https://snapcraft.io/helix" > Snapcraft< / a > and can be installed with:< / p >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > snap install --classic helix
< / code > < / pre >
< p > This will install Helix as both < code > /snap/bin/helix< / code > and < code > /snap/bin/hx< / code > , so make sure < code > /snap/bin< / code > is in your < code > PATH< / code > .< / p >
< h3 id = "appimage" > < a class = "header" href = "#appimage" > AppImage< / a > < / h3 >
< p > Install Helix using the Linux < a href = "https://appimage.org/" > AppImage< / a > format.
Download the official Helix AppImage from the < a href = "https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/releases/latest" > latest releases< / a > page.< / p >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > chmod +x helix-*.AppImage # change permission for executable mode
./helix-*.AppImage # run helix
< / code > < / pre >
< h2 id = "macos" > < a class = "header" href = "#macos" > macOS< / a > < / h2 >
< h3 id = "homebrew-core" > < a class = "header" href = "#homebrew-core" > Homebrew Core< / a > < / h3 >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > brew install helix
< / code > < / pre >
< h3 id = "macports" > < a class = "header" href = "#macports" > MacPorts< / a > < / h3 >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > port install helix
< / code > < / pre >
< h2 id = "windows" > < a class = "header" href = "#windows" > Windows< / a > < / h2 >
< p > Install on Windows using < a href = "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/package-manager/winget/" > Winget< / a > , < a href = "https://scoop.sh/" > Scoop< / a > , < a href = "https://chocolatey.org/" > Chocolatey< / a >
or < a href = "https://msys2.org/" > MSYS2< / a > .< / p >
< h3 id = "winget" > < a class = "header" href = "#winget" > Winget< / a > < / h3 >
< p > Windows Package Manager winget command-line tool is by default available on Windows 11 and modern versions of Windows 10 as a part of the App Installer.
You can get < a href = "https://www.microsoft.com/p/app-installer/9nblggh4nns1#activetab=pivot:overviewtab" > App Installer from the Microsoft Store< / a > . If it's already installed, make sure it is updated with the latest version.< / p >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > winget install Helix.Helix
< / code > < / pre >
< h3 id = "scoop" > < a class = "header" href = "#scoop" > Scoop< / a > < / h3 >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > scoop install helix
< / code > < / pre >
< h3 id = "chocolatey" > < a class = "header" href = "#chocolatey" > Chocolatey< / a > < / h3 >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > choco install helix
< / code > < / pre >
< h3 id = "msys2" > < a class = "header" href = "#msys2" > MSYS2< / a > < / h3 >
< p > For 64-bit Windows 8.1 or above:< / p >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > pacman -S mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-helix
< / code > < / pre >
< h2 id = "building-from-source" > < a class = "header" href = "#building-from-source" > Building from source< / a > < / h2 >
< p > Requirements:< / p >
< p > Clone the Helix GitHub repository into a directory of your choice. The
examples in this documentation assume installation into either < code > ~/src/< / code > on
Linux and macOS, or < code > %userprofile%\src\< / code > on Windows.< / p >
< ul >
< li > The < a href = "https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install" > Rust toolchain< / a > < / li >
< li > The < a href = "https://git-scm.com/" > Git version control system< / a > < / li >
< li > A C++14 compatible compiler to build the tree-sitter grammars, for example GCC or Clang< / li >
< / ul >
< p > If you are using the < code > musl-libc< / code > standard library instead of < code > glibc< / code > the following environment variable must be set during the build to ensure tree-sitter grammars can be loaded correctly:< / p >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > RUSTFLAGS="-C target-feature=-crt-static"
< / code > < / pre >
< ol >
< li >
< p > Clone the repository:< / p >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > git clone https://github.com/helix-editor/helix
cd helix
< / code > < / pre >
< / li >
< li >
< p > Compile from source:< / p >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > cargo install --path helix-term --locked
< / code > < / pre >
< p > This command will create the < code > hx< / code > executable and construct the tree-sitter
grammars in the local < code > runtime< / code > folder.< / p >
< / li >
< / ol >
< blockquote >
< p > 💡 If you do not want to fetch or build grammars, set an environment variable < code > HELIX_DISABLE_AUTO_GRAMMAR_BUILD< / code > < / p >
< / blockquote >
< blockquote >
< p > 💡 Tree-sitter grammars can be fetched and compiled if not pre-packaged. Fetch
grammars with < code > hx --grammar fetch< / code > and compile them with
< code > hx --grammar build< / code > . This will install them in
the < code > runtime< / code > directory within the user's helix config directory (more
< a href = "#multiple-runtime-directories" > details below< / a > ).< / p >
< / blockquote >
< h3 id = "configuring-helixs-runtime-files" > < a class = "header" href = "#configuring-helixs-runtime-files" > Configuring Helix's runtime files< / a > < / h3 >
< h4 id = "linux-and-macos" > < a class = "header" href = "#linux-and-macos" > Linux and macOS< / a > < / h4 >
< p > The < strong > runtime< / strong > directory is one below the Helix source, so either export a
< code > HELIX_RUNTIME< / code > environment variable to point to that directory and add it to
your < code > ~/.bashrc< / code > or equivalent:< / p >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > export HELIX_RUNTIME=~/src/helix/runtime
< / code > < / pre >
< p > Or, create a symbolic link:< / p >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > ln -Ts $PWD/runtime ~/.config/helix/runtime
< / code > < / pre >
< p > If the above command fails to create a symbolic link because the file exists either move < code > ~/.config/helix/runtime< / code > to a new location or delete it, then run the symlink command above again.< / p >
< h4 id = "windows-1" > < a class = "header" href = "#windows-1" > Windows< / a > < / h4 >
< p > Either set the < code > HELIX_RUNTIME< / code > environment variable to point to the runtime files using the Windows setting (search for
< code > Edit environment variables for your account< / code > ) or use the < code > setx< / code > command in
Cmd:< / p >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > setx HELIX_RUNTIME "%userprofile%\source\repos\helix\runtime"
< / code > < / pre >
< blockquote >
< p > 💡 < code > %userprofile%< / code > resolves to your user directory like
< code > C:\Users\Your-Name\< / code > for example.< / p >
< / blockquote >
< p > Or, create a symlink in < code > %appdata%\helix\< / code > that links to the source code directory:< / p >
< div class = "table-wrapper" > < table > < thead > < tr > < th > Method< / th > < th > Command< / th > < / tr > < / thead > < tbody >
< tr > < td > PowerShell< / td > < td > < code > New-Item -ItemType Junction -Target "runtime" -Path "$Env:AppData\helix\runtime"< / code > < / td > < / tr >
< tr > < td > Cmd< / td > < td > < code > cd %appdata%\helix< / code > < br / > < code > mklink /D runtime "%userprofile%\src\helix\runtime"< / code > < / td > < / tr >
< / tbody > < / table >
< / div >
< blockquote >
< p > 💡 On Windows, creating a symbolic link may require running PowerShell or
Cmd as an administrator.< / p >
< / blockquote >
< h4 id = "multiple-runtime-directories" > < a class = "header" href = "#multiple-runtime-directories" > Multiple runtime directories< / a > < / h4 >
< p > When Helix finds multiple runtime directories it will search through them for files in the
following order:< / p >
< ol >
< li > < code > runtime/< / code > sibling directory to < code > $CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR< / code > directory (this is intended for
developing and testing helix only).< / li >
< li > < code > runtime/< / code > subdirectory of OS-dependent helix user config directory.< / li >
< li > < code > $HELIX_RUNTIME< / code > < / li >
< li > Distribution-specific fallback directory (set at compile time—not run time—
with the < code > HELIX_DEFAULT_RUNTIME< / code > environment variable)< / li >
< li > < code > runtime/< / code > subdirectory of path to Helix executable.< / li >
< / ol >
< p > This order also sets the priority for selecting which file will be used if multiple runtime
directories have files with the same name.< / p >
< h4 id = "note-to-packagers" > < a class = "header" href = "#note-to-packagers" > Note to packagers< / a > < / h4 >
< p > If you are making a package of Helix for end users, to provide a good out of
the box experience, you should set the < code > HELIX_DEFAULT_RUNTIME< / code > environment
variable at build time (before invoking < code > cargo build< / code > ) to a directory which
will store the final runtime files after installation. For example, say you want
to package the runtime into < code > /usr/lib/helix/runtime< / code > . The rough steps a build
script could follow are:< / p >
< ol >
< li > < code > export HELIX_DEFAULT_RUNTIME=/usr/lib/helix/runtime< / code > < / li >
< li > < code > cargo build --profile opt --locked --path helix-term< / code > < / li >
< li > < code > cp -r runtime $BUILD_DIR/usr/lib/helix/< / code > < / li >
< li > < code > cp target/opt/hx $BUILD_DIR/usr/bin/hx< / code > < / li >
< / ol >
< p > This way the resulting < code > hx< / code > binary will always look for its runtime directory in
< code > /usr/lib/helix/runtime< / code > if the user has no custom runtime in < code > ~/.config/helix< / code >
or < code > HELIX_RUNTIME< / code > .< / p >
< h3 id = "validating-the-installation" > < a class = "header" href = "#validating-the-installation" > Validating the installation< / a > < / h3 >
< p > To make sure everything is set up as expected you should run the Helix health
check:< / p >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > hx --health
< / code > < / pre >
< p > For more information on the health check results refer to
< a href = "https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/wiki/Healthcheck" > Health check< / a > .< / p >
< h3 id = "configure-the-desktop-shortcut" > < a class = "header" href = "#configure-the-desktop-shortcut" > Configure the desktop shortcut< / a > < / h3 >
< p > If your desktop environment supports the
< a href = "https://specifications.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/menu-spec-latest.html" > XDG desktop menu< / a >
you can configure Helix to show up in the application menu by copying the
provided < code > .desktop< / code > and icon files to their correct folders:< / p >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > cp contrib/Helix.desktop ~/.local/share/applications
cp contrib/helix.png ~/.icons # or ~/.local/share/icons
< / code > < / pre >
< p > To use another terminal than the system default, you can modify the < code > .desktop< / code >
file. For example, to use < code > kitty< / code > :< / p >
< pre > < code class = "language-sh" > sed -i "s|Exec=hx %F|Exec=kitty hx %F|g" ~/.local/share/applications/Helix.desktop
sed -i "s|Terminal=true|Terminal=false|g" ~/.local/share/applications/Helix.desktop
< / code > < / pre >
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