Atom is a discontinued free and open-source text and source-code editor for macOS, Linux, and Windows with support for plug-ins written in JavaScript, and embedded Git control. Developed by GitHub, Atom was released on June 25, 2015.
On June 8, 2022, GitHub announced Atom's end-of-life, occurring on December 15 of the same year, justifying its need "to prioritize technologies that enable the future of software development", specifically its GitHub Codespaces and Visual Studio Code, developed by Microsoft which had acquired GitHub in 2018.
Atom is succeeded by the Pulsar text editor.
Atom is a "hackable" text editor, which means it is customizable using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Atom is a desktop application built using web technologies. It is based on the Electron framework, which was developed for that purpose, and hence was formerly called Atom Shell. Electron is a framework that enables cross-platform desktop applications using Chromium and Node.js.
From the Wikipedia article “Atom (text editor)”, CC BY-SA 4.0
What is Atom?
Atom by GitHub Inc. is open-source Windows software in the text editors category. It ranks 3rd by popularity among text editors in this catalogue. The first release dates back to 2014. It is written in JavaScript, CoffeeScript, and Cascading Style Sheets. Besides Windows, it is available for macOS, Linux and FreeBSD.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides EXE installers for 64-bit and 32-bit Windows. It can be installed for the current user only, without administrator rights. It needs Windows 10 or newer. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches.
Updates and version history
The current version is 1.60.0, released on March 8, 2022. The version history goes back to April 27, 2021: 29 releases, all linked to the official files. The last update is more than a year old. The source repository has been archived, so further updates are unlikely.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 1,324,407 times. The source code on GitHub (atom/atom) has 60,712 stars. Wikipedia has an article about it in 27 of our languages. On Windows it registers 4 file types, including .txt, .yaml, .cfg and .ini. Similar programs include Notepad++, Neovim and Geany.
Project description on GitHub: “:atom: The hackable text editor”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
- Installs without administrator rights
- Also runs on macOS, Linux and FreeBSD
- Large user base
- Mature project (since 2014)
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- No update for more than a year
- Source repository archived
In short: Atom is an open-source text editor tool for 64-bit and 32-bit PCs. Updates have slowed down. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Screenshots
Is Atom safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
5A20D6119A5E9AA9C1054BAEADD62C8E195078EDDD2A899F53CE0354CA010E06· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the atom/atom repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- No binaries in the repository10
- Licence declared10
- Code review5
- Actively maintained0
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Pinned dependencies0
- Fuzzing0
- Security policy0
- Signed releases0
- Static code analysis0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 29 versions ›| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.60.0Latest | March 8, 2022 | — | 32-bit EXE64-bit EXE |
| 1.59.0 | February 8, 2022 | — | 64-bit EXE32-bit EXE |
| 1.58.0 | July 28, 2021 | — | 64-bit EXE32-bit EXE |
| 1.57.0 | May 11, 2021 | — | 64-bit EXE32-bit EXE |
| 1.56.0 | April 13, 2021 | — | 64-bit EXE32-bit EXE |
| 1.55.0 | March 30, 2021 | — | 64-bit EXE32-bit EXE |
| 1.54.0 | April 27, 2021 | — | 64-bit EXE |
| 1.53.0 | April 27, 2021 | — | 64-bit EXE |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id GitHub.Atom -echoco install Atom -yscoop install extras/atomAtomSetup-x64.exe /silentRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Information
- Publisher
- GitHub Inc.
- Category
- Text editors
- Licence
- MIT License
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/atom/atom
- Written in
- JavaScript, CoffeeScript, and Cascading Style Sheets
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10 (Windows 10+)
- Architecture
- 64-bit, 32-bit
- Installer
- EXE
- Other platforms
- macOS, Linux, FreeBSD
- Version
- 1.60.0
- Released
- March 8, 2022
- First release
- 2014
- Added to the catalogue
- March 30, 2021
- Versions listed
- 29
- Chocolatey downloads
- 1,324,407
- GitHub stars
- 60,712
- GitHub forks
- 17,156
- Website
- atom.io
- winget ID
- GitHub.Atom
- Chocolatey package
- Atom
- Scoop package
- extras/atom
File types it opens (4)
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Alternatives to Atom
See all ›-
Open source22M ↓ -
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Geany2.1.0A powerful, stable and lightweight programmer's text editor that provides tons of useful features without bogging down your workflow.Open source36.4K ↓ -
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Brackets1.14.17770With focused visual tools and preprocessor support, Brackets is a modern text editor that makes it easy to design in the browser. It's crafted from the ground up for web designers and front-end developers.Open source180.6K ↓ -
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Proprietary202.9K ↓ -
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Frequently asked questions
Is Atom free?
Yes. Atom is open-source software under the MIT License licence.
Is Atom safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install Atom with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can Atom be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Which Windows versions does Atom support?
The installer requires Windows 10 or newer and is available for 64-bit and 32-bit.
Does Atom run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit and 32-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of Atom?
The versions page lists all 29 versions with links to their official installer files, back to April 27, 2021.
Can I use Atom without administrator rights?
Yes, there is a per-user installer that does not need administrator rights.
What are alternatives to Atom?
Notepad++, Neovim, Geany, WordPress.com and Brackets. The alternatives page compares them.
