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Emacs

David Caldwell · Nightly macOS build of the GNU Emacs text editor, installed as Emacs.app with command-line tools.

CaskDeveloper ToolsApple silicon · Intel
Homepage
From homebrew/cask
30-day installs20#1380 in App
1-year installs199Last 365 days
Latest version2026-09-29_00-10-10Sep 29 · Sep 29
Download size178MBarm64 / x86_64 · dmg
Release cadenceDaily10 releases in 30 days

Emacs is a Developer Tools app for Mac.

About

Emacs is a GNU text editor distributed here as a nightly macOS build. This Homebrew cask installs the graphical Emacs.app and also makes command-line tools available.

  • Provides the emacs command for launching Emacs from the command line.
  • Includes ebrowse, emacsclient, and etags command-line tools.
  • Installs man pages for these tools.
  • This nightly cask conflicts with the emacs-app and emacs-app@pretest casks; it is a distinct variant from the regular build.

Install with Homebrew using brew install --cask emacs-app@nightly. The cask requires macOS. After installation, open Emacs.app from Applications or run emacs in a terminal.

Sources: Emacs for Mac OS X · Homebrew cask

New What’s new in 2026-09-29_00-10-10 OpenNavo editorial

  • ChangesNot provided: exact changes for this version are unverified.
See all 97 releases

Install and uninstall

Homebrew installs the app in your Applications folder.

Install without Homebrew

Download the same file Homebrew uses: emacsformacosx.com/emacs-builds/Emacs-2026-09-29_00-10-10-da51f73acd21ae6cf52608a6de0306cd1e05ce24-universal.dmg

SHA-256 only checks that the download is complete; it is not a security certification. See the SHA-256 and download address

Uninstall command
$ brew uninstall --cask \emacs-app@nightly

A regular uninstall removes the app and keeps its settings and caches.

Deep clean (optional)
$ brew uninstall --zap --cask \emacs-app@nightly

--zap also deletes the settings, caches and other files listed in the Homebrew definition. They can include data shared with other apps and cannot be restored, and it does not guarantee that nothing is left.See which files are removed

Facts and sources

Version 2026-09-29_00-10-10
Recorded by Homebrew on Sep 29

Questions

Is Emacs safe?

Emacs is in Homebrew’s official catalog and has not been disabled. Since September 2026, Homebrew disables apps that fail macOS Gatekeeper checks. When installing, Homebrew checks the download from emacsformacosx.com against its SHA-256 checksum. It was installed 20 times through Homebrew in the last 30 days.

How do I completely uninstall Emacs on a Mac?

Run brew uninstall --cask emacs-app@nightly. To delete its settings and caches as well, run brew uninstall --zap --cask emacs-app@nightly. That also deletes 3 files and folders, including ~/Library/Preferences/org.gnu.Emacs.plist.

Does Emacs run on Apple silicon (M1 and later) Macs?

Homebrew installs it on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs, from the same download.

Where does Emacs store its settings and data?

Its settings are in ~/Library/Preferences/org.gnu.Emacs.plist. These locations come from Homebrew’s clean-up list.

What is the latest version of Emacs?

The latest version is 2026-09-29_00-10-10, added to Homebrew on Sep 29. Run brew upgrade --cask emacs-app@nightly to update it.

What else does installing Emacs add?

It also adds 4 command-line tools: emacs, ebrowse, emacsclient, and etags. It cannot be installed alongside emacs-app and emacs-app@pretest.