Two years after version 8.0, GNU nano gets a meaningful upgrade. Version 9.0, codenamed Le bonheur est dans le pré, delivers real improvements to the terminal text editor that many Linux users rely on daily.

The main change addresses horizontal scrolling. Previously, when the cursor approached the right edge of the screen, entire lines would jump abruptly. Now lines shift smoothly, moving just enough to keep the cursor visible. If you prefer the old behavior, you can restore it with the --solosidescroll flag or by setting set solosidescroll in your config file.

Better Column Navigation

For those working with code or columnar data, lateral movement becomes more manageable. The M-Left and M-Right keyboard shortcuts now scroll the viewport in increments matching your configured tab width. This cuts down the keystrokes needed to reach specific positions in large files.

One caveat: if you were using these combinations to switch buffers, you’ll need to consult the nanorc manual for alternatives since the shortcuts have been reassigned. The upside is that M-Left, M-Right, M-Up, and M-Down are now fully remappable, giving power users more control over their keybindings.

Mouse support, enabled with --mouse and --indicator flags, now lets you click in the scrollbar area to jump around the buffer quickly. A feature most graphical editors take for granted, and one that’s finally arrived here.

Under-the-Hood Refinements

Several subtle improvements add up in day-to-day use. Macro recording is now safer: a quick shutdown won’t accidentally overwrite existing macros. Toggle operations also no longer interrupt cut or copy sequences, with the exception of M-K for cutting from the cursor position.

Additional refinements include the ability to save and restore file anchors when the positionlog option is enabled, plus new keys to center the cursor vertically with ^L or cycle through cursor positions with M-%.

Nano remains the default editor on many Linux distributions, and these updates strengthen its position for anyone spending hours in the terminal. Version 9.0 should reach stable repositories on major distros soon.