GNU Nano 9.0 Command-Line Text Editor Improves Horizontal Scrolling

GNU Nano, the widely used terminal-based text editor, has been updated to version 9.0, introducing several usability improvements—most notably a redesigned horizontal scrolling behavior.

In this release, when the cursor approaches the right edge of the screen, lines now scroll horizontally only as much as needed to keep the cursor visible. This replaces the older per-line scrolling method, which could feel abrupt during editing. Users who prefer the previous behavior can restore it using the --solosidescroll option or the set solosidescroll setting in the nanorc file.

Nano 9.0 also introduces direct sideways viewport scrolling using M-< and M->, moving in increments equal to one tab width. Additionally, keybindings such as M-Left, M-Right, M-Up, and M-Down are now customizable, giving users greater control over navigation.

Macro functionality has been refined as well. If a recording is stopped immediately after starting, it is now canceled instead of overwriting an existing macro. Changes have also been made to feature toggles so they no longer interrupt continuous cut (^K) or copy (M-6) operations, except for the cut-from-cursor toggle (M-K).

For mouse users, Nano 9.0 improves interaction by allowing clicks in the scrollbar area (when using both --mouse and --indicator) to quickly navigate through the current buffer.

For additional information, refer to the official announcement and full changelog. The source code is available on the project’s website for manual compilation, while packaged versions will be released gradually through distribution repositories.