Truly native
Built with Cocoa for macOS, not a web page inside a wrapper. It starts fast, behaves like the rest of your Mac, and the whole app is a download of about 10 MB.
Version 1.0.0 for macOS
Everything around your code. Nothing in the way.
J++ is a fast, native code editor for the Mac. Download the free Lite to write in 95 languages, or get the full J++ to also run and debug your code, query your data with SQL, push to GitHub and ask an AI assistant.
Free · 5.6 MB · macOS 12 or later · Apple silicon and Intel
Want everything on this page? The full J++ is on its way to the Mac App Store.
95languages with syntax colouring
10 MBthe whole download
0extensions to install
0data collected
Why J++
What makes it different.
Most editors start empty and ask you to assemble the rest. J++ starts complete, and it is made for the Mac and nothing else.
Complete from the first launch
Run, debug, IntelliSense, SQL, GitHub and AI are part of the app. There is no marketplace to search and no extensions to choose, set up and keep updated.
Your data is one query away
Run SQL on Databricks, Snowflake, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server and SQLite. Even an Excel workbook or a CSV file becomes a table you can query.
AI on your terms
Connect your own Claude API key, any OpenAI-compatible service, or a model running on your Mac. J++ has no subscription, and your code is sent only when you ask.
Private by design
No account, no analytics, no advertising, no tracking. Passwords, tokens and API keys are kept in the macOS Keychain.
At home on your Mac
Liquid Glass on macOS 26, SF Symbols and SF Mono. The appearance follows macOS, or stays Light or Dark if you prefer. One app for Apple silicon and Intel.
Features
One window. The whole job.
Edit Lite & Full
An editor that keeps up with you.
The editing engine is Scintilla, known for its speed with large files. Around it, J++ adds the tools you use all day.
- Syntax colouring and code folding for 95 languages
- Multiple cursors, column editing, macros and bookmarks
- Find, replace and mark with regular expressions, across all open files
- A file explorer that follows the folder as it changes
- A compact toolbar: the debugging buttons appear only when you can use them
- Session restore that keeps even your unsaved text
Go to Anything Lite & Full
Type a few letters. You are there.
Press ⌘P and type. J++ finds a file from a few of its letters in order, so mpy finds src/main.py, and name:42 opens it at line 42.
- In the same panel,
@lists the symbols of the file,:goes to a line and#finds text - The Command Palette (⇧⌘P) runs any menu command by name, and shows where it lives and its shortcut
- A minimap of the whole file beside the editor: click or drag on it to scroll
IntelliSense Full version only
It knows your code.
Completion as you type, parameter hints, descriptions when the pointer rests on a name, and marks under errors and warnings.
- C, C++, Objective-C and Swift work at once, with the language servers that come with Xcode
- Python works with no server at all: J++ reads your file and your installed modules
- Go, Rust, TypeScript, Java, Ruby, Lua and more are used when their servers are on your Mac
Run and debug Full version only
Press F5. In any language.
Compile and Run work for every language in the menu. The output appears under your code, and after an error the caret jumps to the line the compiler names.
- A Python debugger with breakpoints, stepping, the variables of the frame and an expression field
- Built-in checks for JSON, XML, YAML, TOML, HTML, CSS and more
- Manage Compilers shows what is installed and downloads what is missing with Homebrew, npm or pip
Databases Full version only
SQL, right next to your code.
Save your connections once, then press ⌘↩ in a SQL tab. The results arrive in a grid you can copy or export as CSV.
- Databricks and Snowflake through their own SQL APIs
- PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server and Azure SQL
- SQLite files, with nothing to install
- Excel workbooks and CSV files: every sheet becomes a table
AI assistant Full version only
An assistant that sees what you see.
Ask a question and the assistant reads the file in front of you and your selection. Insert and Replace Selection put the answer's code into the editor as one undo step.
- Ready-made questions: Explain Code, Find Problems, Improve Code, Add Comments, Write Tests
- Claude models with your own API key, with answers that appear as they are written
- Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, including a local model such as Ollama
- No model connected yet? If Claude CLI is installed, the same button opens it in Terminal, in your project's folder
GitHub Full version only
From browse to merge, without leaving.
Connect your account and J++ lists your repositories. The status bar shows the branch, what there is to push or pull, and how many files changed.
- Browse the folders and files of your repositories without cloning them
- Create a pull request, and merge it with merge, squash or rebase
- Clone, commit, push, pull and fetch
- Publish a folder to a new repository, create a gist, or copy a link to the current line
Lite & Full
Two ways to get J++.
J++ Lite is a free download from this page: a light, fast editor for everyday text and code. The full J++ is obtained from the Mac App Store, where it is coming soon, and adds the tools that turn an editor into a workshop.
Free · download from this page
J++ Lite
Everything you need to read and write code, in a download of about 5.6 MB.
- Syntax colouring and folding for 95 languages
- Tabs, session restore, find and replace, multiple files at once
- File explorer, Go to Anything, Command Palette and minimap
- Light and dark appearance that follows macOS
- Never connects to a network: nothing is sent anywhere
Full version · Mac App Store
J++
The complete J++, with everything in Lite plus the features below.
- IntelliSense, run and debug, SQL, GitHub and the AI assistant
- The built-in J++ Guide, in English and Spanish
- Installs and updates through the App Store, with no “unidentified developer” warning
Mac App Store · coming soon
What the full version adds
| Feature | Lite | Full |
|---|---|---|
| Syntax colouring, folding and 95 languages | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tabs, find and replace, macros, bookmarks, encodings | ✓ | ✓ |
| File explorer, Go to Anything, Command Palette, minimap | ✓ | ✓ |
| Light and dark appearance | ✓ | ✓ |
| IntelliSense: completion, parameter hints and error marks | — | ✓ |
| Compile and Run for every language in the menu | — | ✓ |
| Python debugger with breakpoints and stepping | — | ✓ |
| Built-in checks for JSON, XML, YAML, TOML, HTML and CSS | — | ✓ |
| SQL on Databricks, Snowflake, SQLite, Excel and CSV | — | ✓ |
| GitHub: browse, clone, commit, push, pull requests | — | ✓ |
| AI assistant that sees your file | — | ✓ |
| J++ Guide with screenshots and every shortcut | — | ✓ |
The App Store version runs in Apple's sandbox, so Compile and Run use the tools that come with macOS and Xcode. Both versions can be installed side by side.
Coming soon
J++ for iPadOS. Coming soon.
The next release brings J++ to the iPad: the same editing engine as on the Mac, built natively for touch, keyboard and the Files app. These are the features it will have.
Coming soon
Planned for the next release. Details may change before it is published.
The same engine
Syntax colouring and code folding for 95 languages, with the Scintilla editor that powers J++ on the Mac.
Tabs that remember
Open several files in tabs. When you come back, every tab is there, even text you had not saved.
Find and replace
A find bar with match count, next and previous, and Replace or Replace All.
Completion as you type
A list of the language's keywords and the words already in your file, next to the cursor.
Works with Files
Open files from the Files app and edit them where they are, including UTF-16 and Windows or Unix line endings.
Made for iPad
Portrait and landscape, light and dark that follow the system, word wrap, line numbers and text size you can change, and keyboard shortcuts.
It begins as a focused editor. The extra tools of the Mac App Store version are not promised for iPadOS yet.
What you will not find in J++.
No extensions
Everything on this page is in the app the first time you open it.
No account
You never sign in to J++. There is nothing to create.
No subscription
The AI assistant uses your own key or your own local model.
No telemetry
J++ does not measure you, and sends nothing to its author.
A guide for every feature, in English and Spanish.
Help ▸ J++ Guide describes each feature step by step, with screenshots in light and dark, and a table of every keyboard shortcut.
Start free. Go full when you are ready.
Download J++ Lite today, or get the complete J++ on the Mac App Store.
Free · macOS 12 or later · Apple silicon and Intel · 5.6 MB
Full version: Mac App Store, coming soon
In the full version, Compile, Run and Git use Apple's developer tools. Install Xcode, or its command line tools, to use them.