Open Source Web Design Editor Brackets 1.13 Released

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Brackets code editor

The latest Brackets 1.13 release brings new features, like the ability to opening remote files, drag and drop support for the FileTreeFiew, an option to automatically update Brackets, and bug fixes.

Brackets is a free, open source editor focused on web development / design, created by Adobe. The editor is available on Mac, Windows and Linux, and what makes it special is its live HTML, CSS and JS editing / preview.

Brackets live preview feature

In Brackets, elements selected in HTML and CSS files are automatically highlighted in the web browser. Also, the editor instantly updates the webpage (without having to reload it) as the developer makes changes to the HTML or CSS code.

Besides the live editing / preview features, Brackets also includes:

  • Inline editors
  • Preprocessor support
  • ESLing / JSLint support
  • Split view
  • Code Folding
  • Multiple Selections
  • Supports extensions (includes a built-in extension manager)

New in Brackets 1.13:

  • Brackets can now be updated without leaving the code editor
  • The FileTreeView now supports drag and drop, so you can easily move files or folders from one directory to another
  • Brackets now supports opening remote (http and https) web pages. Use Ctrl/Cmd-Shift-O and enter an URL to use this
  • Linux:
    • The menu now reflects its checked / unchecked status
    • Fixed native Linux menus shortcuts
  • Fixed full screen Brackets window with multiple monitors
  • Fixed submenu layout issue


The Brackets 1.13 release notes page also mentions that the GPU is disabled in Brackets for Ubuntu 18.04, but there are no details as to why this was required.

Download Brackets



The official Brackets deb packages do not work unless you have the old libgcrypt11 library installed on your system. The official deb packages also depend on libcurl3, which is not available in recent Linux distribution versions, like Ubuntu 18.04. For these reasons, I recommend installing Brackets from source or by using unofficial, third-party packages because... they actually work on Linux.

Alternative ways of installing Brackets in Linux:

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