Zed: a native editor built for latency and collaboration
What it does
Zed is a code editor written in Rust with a GPU-rendered interface, published for Windows, macOS and Linux. Its design brief is speed that can be felt: frames are drawn on the graphics card, text layout is computed in a background thread, and input handling avoids the main-thread stalls that make large Electron editors feel sluggish on big files. Beyond raw responsiveness, Zed's distinguishing feature is real-time collaboration - shared projects with multiple cursors, follow mode and voice chat are part of the product rather than a bolt-on. Language support is delivered through tree-sitter grammars for syntax and language servers for completion, diagnostics and refactoring, so the editor adopts the same server infrastructure used across the wider ecosystem.
The workflow
New users usually start by opening a folder or cloning a repository from the command palette, then installing any missing language servers when prompted. Editing is keyboard-first: a modal-free but heavily shortcut-driven interface with multi-cursor editing, a project-wide search panel, and inline AI assistance that can be pointed at a configured model provider. Collaboration sessions are started from the title bar and shared as a link; guests join with their own identity and see the same buffers. Settings live in a JSON file, themes and extensions are managed from an in-app panel, and a built-in terminal handles shell work without leaving the window.
Practical settings and limits
Zed is younger than the established editors, and the gaps show in a few areas: the extension ecosystem is much smaller, some language servers must be installed by hand, and the Windows build arrived later than macOS and Linux, so a few platform edge cases are still being polished. The editor expects a working GPU driver and degrades on remote desktops or virtual machines without hardware acceleration. AI features require configuring your own provider credentials; collaboration requires signing in. Configuration is text-only, which pleases power users but offers no graphical settings browser.
Who should choose something else
Pick Visual Studio Code when extension breadth, remote containers, or a specific Microsoft-published toolchain matters more than raw editing speed. Pick a JetBrains IDE for deep framework-aware refactoring and integrated database tooling. Pick Vim or Helix if you want a terminal-native editor with decades of accumulated plugins. Zed is at its best for individuals and small teams who value responsiveness and live pairing above catalogue size.
- Best for
- Developers who want a fast native editor with real-time pair programming built in.
- Good to know
- Collaboration and AI features need an account or your own model credentials; the extension catalogue is still small.
Zed is a from-scratch code editor written in Rust that renders through the GPU instead of a browser engine. It opens large files immediately, keeps typing responsive on long documents, and treats collaborative editing as a first-class feature rather than a plugin.
How to get started
- Download the Windows executable from the official Zed download page.
- Run it; it is a self-contained executable, not an installer wizard.
- Create a free account for collaboration and hosted AI, or skip and configure your own provider.
- Open a project folder and accept the prompt to install missing language servers.
- Tune the settings JSON to set your theme, font and keymap before importing anything else.
Questions & answers
Does Zed work on Windows?
Yes. Windows builds ship alongside the macOS and Linux releases, with a native GPU-rendered surface rather than a web view.
Do I need an account to use it?
No. Editing, search, git and the terminal work without signing in. Collaboration and hosted AI need an account, or point AI features at your own API key.
How does it compare with Visual Studio Code?
Zed is faster and lighter with better built-in collaboration, while VS Code has a far larger extension catalogue and more mature remote tooling.
