BBEdit 12.6 Introduces App Sandboxing Ahead of Planned Mac App Store Launch - MacRumors
Skip to Content

BBEdit 12.6 Introduces App Sandboxing Ahead of Planned Mac App Store Launch

by

BBEdit, the popular and long-running HTML and text editor for Mac, was today updated to version 12.6. The new version of the software introduces important feature changes and bug fixes.

Starting with today's update, BBEdit is a sandboxed app, which is a change that Bare Bones Software needed to make because it plans to bring BBEdit to the Mac App Store in the future.

bbedit
Sandboxing on macOS limits apps to their intended use and is a protection implemented to prevent malicious software from working. BBEdit will require explicit permission to access files and folders on the Mac.

To work properly, though, BBEdit often requires advanced access to file and folder contents, a problem Bare Bones Software is solving with a prompt to enable Sandbox Access. This setting, says Bare Bones Software, will allow for the full functionality of BBEdit without compromising security.

Without unrestricted access to your files and folders, many of BBEdit's most useful features, from the basic to the most powerful, won't work at all; or they may misbehave in unexpected ways. At the very least, this hinders your ability to work done.

In order to resolve this fundamental conflict between security and usability, we have devised a solution in which BBEdit requests that you permit it the same sort of access to your files and folders that would be available to a non-sandboxed version.

For this reason, the first time you start BBEdit, it will prompt you to allow this access. The prompt will not be repeated; so if you decline to allow this access and later reconsider, go to the Application preferences, and click on the "Allow" button in the "Sandbox Access" section.

Due to the changes, BBEdit is no longer able to access support folder items in iCloud Drive, so those previously using ‌iCloud Drive‌/Application Support/BBEdit will need to make some manual changes as outlined in the update's release notes.

The new version of BBEdit also includes a number of tweaks to the app and a whole slew of bug fixes, all of which are also listed in the release notes.

Top Rated Comments

97 months ago
I'm using TextWrangler too. Why is it helpful for it to be on the Mac App Store? I only use that to download Mac OS X updates.
It's a personal preference for me. I like a central store for all of my apps, particularly ones I'm paying for. I also like the fact that Apple is hosting the approved binary, so I there's less of a risk that I'll end up downloading some malicious software as a result of their signing key and server becoming compromised (like with what happened with a few apps such as Transmission ('https://www.macrumors.com/2016/03/07/transmission-malware-downloaded-6500-times/'), or Transmission the second time ('https://www.macrumors.com/2016/08/30/transmission-keydnap-os-x-malware/')). It also means my payment information goes to one less extra place.

It's all personal preference, but that's my reasoning for preferring Mac App Store apps.

PS: Shoutout to TextWrangler! I was a little upset to hear it's been discontinued :(
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
97 months ago
Very happy to hear about this. I'm still using TextWrangler, but I'll switch to BBEdit in a heartbeat if it becomes available on the Mac App Store. Glad to see they're returning.
I'm using TextWrangler too. Why is it helpful for it to be on the Mac App Store? I only use that to download Mac OS X updates.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
97 months ago
IIUC in its march to eventually require all MacOS apps to be in the app store, Apple is requiring sandboxing restrictions on side loaded apps, or they won't run. They have implemented app certification, and eventually you will not be able to run a non-certified app on OSX. It's not there today, but it will be because Apple has to protect the children.
[doublepost=1551125072][/doublepost]
. . . . .
PS: Shoutout to TextWrangler! I was a little upset to hear it's been discontinued :(
The functionality was moved into BBEdit. You can use BBEdit without a license with reduced functionality (about the same functionality as TextWrangler had).
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
justperry Avatar
97 months ago
The header reads as if the Mac App store is about to launch
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
97 months ago
Very happy to hear about this. I'm still using TextWrangler, but I'll switch to BBEdit in a heartbeat if it becomes available on the Mac App Store. Glad to see they're returning.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johannnn Avatar
97 months ago
I’m confused... how do apps like Pages support iCloud Drive if sandboxed apps aren’t supposed to access it? Seems like a weird thing to not allow.
I think it’s just weird folders like “Application Support” that the news article mentions, which the app will no longer support.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 12 New Features

Friday July 17, 2026 10:39 am PDT by
It is now mid-July, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are now just two months away. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, ...
Apple AppleCare One Feature

'AppleCare One' is Now Even More Valuable

Saturday July 18, 2026 6:25 am PDT by
While the monthly and annual prices of AppleCare+ plans for Macs and iPads received a slight increase this week, AppleCare One continues to start at $19.99 per month in the U.S., making the multi-device plan even more valuable. Launched in July 2025, AppleCare One allows you to cover up to three devices as part of a single subscription for $19.99 per month, and additional devices can be...
iCloud General Feature Redux

Apple Raises iCloud+ Prices in 8 Countries

Friday July 17, 2026 11:56 am PDT by
Apple has increased the price of iCloud+ in Nigeria, Türkiye, Vietnam, Japan, Egypt, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, according to an updated version of its iCloud support document. Price increases range from 11 percent to 55 percent depending on the plan and the country. Nigeria saw the biggest hike, and a 50GB plan is now ₦1,300, up from ₦900. Türkiye saw the next largest...