Sublime Text
Sublime Text is an editor for writing and changing code, website files and plain text. It’s made by Sublime HQ, based in Australia.
Criminals have used its name in fake downloads or scams, so get it only from sublimetext.com.
What it is
Sublime Text is used to edit code and plain text. It can search across files, show documents side by side and suggest code completions. Continued use requires a paid licence after evaluation.
It reads the files you open and scans folders added to a project. This helps it find code definitions and offer suggestions across related files. Its build commands can also run other programs, such as compilers and tests.
Its purpose fits a Mac used for programming or editing text files. Extra packages can add plug-ins and other features. Camera or microphone requests can come from plug-ins or programs run through its build system.
Who makes it
Sublime HQ is a software company in Sydney that makes Sublime Text and Sublime Merge. Its legal name is Sublime HQ Pty Ltd. Its website is sublimehq.com.
Is it the real one?
Every Mac app carries a signature from the developer who made it. Apple checks who the developer is before handing out the certificate, and macOS refuses to open an app whose signature has been tampered with.
The real Sublime Text is signed by Sublime HQ Pty Ltd, Apple team ID Z6D26JE4Y4. A copy signed by anyone else isn’t from Sublime HQ. HARD’s Mac app checks this for you; to check by hand, open Terminal and run codesign -dv "/Applications/Sublime Text.app", and look for that TeamIdentifier.
Its bundle ID, the name macOS knows it by, is com.sublimetext.4 or com.sublimetext.3 or com.sublimetext.2. Download it only from sublimetext.com, not from an ad or a link someone sends you.
Fakes. In August 2022, Malwarebytes reported a fake Sublime Text download website distributing DCRat malware.
What it connects to
In normal use, Sublime Text talks to these places on the internet. A firewall that asks before apps connect, like the one in HARD’s Mac app, will show them.
| Address | Why |
|---|---|
www.sublimetext.com | Update checks and update information. |
download.sublimetext.com | Downloads app updates. |
license.sublimehq.com | Checks an installed licence. |
What it can see
macOS asks you before an app can use these. You can change them any time in System Settings → Privacy & Security.
| Permission | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| Files and Folders | To open and work with files in folders protected by macOS. |
| Camera | A plug-in or program launched through the build system can request camera access. |
| Microphone | A plug-in or program launched through the build system can request microphone access. |
Security record
Problems with Sublime Text or Sublime HQ in the last three years, newest first. Keeping the app up to date covers the ones that were fixed.
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-7006 reported that the Windows updater could let a local attacker run code with higher privileges; the record does not name a fixed build. | ↗ | |
| CVE-2025-65741 reported that Sublime Text 3 for macOS through build 3208 allowed injected code to run inside the app; the researcher says build 3209 fixed it. | ↗ |
References
- Sublime HQ sublimehq.com
- Sublime Text sublimetext.com
- Sublime Text download and changelog sublimetext.com
- GitHub Desktop's Sublime Text bundle identifiers github.com
- Sublime Text indexing documentation sublimetext.com
- Sublime Text build systems documentation sublimetext.com
- Sublime Text packages documentation sublimetext.com
- Sublime Forum: update prompts and built-in updater forum.sublimetext.com
- Sublime Forum: update and download hosts forum.sublimetext.com
- Sublime Forum: network connections and licence server forum.sublimetext.com
- Sublime Forum: macOS file access permissions forum.sublimetext.com
- Fake Sublime Text website surfaces on the web thetechoutlook.com
- CVE-2026-7006: Windows update staging vulnerability cve.org
- CVE-2025-65741: researcher's macOS disclosure and fix information github.com
- JVN iPedia: CVE-2025-65741 publication date jvndb.jvn.jp
- The signature on a real installed copy, read by HARD with
codesign.