Developer IDEs

How to Completely Uninstall Zed on Mac

Dragging the app to the Trash removes Zed itself, but its settings, extensions, language servers and logs stay on your disk until you delete those folders separately. The data can total 200 MB – 5 GB, with most of the space in the Application Support folder, where language servers accumulate for every language you open. Your own documents are never touched by removing the app or its folders.

Last updated: November 1, 20264 min read

Remove Zed and everything it leaves behind

Zed data usually takes 200 MB – 5 GB on a Mac. The free scan shows the exact size on your Mac before you change anything.

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Free scan · No account · Nothing is deleted without your OK · Moves to the Trash first · macOS 14+

Application: Zed
Typical data size: 200 MB – 5 GB
Category: Developer IDEs
File Location: ~/Library/Application Support/Zed

Manual cleanup steps

Quit the app completely (⌘+Q in the menu bar).
Move Zed from the Applications folder to the Trash.
Remove the folders Zed left behind, listed in the table below.
Empty the Trash to free up the space.

Everything Zed keeps on your Mac

4 locations. Tick each one as you remove it; back up anything marked as your data first.

~/Library/Application Support/Zed App data · extensions, language servers, Node runtime, local AI threads and databases Back up first: your data~/.config/zed App data · settings.json, keymap.json and themes Back up first: your data~/Library/Logs/Zed Logs · Zed log files Yes, rebuilt automatically~/Library/Caches/Zed Cache · Zed download and runtime cache Yes, rebuilt automatically~/Library/Application Support/Zed/extensions App data · installed Zed extensions Yes, once the app is gone~/Library/Application Support/Zed/languages App data · downloaded language servers Yes, rebuilt automatically

Locations are the standard macOS folders Zed uses; some appear only after you use the matching feature.

What Zed leaves behind after you drag it to the Trash

Specific to Zed

The app bundle is all that the Trash removes. The app keeps its extensions and the language servers it downloads automatically in its Application Support folder, not system-wide, and that folder grows as it downloads a server for every language you open. Your editor settings, keymap and themes live in a separate config folder outside ~/Library, so they also survive. Log files and the download and runtime cache are rebuilt automatically if you ever reinstall, so they are safe to remove but are not the main space consumer.

Background items: Language servers that Zed downloads automatically are stored in its Application Support folder, not system-wide.
License: Zed is free and open source; hosted AI features have paid plans tied to a Zed account.
Account and sync: A Zed account is optional and used for collaboration and hosted AI features.

What to save or deactivate before uninstalling Zed

Copy settings.json and keymap.json from ~/.config/zed first, since they hold your customisations and are not stored anywhere else. If you use collaboration or hosted AI features, sign out of your Zed account, and cancel any paid AI plan tied to it so you are not billed after the app is gone. Remove the zed command line tool if you installed it, as it is separate from the app bundle. Quit the app before removing any of its folders, and remember that items in the Trash can be restored until it is emptied.

Copy settings.json and keymap.json from the config folderCancel any paid AI plan tied to your Zed accountSign out of your account, then quit the appRemove the zed command line tool if you installed it

0 of 4 done

By hand or with OptiClear

	By hand	With OptiClear
Places to check	4 folders, one by one	One scan
File sizes	You look them up yourself	Shown for every item
Removing the wrong thing	Easy to delete the wrong folder	Goes to the Trash first, so it can be restored
Cost	Free	Scan is free; cleaning needs Pro (yearly plan has a 7-day free trial)

See it working

OptiClear — Scan overview — every category on one screen — Scan overview — every category on one screen

OptiClear — Privacy audit: what each app has been allowed to reach — Privacy audit: what each app has been allowed to reach

OptiClear — Large and aging files, ranked by what they cost you — Large and aging files, ranked by what they cost you

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Frequently asked questions

Not all of them. Folders marked “Back up first: your data” hold your own Zed data: back them up before removing them. Folders marked “Yes, rebuilt automatically” are rebuilt automatically; removing them only makes the next start slower. Items marked “Yes, once the app is gone” only matter while Zed is installed, so remove them after the app.

Do I need to remove the language servers myself?

Yes. They are stored inside the app's Application Support folder, not system-wide, so they stay on your disk until you delete that folder. The same folder also holds extensions and local AI threads and databases, so check it before removing.

Will deleting the app cancel my paid AI plan?

No. Hosted AI features have paid plans tied to a Zed account, and removing the app does not affect that account. Sign in to cancel the plan before you uninstall if you no longer want it.