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zed/docs/src/uninstall.md
Yifan Ruan 0857b41b15
docs: Update guide to remove user data on macOS when uninstalling Zed (#52631) 
I recently encountered some issue on my mac and I tried to uninstall Zed
completely. However the current guide to remove user data does not cover
some configs that Zed uses. There are also some directories that should
be removed according to the doc but never exist. So I have this pull
request to make the user data directories more accurate, according to my
own experience.

Self-Review Checklist:

- [x] I've reviewed my own diff for quality, security, and reliability
- [x] Unsafe blocks (if any) have justifying comments
- [x] The content is consistent with the [UI/UX
checklist](https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md#uiux-checklist)
- [x] Tests cover the new/changed behavior
- [x] Performance impact has been considered and is acceptable

Release Notes:

- N/A: doc update

---------

Co-authored-by: Christopher Biscardi <chris@christopherbiscardi.com>
2026-03-31 05:35:04 +00:00

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title description
Uninstall This guide covers how to uninstall Zed on different operating systems.

Uninstall

This guide covers how to uninstall Zed on different operating systems.

macOS

Standard Installation

If you installed Zed by downloading it from the website:

  1. Quit Zed if it's running
  2. Open Finder and go to your Applications folder
  3. Drag Zed to the Trash (or right-click and select "Move to Trash")
  4. Empty the Trash

Homebrew Installation

If you installed Zed using Homebrew, use the following command:

brew uninstall --cask zed

Or for the preview version:

brew uninstall --cask zed@preview

Removing User Data (Optional)

To completely remove all Zed configuration files and data:

  1. Open Finder
  2. Press Cmd + Shift + G to open "Go to Folder"
  3. Delete the following directories if they exist:
    • ~/Library/Application Support/Zed
    • ~/Library/Saved Application State/dev.zed.Zed.savedState
    • ~/Library/Logs/Zed
    • ~/Library/Caches/dev.zed.Zed
    • ~/Library/Caches/Zed
    • ~/.config/zed
    • ~/.local/state/Zed

Linux

Standard Uninstall

If Zed was installed using the default installation script, run:

zed --uninstall

You'll be prompted whether to keep or delete your preferences. After making a choice, you should see a message that Zed was successfully uninstalled.

If the zed command is not found in your PATH, try:

$HOME/.local/bin/zed --uninstall

or:

$HOME/.local/zed.app/bin/zed --uninstall

Package Manager

If you installed Zed using a package manager (such as Flatpak, Snap, or a distribution-specific package manager), consult that package manager's documentation for uninstallation instructions.

Manual Removal

If the uninstall command fails or Zed was installed to a custom location, you can manually remove:

  • Installation directory: ~/.local/zed.app (or your custom installation path)
  • Binary symlink: ~/.local/bin/zed
  • Configuration and data: ~/.config/zed

Windows

Standard Installation

  1. Quit Zed if it's running
  2. Open Settings (Windows key + I)
  3. Go to "Apps" > "Installed apps" (or "Apps & features" on Windows 10)
  4. Search for "Zed"
  5. Click the three dots menu next to Zed and select "Uninstall"
  6. Follow the prompts to complete the uninstallation

Alternatively, you can:

  1. Open the Start menu
  2. Right-click on Zed
  3. Select "Uninstall"

Removing User Data (Optional)

To completely remove all Zed configuration files and data:

  1. Press Windows key + R to open Run
  2. Type %APPDATA% and press Enter
  3. Delete the Zed folder if it exists
  4. Press Windows key + R again, type %LOCALAPPDATA% and press Enter
  5. Delete the Zed folder if it exists

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues during uninstallation:

  • macOS/Windows: Ensure Zed is completely quit before attempting to uninstall. Check Activity Manager (macOS) or Task Manager (Windows) for any running Zed processes.
  • Linux: If the uninstall script fails, check the error message and consider manual removal of the directories listed above.
  • All platforms: If you want to start fresh while keeping Zed installed, you can delete the configuration directories instead of uninstalling the application entirely.

For additional help, see our Linux-specific documentation or visit the Zed community.