Zed Editor
Zed stores several kinds of disposable local data while running projects and language tooling, including downloaded Node package archives and extracted package cache used by its integrated JavaScript and TypeScript workflows, plus rotating application log files. These files speed up repeated installs, extension and language-server setup, and troubleshooting, but they can become stale or oversized after updates or interrupted downloads. Kudu removes Zed's local cache and logs so the editor can fetch fresh package data and rebuild temporary files without touching projects, settings, accounts, or saved credentials.
Why clean Zed Editor?
- A partially downloaded or corrupted Node package archive in Zed's cache can make JavaScript or TypeScript tooling fail to install, which shows up as missing completions, broken diagnostics, or language servers that never finish starting
- Old cached package contents from a previous Zed or tooling version can be reused incorrectly, leading to extension or language-service startup errors that disappear only after the cache is rebuilt
- Accumulated package tarballs and extracted dependency caches grow quietly over time, so users notice Zed consuming far more disk space than expected even when their projects have not changed
- Stale cached Node dependencies can cause repeated background retries when Zed tries to provision project tooling, which appears as slow workspace initialization and recurring install messages in the editor
- Large log directories preserve every warning, crash trace, and retry record from past sessions, making it harder to inspect current problems and leaving behind hundreds of megabytes of text files
- Interrupted network fetches can leave inconsistent cache state behind, so the next launch may repeatedly fail to set up the same tooling until those cached files are removed and downloaded cleanly
Cache paths Kudu targets
Windows
%LocalAppData%/Zed/node/cache |
%LocalAppData%/Zed/logs |
macOS
~/Library/Caches/dev.zed.Zed |
~/Library/Logs/Zed |
Linux
~/.cache/zed |
Common questions about Zed Editor
Download Kudu and reclaim your disk space.
Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. No account required, no feature gates, no telemetry without consent. All cleaning targets are open source and community-auditable.