How to clear Cursor cache on Mac

AI Agent Clean Team · Updated 2026-07-24 · macOS 14+

Cursor is one of the fastest-growing AI code editors on Mac, and it stores far more than your project files. Every workspace you open triggers indexing, local embeddings, extension caches, and crash logs that accumulate silently. After a few months of daily use, it is common to see 15–60 GB attributed to Cursor-related folders — even when your actual repositories are modest in size.

Clearing Cursor cache is generally safe when you target regenerable data: indexes, logs, update debris, and stale workspace metadata. Your source code in Git repos is not stored inside these caches. The trade-off is that Cursor will re-index on next launch, which can take several minutes on large monorepos.

Why Cursor cache grows so quickly

Cursor inherits Electron architecture from VS Code and adds AI-specific layers on top. Typical growth sources include:

• Codebase indexes — local databases that map symbols, files, and embeddings for AI context.
• Extension and GPU caches — compiled shaders, language-server artifacts, and downloaded model weights.
• Workspace storage — per-project state, UI layout, and temporary AI session data.
• Logs and crash reports — debug output that rarely gets pruned automatically.
• Update leftovers — folders from previous Cursor versions after in-app updates.

On macOS 14 Sonoma and macOS 15 Sequoia, Apple’s sandboxing still allows these apps to write freely under your user Library. Finder’s “Manage Storage” view will not break Cursor down by subfolder — you need to look directly at Application Support and Caches.

Step-by-step: manual Cursor cache cleanup

1. Quit Cursor completely — use Cursor → Quit Cursor (⌘Q), then confirm no Cursor processes remain in Activity Monitor.
2. Open ~/Library/Application Support — in Finder press ⌘⇧G, paste ~/Library/Application Support/Cursor, and review folder sizes (View → Show Preview, or use Get Info).
3. Review high-impact subfolders — common targets include Cache, CachedData, Code Cache, logs, and dated backup folders from updates. Avoid deleting User/settings.json unless you intend to reset preferences.
4. Check ~/Library/Caches — look for folders named com.todesktop.* or Cursor and remove cache directories (not the entire Library).
5. Move to Trash, do not Option-delete — Trash-first deletion lets you restore if something feels wrong after relaunch.
6. Relaunch Cursor — expect re-indexing. Open a large repo and allow background indexing to finish before judging performance.

Automated cleanup with AI Agent Clean

Manual hunting across Application Support is error-prone — similar folder names, mixed SQLite files, and symlinks make it easy to remove the wrong database. The AI Agent Clean module scans standard Cursor locations, groups results by data type (indexes vs logs vs update debris), and shows byte totals before you confirm.

1. Launch AI Agent Clean and open AI Agent Clean (or run Smart Scan on the Mac cleaner home module).
2. Expand the Cursor group and review each category’s size.
3. Uncheck categories you want to keep — for example, keep active workspace indexes if you are mid-sprint on a huge repo.
4. Click clean — items go to Trash by default, not permanent erase.

Scanning is always free on the Mac App Store build; cleanup after the 7-day trial requires a subscription. See pricing for details.

macOS 14+ notes

On macOS 14 and later, Full Disk Access may be required for third-party cleaners to scan all of ~/Library. Grant it in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access → AI Agent Clean. Without it, scan results may be incomplete. Cursor itself does not need FDA for its own caches — only your cleanup tool might.

Related guides and features

• Clear Claude Desktop cache on Mac
• Clear Codex cache and logs
• AI Agent Clean feature page
• Get free trial