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How to uninstall Raycast on Mac completely

Raycast is one app in Applications, but it keeps your snippets, notes, quicklinks, clipboard history and settings in your Library folder, plus caches, logs and a browser extension’s container. Here is how to save what you need, remove the rest and get your Command-Space shortcut back.

Uninstaller: a list of apps sorted by size with when each was last opened, Google Chrome selected with its app and cache sizes
  1. Open MacWashing and choose Uninstaller in the sidebar.
  2. Click Show Apps and check Raycast in the list.
  3. Click Remove and confirm. Files that may be yours are listed as Possible and stay unchecked.
Download MacWashingHow it works

Free trial · macOS 14 or later

Before you start: export your Raycast data

Deleting Raycast doesn’t delete your data, but deleting its folders does. If you might use Raycast again, on this Mac or another one, export your data first, while the app is still installed.

  1. Open Raycast and run the Export Settings & Data command.
  2. Set a passphrase of at least 8 characters when Raycast asks for it. You can also change it in Settings › Advanced › Export.
  3. Keep the .rayconfig file somewhere outside the Library folder, for example in Documents or a cloud folder.

The file holds your settings, aliases and hotkeys, snippets, quicklinks, notes, clipboard history, AI chats and installed extensions. To bring them back later, run Import Settings & Data and choose the file.

With Raycast Pro and Cloud Sync, synced items stay on Raycast’s servers after you uninstall the app or turn sync off. To remove them, open Settings › Cloud Sync and use Delete Cloud Sync Data & Devices. This can’t be undone.

Delete Raycast in Finder

  1. Quit Raycast. It has no Dock icon: quit it from its menu bar icon, or open Activity Monitor, select Raycast and click the Stop button (✕).
  2. Open Finder › Applications and drag Raycast to the Trash.
  3. Enter your administrator password if macOS asks for it.

What Raycast leaves behind

All of these are in the Library folder inside your home folder:

  • ~/Library/Preferences/com.raycast.macos.plist — settings.
  • ~/Library/Caches/com.raycast.macos — the cache.
  • ~/Library/Caches/com.raycast.macos.pasteboard — a cache used for the clipboard.
  • ~/Library/Logs/com.raycast.macos — logs.
  • ~/Library/Application Support/com.raycast.shared — files shared between Raycast’s parts.
  • ~/Library/Containers/com.raycast.macos.BrowserExtension — the container of Raycast’s browser extension.

~/Library/Application Support/com.raycast.macos holds Raycast’s own data, and ~/Library/Application Support/.com.raycast.macos.backups its backups. They may hold your snippets, notes and clipboard history: export them first (see above), or keep these folders if you plan to come back.

Remove the leftovers by hand

  1. In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder (Shift-Command-G), type a path from the list above and press Return.
  2. Move the folder or file to the Trash.
  3. Repeat for the other paths. The backups folder starts with a dot, so it’s hidden. Go to Folder opens it anyway.
  4. Restart your Mac, then empty the Trash.

Raycast isn’t the only app that leaves files behind: see how to uninstall apps on Mac completely.

Give Command-Space back to Spotlight

If you set Raycast to open with Command-Space, you probably turned off the Spotlight shortcut. Turn it back on:

  1. Open System Settings › Keyboard and click Keyboard Shortcuts.
  2. Choose Spotlight and turn on Show Spotlight search.

With MacWashing, it’s one click

Uninstaller: a list of apps sorted by size with when each was last opened, Google Chrome selected with its app and cache sizes

The Uninstaller in MacWashing knows the files Raycast creates in your Library folder and removes them together with the app. Folders that may hold your own files, like Raycast’s data folder and its backups, are listed as Possible and stay unchecked until you check them yourself.

Download MacWashingHow it works

Free trial · macOS 14 or later

Questions and answers

Will MacWashing delete my own files when it removes Raycast?

No. The Uninstaller checks only what belongs to the app: its settings, caches, logs and background items. Folders that may hold your own files are listed as Possible and stay unchecked until you check them yourself, and apps go to the Trash by default, so you can put them back.

What if Raycast is still running?

MacWashing waits for it to quit, or quits it at your request, and only then removes its files.

Is it free to uninstall Raycast with MacWashing?

Yes, within the free trial: System Junk and the Uninstaller free up to 25 GB in total, with no account or card needed.

Does uninstalling Raycast delete my snippets and notes?

Not by itself. They stay in Raycast’s folder in your Library until you delete it. Export them with Export Settings & Data first if you want to keep a copy.

Does it remove my Cloud Sync data?

No. Synced data stays on Raycast’s servers and on your other Macs. It is removed only with Delete Cloud Sync Data & Devices in Raycast’s Cloud Sync settings.

How do I move my Raycast setup to a new Mac?

Run Export Settings & Data on the old Mac, copy the .rayconfig file over, install Raycast on the new Mac and run Import Settings & Data. You can choose which categories to import.