How to Install Cursor: Complete Setup Guide for macOS, Windows, and Linux

Overview

Cursor is a code editor built on VS Code that integrates AI directly into the editing workflow. It supports tab completion, inline editing, and chat-based code generation using models like GPT-4 and Claude. This guide covers installation on all three supported platforms, migrating your existing VS Code setup, and configuring Cursor for first use. The entire process takes under 10 minutes.

Latest Version

0.48.x

Price

Free (Hobby), Pro ($20/mo), Business ($40/mo)

Platforms

macOS, Windows, Linux

Base

VS Code (Electron)

Data checked

April 2026

Prerequisites

Before installing, confirm your system meets these requirements:

• macOS: 10.15 (Catalina) or later. Apple Silicon and Intel both supported.
• Windows: Windows 10 or later (64-bit).
• Linux: Ubuntu 20.04+, Fedora 36+, or equivalent. Requires glibc 2.31+.
• Disk space: ~500 MB free.
• RAM: 4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended.

No account is required to download. You will need to sign up (email or GitHub) on first launch to access AI features. The Hobby tier is free and includes 2,000 completions per month.

Step 1: Download Cursor

Go to the official download page and grab the installer for your OS.

macOS:

# Download the .dmg from cursor.com
open https://www.cursor.com/download

The site auto-detects your platform. If it doesn’t, select macOS manually. You’ll get a .dmg file (~150 MB).

Windows:

Download the .exe installer from the same page. The file is named CursorSetup-x64.exe.

Linux:

Download the .AppImage file:

wget -O cursor.appimage https://www.cursor.com/download/linux
chmod +x cursor.appimage

Alternatively, some distributions offer Cursor via Snap or community repositories, but the AppImage from the official site is the most reliable path.

Step 2: Install on Your Platform

macOS

1. Open the downloaded .dmg file.
2. Drag Cursor into the Applications folder.
3. Launch from Applications or Spotlight (Cmd + Space, type “Cursor”).
4. On first launch, macOS may show a security prompt — click Open.

# Or launch from terminal after install
open -a Cursor

Windows

1. Run CursorSetup-x64.exe.
2. The installer runs in user-space — no admin rights needed.
3. Check Add to PATH if you want terminal access via cursor command.
4. Click Install. Cursor launches automatically on completion.

Linux

AppImage requires no installation:

./cursor.appimage

For desktop integration:

# Move to a permanent location
mv cursor.appimage ~/.local/bin/cursor
# Create a .desktop entry if needed

Step 3: Sign In and Activate AI Features

On first launch, Cursor prompts you to create an account or sign in.

1. Click Sign Up or Log In.
2. Authenticate via email, GitHub, or Google.
3. The Hobby plan activates automatically — no credit card required.

After signing in, verify AI is working:

1. Open any file or create a new one.
2. Press Ctrl+K (or Cmd+K on macOS) to open the inline edit prompt.
3. Type a natural-language instruction like “write a hello world function in Python.”
4. If you get a response, AI features are active.

Step 4: Migrate from VS Code

Cursor can import your VS Code extensions, settings, and keybindings in one step.

On first launch, Cursor shows a migration dialog:

1. Select Import from VS Code.
2. Choose what to import: extensions, settings, keybindings (all three recommended).
3. Click Import. This takes 10–30 seconds depending on extension count.

If you missed the dialog, trigger it manually:

1. Open the Command Palette: Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P.
2. Search for “Cursor: Import VS Code Settings”.
3. Follow the prompts.

Your VS Code workflow carries over intact. Theme, font size, formatter config, Git integration — all preserved. Extensions from the VS Code marketplace install automatically.

Step 5: Configure the Terminal Shell Command

To open files and projects from the terminal using the cursor command:

macOS:
1. Open Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P).
2. Search “Install ‘cursor’ command”.
3. Confirm. Now you can run:

cursor .                   # Open current directory
cursor ~/projects/my-app   # Open a specific project
cursor file.py             # Open a single file

Windows:

If you checked “Add to PATH” during install, the cursor command is already available in PowerShell and CMD.

Linux:

If you placed the AppImage in ~/.local/bin/cursor, it’s already accessible (assuming ~/.local/bin is in your PATH).

# Verify
which cursor
cursor --version

Step 6: Adjust Key Settings

Open settings with Ctrl+, (or Cmd+,). These settings matter most for a good first experience:

AI Model Selection:
Navigate to Cursor Settings (Ctrl+Shift+J / Cmd+Shift+J). Under Models, you can select which AI model to use for chat, inline edits, and completions. The Hobby plan gives access to default models with usage caps.

Privacy Mode:
Under Cursor Settings > Privacy, enable Privacy Mode if you work on proprietary code. This prevents your code from being stored or used for training.

Tab Completion:
Cursor’s Tab feature provides multi-line AI suggestions as you type. If it feels aggressive, adjust under Cursor Settings > Tab — you can set it to manual trigger only.

// In settings.json, useful overrides:
{
  "cursor.cpp.enablePartialAccepts": true,
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "editor.defaultFormatter": "esbenp.prettier-vscode"
}

Tips and Best Practices

• Use Ctrl+L / Cmd+L for chat. This opens the AI sidebar where you can ask questions about your codebase. Add files to context with @filename.
• Commit before large AI edits. Cursor’s inline edit (Ctrl+K) can modify multiple lines at once. Having a clean Git state lets you revert easily.
• Pin your model. If you’re on Pro, pin a specific model in settings rather than using “auto.” Consistency matters for predictable output.
• Use .cursorignore for large repos. Create a .cursorignore file (same syntax as .gitignore) to exclude node_modules, build artifacts, and vendor directories from indexing. This speeds up codebase-aware features significantly.
• Check usage on the dashboard. Visit your account page at cursor.com to monitor completion and request counts before hitting plan limits.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Cursor won’t launch on Linux:
Missing libfuse2 is the most common cause. Fix:

sudo apt install libfuse2   # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install fuse-libs  # Fedora

AI features not responding:
Check your internet connection first. Then verify your sign-in status in the bottom-left corner of the editor. If it says “Signed Out,” re-authenticate via Command Palette > “Cursor: Sign In.”

Extensions not importing from VS Code:
Some VS Code extensions have marketplace restrictions. If an extension fails to import, install it manually from the Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X). Cursor uses the Open VSX registry alongside Microsoft’s marketplace.

High CPU usage after opening a large project:
This is indexing. Wait for it to complete (progress shows in the status bar). Add large generated directories to .cursorignore to reduce load.

FAQ