How to Install Cursor on Windows, Mac & Linux (2026)

How to Install Cursor on Windows, Mac and Linux (2026)

Cursor is an AI-powered code editor built on VS Code that integrates Claude, GPT-4o, and other frontier models directly into your coding workflow. It supports all three major operating systems with native installers.

This guide walks you through installing Cursor on Windows, macOS, and Linux, importing your VS Code settings, and getting started with your first AI-assisted coding session.

System Requirements

Requirement	Windows	macOS	Linux
OS Version	Windows 10+ (64-bit)	macOS 12 (Monterey)+	Ubuntu 20.04+, Fedora 36+, or similar
RAM	4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended	4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended	4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended
Disk Space	~500 MB	~500 MB	~500 MB
Architecture	x64 or ARM64	Intel or Apple Silicon	x64 or ARM64
Internet	Required for AI features	Required for AI features	Required for AI features

Install Cursor on macOS

Method 1: Direct Download (Recommended)

1. Go to cursor.com
2. Click Download for Mac
   • The site auto-detects your architecture (Intel or Apple Silicon)
   • If it does not, manually select your chip type
3. Open the downloaded .dmg file
4. Drag Cursor into the Applications folder
5. Open Cursor from Applications (or Spotlight: Cmd + Space, type "Cursor")
6. On first launch, macOS may ask you to confirm opening an app from the internet. Click Open

Method 2: Homebrew

brew install --cask cursor

To update later:

brew upgrade --cask cursor

Method 3: Manual Download for Specific Architecture

If the auto-detect selects the wrong architecture:

# Check your Mac's architecture
uname -m
# arm64 = Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)
# x86_64 = Intel

Download the correct version from the Cursor website by selecting the architecture manually.

macOS Post-Install Setup

Add Cursor to PATH (terminal command):

1. Open Cursor
2. Press Cmd + Shift + P to open the Command Palette
3. Type "Shell Command: Install 'cursor' command in PATH"
4. Select it

Now you can open projects from the terminal:

cursor /path/to/your/project
cursor .  # Open current directory

Install Cursor on Windows

Method 1: Direct Download (Recommended)

1. Go to cursor.com
2. Click Download for Windows
3. Run the downloaded .exe installer
4. Follow the installation wizard:
   • Choose installation directory (default is fine)
   • Select whether to add Cursor to PATH (recommended: Yes)
   • Choose whether to add "Open with Cursor" to the right-click context menu (recommended: Yes)
5. Click Install and wait for completion
6. Launch Cursor from the Start Menu or Desktop shortcut

Method 2: Winget

winget install Anysphere.Cursor

To update:

winget upgrade Anysphere.Cursor

Method 3: Scoop

scoop bucket add extras
scoop install cursor

Windows Post-Install Setup

Verify PATH integration:

# Open PowerShell and type:
cursor --version

If this does not work, add Cursor to your PATH manually:

1. Open System Properties > Environment Variables
2. Under User Variables, find Path and click Edit
3. Add the Cursor installation directory (typically C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Programs\cursor)

Add to Windows Terminal (optional):

// Add to Windows Terminal settings.json profiles
{
  "name": "Cursor Terminal",
  "commandline": "cursor --new-window",
  "icon": "C:\\path\\to\\cursor\\icon.png"
}

Install Cursor on Linux

Method 1: AppImage (Universal, Recommended)

The AppImage works on any Linux distribution:

1. Go to cursor.com and click Download for Linux
2. Download the .AppImage file
3. Make it executable and run:

# Make executable
chmod +x Cursor-*.AppImage

# Run directly
./Cursor-*.AppImage

# Or move to a standard location
sudo mv Cursor-*.AppImage /usr/local/bin/cursor
cursor  # Launch from anywhere

Method 2: .deb Package (Ubuntu/Debian)

# Download the .deb package from cursor.com
# Then install:
sudo dpkg -i cursor_*.deb

# Fix any dependency issues
sudo apt-get install -f

Method 3: .rpm Package (Fedora/RHEL)

# Download the .rpm package from cursor.com
# Then install:
sudo rpm -i cursor_*.rpm

# Or with dnf:
sudo dnf install cursor_*.rpm

Method 4: Snap (Ubuntu)

sudo snap install cursor --classic

Method 5: Flatpak

# Check if Cursor is available on Flathub
flatpak search cursor
flatpak install flathub com.cursor.Cursor

Linux Post-Install Setup

Create a desktop entry (if using AppImage):

mkdir -p ~/.local/share/applications

# ~/.local/share/applications/cursor.desktop
[Desktop Entry]
Name=Cursor
Comment=AI-powered code editor
Exec=/usr/local/bin/cursor %F
Icon=cursor
Type=Application
Categories=Development;IDE;
MimeType=text/plain;inode/directory;
StartupWMClass=Cursor

Add the shell command:

1. Open Cursor
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + P
3. Type "Shell Command: Install 'cursor' command in PATH"
4. Select it

Import VS Code Settings

Cursor is built on VS Code, so migrating is straightforward.

Automatic Import (First Launch)

When you first open Cursor, it offers to import your VS Code configuration:

1. Select Import from VS Code during onboarding
2. Cursor copies your:
   • Extensions
   • Settings (settings.json)
   • Keybindings
   • Snippets
   • Themes

Manual Import

If you skipped the onboarding, import manually:

Settings:

# macOS
cp ~/Library/Application\ Support/Code/User/settings.json \
   ~/Library/Application\ Support/Cursor/User/settings.json

# Linux
cp ~/.config/Code/User/settings.json \
   ~/.config/Cursor/User/settings.json

# Windows (PowerShell)
Copy-Item "$env:APPDATA\Code\User\settings.json" `
          "$env:APPDATA\Cursor\User\settings.json"

Extensions:

# Export VS Code extensions list
code --list-extensions > vscode-extensions.txt

# Install each extension in Cursor
while read ext; do cursor --install-extension "$ext"; done < vscode-extensions.txt

Keybindings:

# macOS
cp ~/Library/Application\ Support/Code/User/keybindings.json \
   ~/Library/Application\ Support/Cursor/User/keybindings.json

# Linux
cp ~/.config/Code/User/keybindings.json \
   ~/.config/Cursor/User/keybindings.json

First Launch Setup

Step 1: Create an Account

1. Open Cursor
2. Click Sign In (top right)
3. Create an account with:
   • Email
   • GitHub
   • Google
4. You are automatically on the free Hobby plan

Step 2: Configure AI Settings

1. Press Cmd/Ctrl + , to open Settings
2. Search for "Cursor" to see AI-specific settings
3. Key settings to configure:

Setting	Recommended Value	Description
Default model	Claude Sonnet	Best balance of speed and quality
Auto-suggestions	Enabled	Show AI completions as you type
Privacy mode	Off (or On if sensitive)	When on, code is not stored on servers
Agent mode	Enabled	Allow multi-file autonomous editing

Step 3: Try Your First AI Command

1. Open a project folder
2. Press Cmd/Ctrl + L to open the AI chat panel
3. Type: "Explain what this project does"
4. Cursor reads your project files and responds

Other ways to interact:

Cmd/Ctrl + K     → Inline edit (select code first)
Cmd/Ctrl + L     → Chat panel
Cmd/Ctrl + I     → Composer (multi-file editing)
Tab              → Accept Cursor Tab suggestion

Updating Cursor

Cursor auto-updates by default. To check manually:

All platforms:

1. Open Cursor
2. Go to Help > Check for Updates (or Cursor > Check for Updates on macOS)
3. If an update is available, click Download Update
4. Restart Cursor to apply

Via package managers:

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew upgrade --cask cursor

# Windows (Winget)
winget upgrade Anysphere.Cursor

# Linux (Snap)
sudo snap refresh cursor

Uninstalling Cursor

macOS

# Remove the application
rm -rf /Applications/Cursor.app

# Remove user data (optional)
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Cursor
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/Cursor

Windows

1. Open Settings > Apps > Installed Apps
2. Find Cursor and click Uninstall
3. Follow the uninstall wizard

Or via PowerShell:

winget uninstall Anysphere.Cursor

Linux

# AppImage
rm /usr/local/bin/cursor

# .deb
sudo dpkg --remove cursor

# Snap
sudo snap remove cursor

# Remove user data (optional)
rm -rf ~/.config/Cursor
rm -rf ~/.cache/Cursor

Troubleshooting

Issue	Platform	Solution
"Cursor is damaged"	macOS	Run: xattr -cr /Applications/Cursor.app
Black/blank window	Linux	Try: cursor --disable-gpu
High CPU usage	All	Disable unused extensions, check for runaway processes
Extensions not loading	All	Clear cache: delete ~/.config/Cursor/Cache
Cannot install extensions	All	Check internet connection; try manual .vsix install
Cursor not in PATH	All	Run "Shell Command: Install 'cursor' command" from Command Palette
Fonts rendering incorrectly	Linux	Install font packages: sudo apt install fonts-firacode
AppImage won't launch	Linux	Install FUSE: sudo apt install libfuse2
Auto-update fails	All	Download latest version manually from cursor.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I run Cursor and VS Code side by side? Yes. They are separate applications and do not conflict. They share some config paths, but changes in one do not affect the other after initial import.

Is Cursor free? Yes, Cursor has a free Hobby plan with 50 fast AI requests and 2,000 slow completions per month. Pro is $20/month.

Does Cursor work offline? The editor itself works offline (it is VS Code underneath), but AI features require an internet connection.

Will my VS Code extensions work in Cursor? Most VS Code extensions work in Cursor since it is built on the same foundation. Some proprietary Microsoft extensions (like GitHub Copilot) may have licensing restrictions.

Does Cursor support remote development? Yes. Cursor supports SSH remote development, WSL, and Dev Containers, just like VS Code.

Wrapping Up

Installing Cursor is straightforward on all three platforms. The hardest part is choosing between the many installation methods available. For most users, the direct download from cursor.com is the fastest path. Import your VS Code settings during onboarding, and you will be up and running with AI-assisted coding in minutes.

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