Installing Cursor — Step by Step

Cursor is an AI-native code editor built on VS Code. It ships with Claude, GPT-4o, and other frontier models built directly into the editor — not as a plugin. This guide covers the full installation and first-launch setup on Windows with a screenshot at every step.

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Prerequisites

• OS: Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit)
• Disk space: At least 1.03 GB free
• Internet connection: Required for sign-in and AI features

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Part 1 — Download Cursor

Go to cursor.com and click Download for Windows ①.

Cursor is available for all major platforms:

Platform	Options
Windows	x64 (System), x64 (User), ARM64 (System), ARM64 (User)
macOS	ARM64, x64, Universal
Linux	.deb ARM64, .deb x64, RPM ARM64, RPM x64, AppImage ARM64

For most Windows users, Windows (x64) User is the right choice — it installs without admin privileges.

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Part 2 — Run the Installer

Once the installer downloads, run it. You’ll be guided through a short wizard.

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Step 1 — License Agreement

Read the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Select “I accept the agreement” ① then click Next ②.

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Step 2 — Select Destination Location

The default install path is C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\Programs\cursor ②.

Click Browse ① to change the location, or leave the default as-is. Click Next ③.

Caution

Cursor requires at least 1.03 GB of free disk space at the selected location.

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Step 3 — Select Additional Tasks

All options are checked by default ①–⑤. These are all recommended — keep them as-is and click Next ⑥.

Option	What it does
① Create a desktop icon	Shortcut on your desktop
② Add “Open with Cursor” to file context menu	Right-click any file → Open with Cursor
③ Add “Open with Cursor” to directory context menu	Right-click any folder → Open with Cursor
④ Register Cursor as an editor for supported file types	Cursor becomes the default for code files
⑤ Add to PATH	Run cursor . from any terminal

Tip

Keep Add to PATH checked. It lets you open any project directly from the terminal with cursor .

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Step 4 — Ready to Install

Review your choices and click Install ①.

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Step 5 — Installation in Progress

Cursor extracts files to the destination folder. The progress bar shows each file as it installs. This takes about 1–2 minutes.

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Step 6 — Installation Complete

Setup is finished. Keep “Launch Cursor” ① checked and click Finish ②.

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Part 3 — First Launch & Account Setup

Cursor opens and guides you through a one-time sign-in and onboarding flow.

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Step 1 — Sign In or Sign Up

On first launch, Cursor prompts you to sign in. Choose your preferred authentication method.

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Step 2 — Create Your Account

If you don’t have an account, click Sign Up and fill in your details. You can register with Google, GitHub, or an email address.

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Step 3 — Continue Sign-In in the Browser

After submitting your credentials, Cursor opens your default browser to complete authentication. Click Continue to confirm and return to the editor.

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Step 4 — Account Setup & Preferences

Once signed in, Cursor walks you through a brief onboarding — keyboard shortcuts, privacy settings, and usage preferences. Choose your preferred options and continue.

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Step 5 — Connect to Git

Cursor offers to connect your Git account so it can reference your repositories, branches, and commit history as context when you ask for help.

A browser window opens to authorise the connection.

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Part 4 — Choose a Plan

After sign-in, Cursor shows you the available plans.

Free vs Pro vs Business

	Free	Pro	Business
AI completions	2,000 / month	Unlimited	Unlimited
Fast premium requests	50 / month	500 / month	500+ / month
Slow requests	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Models available	Claude Haiku, GPT-3.5	Claude Sonnet, GPT-4o, Gemini	All models
Price	Free	~$20/month	~$40/user/month

The Free tier is generous enough to evaluate Cursor properly. Upgrade to Pro when you need faster responses with frontier models (Claude Sonnet, GPT-4o) throughout the day.

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Part 5 — Inside the Editor

Once setup is complete, Cursor opens to a familiar VS Code-style interface with the AI panel ready to use.

The main AI interactions are available from the menu or keyboard shortcuts:

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+K	Inline edit — select code, describe the change
Ctrl+L	Open AI chat panel
Ctrl+I	Composer — AI edits across multiple files
Tab	Accept AI autocomplete suggestion
Ctrl+Shift+L	Add current file to chat context

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Part 6 — Start Working with a Project

Installation is only the first step. Open an existing codebase so Cursor can index the project files and provide answers that are grounded in your application.

Step 1 — Open an Existing Project

From the Cursor welcome screen, click Open project ① and select the folder that contains your source code.

You can also open a project from a terminal:

cd path/to/your/project
cursor .

After the folder opens, use the Explorer panel on the left to confirm that Cursor loaded the expected files.

Tip

Open the project root rather than an individual file. Cursor can give better answers when it can inspect the full codebase structure.

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Step 2 — Connect GitHub for Cloud Features

Cursor may prompt you to connect a Git provider after setup. Click Connect GitHub ① if you want to use repository-aware cloud features such as agents, pull-request reviews, and code automations.

GitHub opens in your browser and shows the permissions requested by the Cursor application. Review the requested access and click Authorize only if it is appropriate for your account or organization.

Note

Connecting GitHub is optional for local editing. You can click Maybe later and continue working with files on your computer.

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Step 3 — Use Source Control

Cursor includes the familiar VS Code source-control workflow. Open View → Source Control or press Ctrl+Shift+G.

The Source Control panel lets you:

• Review changed files before committing
• Inspect diffs line by line
• Stage selected files
• Write a commit message
• Commit and synchronize changes with your remote repository

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Step 4 — Review Optional Plugins

During onboarding, Cursor may suggest plugins that give agents additional context. The available integrations can include tools such as Datadog, Figma, and Notion.

Choose only the integrations that support your workflow:

Plugin type	Useful when
Observability tools such as Datadog	You want the agent to help investigate logs, metrics, traces, or dashboards
Design tools such as Figma	You want the agent to reference designs while implementing user interfaces
Knowledge tools such as Notion	You want project documentation available as additional context

Click Start Building ④ when you are ready to continue. You can add plugins later from the Cursor Marketplace.

Caution

Before adding a plugin, review the data and permissions it can access. Use only integrations approved for your project.

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Part 7 — Try Cursor Agent

Cursor Agent can inspect multiple files, explain its plan, propose edits, and run commands while it works. This is useful for tasks that require more than a single inline change.

Step 1 — Describe a Concrete Task

Open a project and start a new Agent conversation. Describe the desired outcome and include enough context for Cursor to identify the relevant files.

For example:

Analyze this site and reorganize the items in the left menu.
Keep related pages together and run the build after the edit.

The Agent panel shows its analysis, file edits, diffs, and command output as it works.

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Step 2 — Review Proposed Edits

Agent mode can modify more than one file. Review the proposed changes before accepting them, especially when a task updates configuration, dependencies, or shared code.

Use this workflow:

1. Read the Agent summary.
2. Inspect each changed file and diff.
3. Confirm that command output is successful.
4. Accept the edits you want to keep.
5. Review the final changes in Source Control before committing.

Tip

Ask the Agent to run the project’s build or test command after making changes. A successful verification step catches problems before you commit.

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Quick Start Checklist

• Install Cursor and keep Add to PATH enabled
• Sign in and choose your onboarding preferences
• Open an existing project folder or run cursor .
• Connect GitHub if you need repository-aware cloud features
• Add only the plugins that are useful and approved for your project
• Try one focused Agent task and review every proposed change
• Open Source Control with Ctrl+Shift+G before committing

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What to Do Next

• Open a project folder: File → Open Folder or run cursor . from your terminal
• Try inline edit: select a function, press Ctrl+K, and type “add error handling”
• Explore the chat: press Ctrl+L and ask “explain this codebase” or “@codebase where is the authentication logic?”
• Import VS Code settings: File → Preferences → Import from VS Code to bring over your extensions, themes, and keybindings instantly
• Try Agent mode with a small task, then review the proposed diffs and build output before accepting the changes