Cursor Installation and Setup
A useful first day depends on account access, settings, migration and extension compatibility as much as installation.
#Download for your operating system
Use Cursor's official downloads↗ and check its current system requirements. The original guide lists older minimum operating systems and storage figures; these should not be treated as current compatibility guarantees.
On macOS, open the downloaded disk image and move Cursor into Applications. The source also shows Homebrew installation:
bashbrew install --cask cursor
On Windows, run the official installer. For a supported Linux AppImage:
bashchmod +x cursor-*.AppImage ./cursor-*.AppImage
Configure a command-line launcher through the supported setup for your installation rather than moving application files unnecessarily.
#Import the editing environment
Use the offered VS Code import for compatible extensions, themes, fonts, shortcuts and user settings. Familiar controls let you evaluate AI collaboration instead of spending the whole session rebuilding an editor.
#Sign in and check access
Use the account sign-in flow and inspect your actual plan. The Chinese source contains historical request allowances, model names and a Pro price; these are not reliable current entitlements. Check the account's current terms rather than budgeting from those old figures.
#Configure the main capabilities
Verify that chat/agent interaction, inline editing and Tab completion respond. Select models available in your installed version and account. Latency matters for frequent actions; a heavier model is not automatically a better choice for every interaction.
Use the current settings interface. Historical cursor.chat.model and cursor.autocomplete.* JSON examples in the source should not be assumed to be supported configuration keys.
#Add project rules
Use project rules↗ for durable stack, style and testing constraints. The legacy .cursorrules file is explained in the rules chapter.
markdown# Project conventions - React and TypeScript - Functional components with hooks - Named exports - Explicit types and appropriate error handling - Tests for meaningful new behavior - Concise English code comments
#Diagnose setup problems
For login failures, check connectivity and the session first. Preserve editor data before considering any cache reset; deleting an application-support folder is not a routine first step.
For slow responses, check account limits, the selected model and excessive attached context. For extension problems, update the extension, consult compatibility notes and test an alternative if necessary.
#First-day order
Import essentials, verify the AI entry points, add a small set of project rules, then restore the extensions you depend on. Continue with a small first project before adding more settings.
