Setting Up Cursor IDE Beginner

Getting started with Cursor takes just a few minutes. Since it is built on VS Code, your existing settings, extensions, and keybindings transfer seamlessly. This lesson walks through installation, configuration, and your first AI-assisted edit.

Installation

1. Download Cursor

   Visit cursor.com and download the installer for your platform (macOS, Windows, or Linux).

2. Run the installer

   On macOS, drag to Applications. On Windows, run the .exe installer. On Linux, extract the AppImage or .deb package.

3. Import VS Code settings

   On first launch, Cursor will offer to import your VS Code extensions, themes, keybindings, and settings. Click "Import" to bring everything over.

4. Sign in or create an account

   Sign in with GitHub, Google, or email. The free Hobby tier gives you immediate access to AI features with limited requests.

Configuring AI Models

Cursor lets you choose which AI model powers each feature. Open Settings (Cmd/Ctrl + ,) and navigate to Cursor > Models:

Model	Best For	Speed	Quality
GPT-4o	General coding, fast responses	Fast	Very good
Claude Sonnet	Complex reasoning, long context	Fast	Excellent
Claude Opus	Hardest problems, nuanced code	Slower	Best
cursor-small	Tab completions (default)	Very fast	Good for completions

Key Settings

Setting	Location	Recommendation
Tab Completion	Cursor > Tab	Enable for inline suggestions as you type
Codebase Indexing	Cursor > General	Enable to let AI understand your full project
Privacy Mode	Cursor > General	Enable if your code should not be stored on servers
Default Model	Cursor > Models	Claude Sonnet for Chat; cursor-small for Tab
Auto-apply suggestions	Cursor > Composer	Disable initially; review changes before applying

Your First AI Edit

Let us verify everything works with a quick test:

1. Open a project folder

   Open any code project in Cursor (File > Open Folder).

2. Try Tab completion

   Start typing a function and watch Cursor suggest completions. Press Tab to accept.

3. Try Cmd-K

   Select a block of code, press Cmd/Ctrl + K, and type "add error handling." Cursor will show a diff of the proposed changes.

4. Try Chat

   Press Cmd/Ctrl + L to open Chat. Ask "What does this project do?" and Cursor will analyze your codebase and respond.