Cursor Setup Guide: From VS Code to Agent Mode in 30 Minutes

Cursor is the best coding agent of 2026. This guide walks through installation, VS Code migration, and your first Agent Mode workflow in 30 minutes.

Step 1: Install Cursor

Download Cursor from cursor.sh. It's available for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Installation is standard — drag to Applications on Mac, run installer on Windows.

Step 2: Migrate from VS Code

Cursor is a VS Code fork, so migration is easy:

1. Open Cursor
2. Cursor will detect your VS Code installation and offer to import settings, extensions, and keybindings
3. Accept the import — all your VS Code customizations will transfer

Step 3: Configure your account

Sign in to Cursor. Start with the Free tier for evaluation. Upgrade to Pro ($20/month) when you're ready for daily use — Pro includes 500 fast Agent Mode runs per month.

Step 4: Open your first project

Open a project you're familiar with. Cursor needs to index your codebase for best results — this takes a few minutes for large projects.

Step 5: Run your first Agent Mode task

Try a simple feature implementation:

1. Open Agent Mode (Cmd/Ctrl+I or via the sidebar)
2. Describe what you want: "Add a user settings page with fields for name, email, and notification preferences. Validate with Zod. Persist to the users table."
3. Watch Cursor explore your codebase, plan the implementation, write the code, and run tests
4. Review the diff before accepting

Step 6: Configure settings

• Context management: Configure which files are "in context" by default
• Privacy mode: Enable on Ultra tier if you don't want code used for training
• Model selection: Choose between different models based on task
• Autocomplete: Configure Tab autocomplete behavior

Recommended first workflows

• Feature implementation: Well-specified features are Cursor's sweet spot
• Test generation: "Generate comprehensive tests for [file]"
• Bug fixing: Paste error message and let Cursor investigate
• Code review: "Review this diff before I open a PR"

Common mistakes to avoid

• Writing vague specs — Cursor does best with detailed specifications
• Accepting diffs without review — always review agent-generated code
• Using Agent Mode for simple edits — use Tab autocomplete instead
• Not managing context — too many files in context degrades performance

Next steps

See our full Cursor review for capabilities, and our coding agent comparison for how Cursor stacks up against alternatives.