Cursor Install & Auth

Install Cursor IDE and authenticate your account. Covers all platforms, plan activation, and VS Code migration.

Installation

macOS

# Option 1: Direct download
open https://cursor.com/download

# Option 2: Homebrew
brew install --cask cursor

After install, drag Cursor.app to Applications. First launch may require: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Allow.

Linux

# Download AppImage
curl -fSL https://download.cursor.com/linux/appImage/x64 -o cursor.AppImage
chmod +x cursor.AppImage
./cursor.AppImage

# Or via .deb (Debian/Ubuntu)
curl -fSL https://download.cursor.com/linux/deb/x64 -o cursor.deb
sudo dpkg -i cursor.deb

Add to PATH for terminal launching:

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
alias cursor='/path/to/cursor.AppImage'

Windows

Download installer from cursor.com/download. Run the .exe installer. Cursor installs per-user (no admin required by default).

Authentication

First Launch Sign-In

1. Launch Cursor
2. Click Sign In in the welcome screen
3. Choose auth method:
   • GitHub (recommended for developers)
   • Google
   • Email + password
4. Browser opens for OAuth flow
5. Approve the authorization
6. Return to Cursor -- it detects the auth automatically

Plan Activation

After sign-in, your plan is automatically active:

Plan	Price	Includes
Free	$0/mo	50 slow premium requests/month, Tab completions (limited)