What makes Cursor different from Copilot
Cursor is a full IDE fork of VS Code, not a plugin. This means it has deeper integration than GitHub Copilot: it can edit multiple files at once, see your terminal output, reference your entire codebase for context, and apply complex multi-step changes through its Composer feature.
You can import your existing VS Code extensions, themes, and keybindings in one click, making the transition nearly seamless. If you already use VS Code, switching to Cursor feels like upgrading — not changing tools.
Install and migrate from VS Code
Download Cursor from cursor.com. Install it like any app. On first launch, Cursor will offer to import your VS Code settings, extensions, and keybindings automatically. Click 'Import from VS Code' to migrate in seconds.
Cursor has its own account system. Create a free account to access the AI features — the free tier includes a limited number of requests per month. For heavy use, the Pro plan ($20/month) gives unlimited fast requests with Claude Sonnet and GPTGPTGenerative Pre-trained Transformer — the model architecture and family name behind OpenAI's most famous models, from GPT-2 to GPT-5.Learn more →-4o.
Configure your AI model
Open Settings Cursor Settings Models. Cursor supports Claude Sonnet 3.7/4, GPT-4o, Gemini 2.5 Pro, and local models via OpenRouter or direct Ollama integration. For most coding tasks, Claude Sonnet 3.7 offers the best combination of speed and code quality.
You can add your own API keys under 'API Keys' to use your personal quota instead of Cursor's managed keys. This is useful if you are already paying for Claude or OpenAI access — it bypasses Cursor's rate limits.
Use Composer for multi-file editing
Open Composer with Cmd+Shift+I (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows/Linux). Composer is Cursor's agentic editing mode — it can read and write across multiple files, run terminal commands, and iterate on a goal.
Describe a feature or refactor: 'Add input validation to all the API route handlers and write tests for each one'. Composer will plan the changes, show you what it will edit, and apply them. Review the diff in the right panel before accepting.
Use @ mentions to give Composer specific context: @file to reference a specific file, @web to fetch documentation from the internet, @docs to reference a library's indexed documentation. The more context you give, the more targeted the edits.
Index your codebase for better context
Cursor indexes your codebase on first open so its AI can answer questions about any file. Open the Chat panel (Cmd+L) and ask questions like 'Where is the authentication middleware defined?' or 'What does the UserService class do?'. Cursor searches the index and provides accurate answers.
For large monorepos, exclude irrelevant directories in `.cursorignore` (same syntax as `.gitignore`). This keeps the index focused on the code that matters and speeds up context retrieval.