How to Update Cursor: New Features Walkthrough (Monthly Refresh)

To update Cursor, open the Command Palette, run Cursor: Attempt Update, and restart when prompted. For most people, that's the whole process.

This guide covers everything around that command: how to update Cursor, how to check the version you're running, how to tell whether you're current, and what to do when an update won't install or won't appear. You'll also find where the official release notes live and a short look at what changed in recent Cursor updates.

Last verified: September 3, 2026. As of this date, Cursor 3.18 is the latest desktop version listed on Cursor's official download page.

How Do You Update Cursor to the Latest Version?

You update Cursor from inside the application. A dedicated Command Palette action, Cursor: Attempt Update, handles the update, and you restart when prompted. No manual reinstall is needed for a normal update.

Update Cursor from the Command Palette

The standard steps:

1. Open Cursor.
2. Open the Command Palette.
3. Press Cmd + Shift + P (macOS) or Ctrl + Shift + P (Windows and Linux).
4. Type Cursor: Attempt Update.
5. Run the command.
6. Restart Cursor when prompted.

Does Cursor Update Automatically?

Cursor includes built-in update functionality. The exact timing of when an update is detected, downloaded, or applied can depend on the current release and your settings. When you want to update on demand, run Cursor: Attempt Update and restart. That's the reliable manual path regardless of what happens in the background.

How Can You Check Your Current Cursor Version?

Open Cursor's About dialog. It shows the version you're actually running — the number that matters when you troubleshoot or compare against the latest release.

Check the Installed Cursor Version

Your current Cursor version lives in the application's About dialog. The exact menu location can vary by operating system and Cursor release, so open About from the application menu for your platform. Note the number down before comparing it to anything. Guessing your installed version is a common source of confusion.

Compare It With the Latest Cursor Version

Verifying whether you're current is a three-step comparison:

Installed version → official Cursor download page → compare the numbers.

Treat the official Cursor download page as your source of truth for the current desktop build. As of September 3, 2026, Cursor 3.18 is the latest desktop version listed there, with earlier builds such as 3.17 also shown. Third-party trackers often lag or disagree, so use them for rough timing only, never as your definitive check.

Why Isn't Cursor Showing the Latest Update?

Seeing a newer version online doesn't always mean it's available to your specific install yet. A "no updates available" message isn't automatically a sign that something is broken — availability can come down to timing or your update channel.

Update Availability Can Depend on Timing

Here's a common scenario. You spot Cursor 3.18 on the download page. You run Cursor: Attempt Update, and Cursor reports that no update is available.

Before assuming the updater is broken, check the official download page and your selected update channel. A staggered rollout is one possible explanation, though Cursor has not confirmed this as a universal policy. A restart or a channel check is a reasonable next step.

Your Update Channel Can Affect Availability

The other common factor is your update channel. Cursor offers more than one release track, and the channel you're on determines how early you receive new builds. If you want features sooner, the channel setting is where you'd change that.

How Do Cursor Update Channels Work?

Cursor's Update Access documentation currently lists three update channels: Default, Early Access, and Nightly. Most people should stay on Default. The other two exist for users who want newer builds and accept a little more instability.

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How to Change Your Update Channel

1. Open Settings with Cmd + Shift + J (macOS) or Ctrl + Shift + J (Windows and Linux).
2. Select Beta in the sidebar.
3. Choose Default, Early Access, or Nightly.

Should You Use Early Access or Nightly?

For nearly everyone, Default is the right call. It gets you releases that have been tested and shipped broadly, with the fewest surprises. It's also the mode Team and Enterprise accounts use.

Early Access makes sense if you want newer features before they reach Default and you're fine with an occasional rough edge. Nightly is for development and testing, where you want development builds and can tolerate instability. If Cursor is critical to your daily work, stay on Default.

What Should You Do If Cursor Won't Update?

Work through this sequence before assuming anything is broken.

Attempt Update → restart Cursor → check your installed version → compare it with the official version → check your update channel → use the official installer only if needed.

Cursor Says No Updates Are Available

Often this is not a real problem at all. Check, in order:

• Your installed version, from the About dialog.
• The latest official version on Cursor's download page.
• Your selected update channel.
• Whether availability is simply a matter of timing.

If your installed version already matches the latest official version, you're on the current build.

The Update Downloads but Doesn't Install

If the download finishes but the new version never takes over, try these in order:

1. Restart Cursor.
2. Run Cursor: Attempt Update again.
3. Fully quit and reopen the application, not just the window.
4. If the built-in updater still can't finish, download and install the current official build from Cursor's download page.

Reinstalling from the official installer is a fallback, not your first move.

Cursor Keeps Asking You to Update

An update loop can mean the new build isn't being applied as expected. Break it like this:

1. Check your real installed version in the About dialog.
2. Compare it with the official current version.
3. Restart Cursor.
4. Run the update again if the numbers don't match.
5. Fall back to the official installer only if the loop persists.

How Do You Update Cursor on Windows?

The in-app Cursor: Attempt Update flow is the same on Windows. Cursor offers both System and User installers for x64 and ARM64. If the built-in updater keeps failing, download and install the current official build that matches your architecture from Cursor's download page.

Separately: if Cursor shows a blank screen on startup (a launch problem, not an update problem), Cursor's installation and startup help lists running Cursor as administrator as one troubleshooting step.

How Do You Update Cursor on macOS?

On macOS, use the same in-app update command first. Cursor provides ARM64, x64, and Universal builds, and if the updater won't complete, the official macOS download is your fallback.

One macOS quirk is worth knowing. After updating or reinstalling, macOS may report that "Cursor is damaged." Per Cursor's installation and startup help, this is a macOS security behavior, not proof the file is actually corrupted. To clear it, quit Cursor, force-quit any leftover Cursor processes in Activity Monitor, wait a moment, then reopen. If the warning stays, move Cursor to the Trash, empty it, and re-download from Cursor's download page. Restarting your Mac handles the stubborn cases.

Reinstalling isn't the normal way to update on macOS. It's what you reach for when the built-in updater can't finish.

How Do You Update Cursor on Linux?

Linux is worth treating on its own, because the right fallback depends on how you installed Cursor. Cursor currently provides .deb, RPM, and AppImage builds for both x64 and ARM64.

First identify how Cursor was installed, then match that to the current options on Cursor's download page. Package-specific update behavior varies, so verify the current process for your format before relying on it.

What Changed in the Latest Cursor Updates?

Cursor's recent releases haveleaned heavily toward Cloud Agents and code hosting rather than the desktopeditor itself and features like its AI-powered autocomplete. Here are the mostnotable changes from recent releases. Each note names the Cursor surface ittouches, because a dated changelog entry doesn't automatically belong to aspecific desktop version like 3.18.

Self-hosted machines (September 2). Cloud Agents can now run tool execution inside infrastructure you control, keeping your codebase, build outputs, and secrets on internal machines. Cursor supports personal machines and team pools, and self-hosted workers support computer use on Linux and Mac. This matters most to teams and enterprises with requirements around where code and secrets run. It's opt-in — nothing to do unless you want it.

Start from scratch, without a repo (August 27). Cloud Agents no longer require a connected GitHub or other third-party provider to begin. You can prompt an agent immediately, save the result to a Cursor Origin repo later, preview it live in the browser, and connect Vercel to publish. Useful for anyone spinning up a project quickly.

Cloud Agents and Cursor Harness improvements (August 19). A batch of agent upgrades: subscriptions (agents that wake on events like PR activity, Slack threads, or schedules — Cloud-Agent-only for now), a /goal command for long-lived objectives, custom modes built from skills, subagents on isolated machines, and smoother mid-task steering. This helps people running longer, more autonomous agent workflows.

Origin Code Hosting (August 17). Cursor can now host your code. Origin added repos, pull requests, code browsing, and two-way GitHub sync, rolling out in early beta on paid plans. For Origin-hosted repos, Origin is the source of truth. It keeps agent work close to where the code lives.

Where Can You Find the Cursor Changelog and Release Notes?

The official Cursor changelog is your source for release notes, new features, and a running record of product changes. For the current downloadable desktop build, use the Cursor download page. The two serve different jobs: the download page shows the current desktop version alongside earlier listed builds, which is effectively the Cursor version history for the desktop app, while the changelog is the product-wide record of what shipped and when.

Cursor Changelog vs Desktop Version

A few things are easy to blur together:

• The Cursor desktop version — the number in your About dialog (3.18 at the time of writing).
• Changelog announcements — dated posts about features and improvements.
• Product releases across surfaces like the desktop app, web, Cloud Agents, and the CLI.

A dated changelog entry does not automatically correspond to a specific desktop version. Many recent entries describe Cloud Agents or Origin changes that don't ship as a desktop update at all. So tie a changelog announcement to a particular desktop version only when Cursor explicitly makes that connection — avoid writing "Cursor 3.18 introduced feature Y" unless an official source says so.

How Do You Know the Cursor Update Worked?

You'll know the update worked when your installed version matches the current one and Cursor launches normally. Confirm it in under a minute:

1. Reopen Cursor.
2. Check the installed version in the About dialog.
3. Compare it with the version you expected.
4. Confirm Cursor launches normally.
5. After a major update, spot-check any critical extensions or workflows.

Frequently asked questions

How do I force Cursor to update?

Open the Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P) and run Cursor: Attempt Update, then restart when prompted. If it reports no update, check the official download page and your update channel before assuming the updater is broken.

What is the latest Cursor version?

As of September 3, 2026, Cursor 3.18 is the latest desktop version listed on Cursor's official download page, with earlier builds such as 3.17 also shown. Confirm the current number on the download page.

Why is my Cursor version older than the version I see online?

Possible reasons include a different update channel, a pending restart, or update timing. Compare your installed version with the official one and check your channel.

Does Cursor update automatically?

Cursor has built-in update functionality, but exactly when an update is detected, downloaded, or applied can depend on the release and your settings. To update on demand, run Cursor: Attempt Update and restart.

Is Cursor Nightly always the newest version?

No. Nightly is a development-oriented update channel listed in Cursor's Update Access docs alongside Default and Early Access. Being on Nightly shouldn't be read as a guarantee that its version number is always ahead of the other channels.

Can I reinstall Cursor if the updater fails?

Yes. Downloading and installing the current official build from Cursor's download page is a valid fallback when the built-in updater can't finish. It's a fallback, not the first step.

Will reinstalling Cursor remove my settings or extensions?

Cursor's current documentation does not guarantee that every local setting, extension, or piece of cached data will be preserved during a reinstall. Back up anything critical before reinstalling.

Conclusion

Updating Cursor is a short, repeatable loop. Run Cursor: Attempt Update from the Command Palette, then restart. Verify your installed version against the one on the official download page. If an update doesn't appear, check your channel before assuming anything is broken. Reach for the official installer only when the built-in updater can't finish. Once you're current, skim the recent changelog for the surfaces you actually use. New to the editor itself? Start with What is Cursor AI and How Does it Work?. And after a major update, it's worth confirming your setup with How to Import and Manage Extensions in Cursor: Complete Guide for 2026. Keep this workflow handy, and updating stays a two-minute habit instead of a troubleshooting session.

Explore more Cursor and developer guides from RapidDevelopers.

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