How to Install Cursor on Mac (2026 Step-by-Step Guide)

Download the Cursor .dmg installer from cursor.com, open it, drag Cursor into your Applications folder, launch it, and sign in with a GitHub or Google account. The whole process takes under five minutes and requires no Homebrew or terminal commands. Cursor runs on macOS 12 Monterey or later, on both Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) and Intel Macs.

• Free tier available (2,000 completions + 50 slow premium requests/month)
• Pro plan: $20/month for 500 fast premium requests
• Minimum macOS: 12 Monterey; Apple Silicon natively supported

What are the system requirements for Cursor on Mac?

Cursor requires macOS 12 Monterey or later and approximately 500 MB of disk space. It runs natively on Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4) and on Intel Macs. No additional runtimes or dependencies are needed beyond the app itself — the installer is fully self-contained.

Requirement	Minimum	Recommended
macOS version	12 Monterey	14 Sonoma or later
Architecture	Intel x86_64	Apple Silicon (ARM)
Disk space	~500 MB	1 GB+ (for extensions)
RAM	8 GB	16 GB+

How do you install Cursor on Mac?

Go to cursor.com, click Download for Mac, open the downloaded .dmg file, drag the Cursor app into your Applications folder, and double-click to launch. On first launch, macOS may ask you to confirm opening a downloaded app — click Open in that dialog. Then sign in with GitHub or Google to activate your account.

Step-by-step installation

1. Download: Visit cursor.com and click Download for Mac. The site auto-detects your architecture and serves the right build (Apple Silicon or Intel).
2. Open the DMG: Double-click the downloaded Cursor-*.dmg file. A Finder window opens showing the Cursor icon and an Applications shortcut.
3. Drag to Applications: Drag the Cursor icon onto the Applications folder icon in the same window.
4. Launch Cursor: Open Spotlight (Cmd + Space), type Cursor, and press Return. Alternatively, open Finder, navigate to Applications, and double-click Cursor.
5. Allow the app: If macOS shows a security warning about an app downloaded from the internet, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway next to the Cursor entry.
6. Sign in: Choose GitHub or Google sign-in. A browser tab opens for OAuth — authorize it and you'll be redirected back to Cursor.
7. Import VS Code settings (optional): Cursor is built on VS Code and offers to import your existing settings, extensions, and keybindings on first launch. Accept to skip manual reconfiguration.

Dealing with the "unidentified developer" warning

As of macOS 13+, Gatekeeper may block apps not downloaded from the Mac App Store. If you see "Cursor cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified", open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the Security section, and click Open Anyway. You only need to do this once.

Can you install Cursor with Homebrew?

Yes. If you prefer a terminal-based workflow, Cursor is available as a Homebrew cask. Run brew install --cask cursor and Homebrew will download and install the latest version automatically. Upgrades are handled with brew upgrade --cask cursor.

# Install
brew install --cask cursor

# Upgrade later
brew upgrade --cask cursor

The Homebrew cask is community-maintained and may trail the latest release by a day or two. For the newest build, the direct download from cursor.com is more current.

What should you configure after installing Cursor?

After signing in, configure your AI model preference, set up your default keybindings, and optionally enable Cursor Rules for project-specific instructions. The most impactful first steps are choosing between GPT-4o and Claude 3.7 Sonnet as your default model, and deciding whether to enable Privacy Mode (disables code storage on Cursor's servers).

• Model selection: Go to Cursor Settings → Models to pick your default. Claude 3.7 Sonnet is the default for Agent mode as of mid-2025.
• Keybindings: If you imported VS Code settings, your existing shortcuts carry over. Otherwise, set these in Cursor Settings → Keymaps.
• Privacy Mode: Found under Cursor Settings → General → Privacy Mode. Required for sensitive codebases under NDA.
• Cursor Rules: Add a .cursorrules file to your project root to give the AI persistent context about your stack and conventions.

What are Cursor's usage limits on Mac?

The free Hobby tier gives you 2,000 AI completions and 50 slow premium model requests per month. Pro ($20/month) raises that to 500 fast premium requests and unlimited completions. If you hit your daily message cap, Cursor queues you into the slow tier rather than blocking you entirely. See the Cursor message limit per day breakdown for exact numbers by plan.

Plan	Price	Fast premium requests/mo	Completions
Hobby (Free)	$0	50 (slow)	2,000
Pro	$20/mo	500 fast	Unlimited
Business	$40/user/mo	500 fast	Unlimited + team admin

For a deeper comparison of Cursor versus Claude Code pricing and request limits, see Claude Code vs Cursor pricing comparison.

Common installation problems on Mac

Cursor won't open after installation

This usually means macOS Gatekeeper blocked the app. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click Open Anyway next to the Cursor entry. If the option doesn't appear, try right-clicking Cursor in Finder and selecting Open from the context menu instead of double-clicking.

Cursor feels slow on an older Mac

Cursor is built on Electron (like VS Code), so it's RAM-hungry. On Macs with 8 GB RAM, close unused browser tabs and applications before running large agent sessions. Disabling unused extensions also helps significantly.

Cursor isn't updating automatically

Cursor ships with an auto-updater. If it's not picking up new versions, go to Help → Check for Updates manually. If you installed via Homebrew, run brew upgrade --cask cursor instead.

VS Code extensions didn't import

Cursor imports extensions from VS Code's default install location. If you used a custom VS Code installation path or a fork like VSCodium, the auto-import won't find them. Install extensions manually via Cmd + Shift + X in Cursor's Extensions panel.

Should you use Cursor or another AI editor on Mac?

Cursor is the most mature AI-native editor for Mac as of 2026 and the right default choice for most developers. If you prefer a CLI-first workflow, Claude Code is a strong alternative — especially if you're already on a Claude Pro or Max plan. If you want to compare options side by side, see Windsurf vs Cursor and how many messages Cursor Pro actually gives you.

For Claude Code installation on Mac, the process is different (it's a CLI tool installed via npm). That guide is covered separately at how to install Claude Code on Mac.

Key takeaways

1. Download the .dmg from cursor.com — no package manager required.
2. Requires macOS 12 Monterey or later; runs natively on Apple Silicon.
3. If macOS blocks the app, use System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway.
4. For Homebrew users: brew install --cask cursor.
5. Import VS Code settings on first launch to skip manual reconfiguration.
6. Free tier: 2,000 completions + 50 slow premium requests/month. Pro: $20/month for 500 fast requests.

Sources

• cursor.com — official download and documentation
• Cursor message limit per day — Usagebar
• Claude Code vs Cursor pricing comparison — Usagebar
• How to install Claude Code on Mac — Usagebar