Update Cursor: Editor, CLI and Stuck Updates

Four things update separately

How each Cursor surface updates
Surface	Default behaviour	Forcing it
Desktop editor	Checks for updates on its own and applies them on restart. Force a check from the Cursor menu, then Check for Updates.	Reinstall over the top from the official download page. Settings and extensions survive.
Cursor CLI	Auto-updates by default so you stay on the current build.	agent update from the shell, or /update inside a session.
Origin CLI	Updated on demand rather than silently.	origin update.
Linux via apt or dnf	Updates arrive through the package manager along with everything else on the system.	Your usual upgrade command. The AppImage does not work this way and has to be replaced by hand.

When the update never applies

The most reported update problem is not a failed download. It is an update that downloads successfully, prompts for a restart, and then reappears afterwards asking to be installed again. The cause is nearly always that the application cannot overwrite itself.

On macOS, this happens when Cursor is running from somewhere other than /Applications: a Downloads folder, a Desktop, a second disk. The updater writes the new build, fails to swap it in, and silently falls back. Moving the application into /Applications and launching it from there usually fixes the loop permanently.

On Windows, the usual cause is having both the System and User installers on the same machine. Two installations means one updater can be patching a copy you are not actually running. Uninstall both, then install one deliberately.

In either case, installing the current build over the top from the official download page resolves it without losing anything. Settings, keybindings and extensions live in your user profile, not inside the application, so a reinstall does not touch them.

Holding a version on purpose

Occasionally a release changes behaviour you depend on, or breaks an extension. Staying put is legitimate, and needs two steps rather than one: install the specific build you want from the version list on the download page, and turn automatic updates off. Doing only the first means the application quietly restores the version you were trying to avoid, usually overnight.

On Linux with .deb or .rpm packages, this is a package manager question rather than an application setting. Hold the package the way you would hold any other, and the editor will not argue.

The CLI updates on its own terms

The agent CLI tries to auto-update so you stay current. That is the right default on a laptop and the wrong one in a container, where a version that changes between runs turns a reproducible pipeline into an unreproducible one. In images, install at build time and treat the runtime updater as something to work around rather than rely on.

A missing model is often a stale client

Model availability depends on the client as well as the account. A build that is a few releases behind can be missing a model that launched recently, and the symptom looks like a plan problem rather than a version problem. If the picker does not show something you expect it to, update before you open a support ticket.

Behaviour described against the download page and the CLI installation docs as of 25 September 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How do I update Cursor?

The desktop editor checks for updates automatically and applies them when you restart. To trigger a check manually, open the Cursor menu and choose Check for Updates. The CLI is separate and updates with `agent update`.

Why does Cursor keep saying an update is available but never install it?

Usually a permissions or file-lock problem rather than a download failure. On macOS an application moved outside /Applications often cannot replace itself; on Windows the same happens when both the System and User installers are present. Reinstalling the current build over the top resolves both cases, and your settings and extensions survive.

Does updating Cursor delete my extensions and settings?

No. Updates and over-the-top reinstalls preserve your settings, keybindings and installed extensions, because those live in your user profile rather than inside the application bundle.

How do I stop Cursor from updating automatically?

Update behaviour is a setting in the editor, and the reliable way to hold a version is to combine turning automatic updates off with installing a specific build from the download page. On Linux the package manager controls this instead, so hold the package rather than fighting the application.

How do I roll back to an earlier version of Cursor?

The official download page keeps several recent releases with a full set of platform builds. Install the version you want over the current one, then disable automatic updates so the application does not immediately restore what you were avoiding.

How do I update the Cursor CLI?

It tries to auto-update by default. Run `agent update` to force it, or `/update` from inside an interactive session. In container images, reinstall at build time rather than depending on the runtime updater, otherwise the version can change underneath a pipeline that was passing yesterday.

Do I need to update to get new models?

Often, yes. Model availability is tied to client support as well as your plan, so a build that is several releases behind may not offer a model that launched last week. If a model you expect to see is missing from the picker, updating is the first thing to try.