What Is Cursor? How to Use the AI Code-Writing Editor and Its Features [2026 Edition]

What you'll learn in this article

What kind of AI tool Cursor is
What you can do with Cursor (key features)
How to use Cursor (for beginners)
Pros and cons of Cursor
Who Cursor is best suited for

What Is Cursor?

Cursor is a code editor (software for writing programs) where AI helps you write code. It is built on top of VS Code (Visual Studio Code), so anyone already using VS Code will feel right at home.

Designed as an "AI-native" editor, it lets you ask the AI questions while writing code and have the AI edit multiple files at once. Even programming beginners can learn and develop at the same time thanks to AI assistance.

As of 2026, it has been rapidly gaining popularity among developers and has become one of the leading AI coding tools alongside GitHub Copilot.

What You Can Do with Cursor

Cursor has five main features, broadly categorized as follows.

1. Tab Completion (Auto-Complete for Code)

While writing code, press the Tab key and the AI predicts and completes what you should write next. Because it understands the context of your entire project before making suggestions, its accuracy is high.

2. Chat (Conversation with AI)

You can chat with the AI about your codebase (all the code in your project). Ask questions like "What does this function do?" or "Fix this error," and the AI will respond.

3. Composer (Editing Multiple Files)

Simply instruct the AI in natural language and it will carry out changes that span multiple files. For example, tell it "Add a user registration feature" and it will automatically edit the necessary files.

4. Agent Mode (Autonomous Task Execution)

Press Cmd+I (Mac) or Ctrl+I (Windows) to launch an AI agent (an AI that acts autonomously). It plans changes across multiple files, generates diffs, runs terminal commands, and autonomously handles complex tasks.

5. Automations (Automated Agents)

As a new feature in 2026, AI agents can now be triggered automatically by events from Slack, GitHub, Linear, and more. For example, you can set it up so that when an issue is opened on GitHub, a code fix automatically begins.

How to Use Cursor

Here is a step-by-step guide for beginners on getting started with Cursor.

Step 1: Download and Install

Download Cursor from the official website (cursor.com).

It supports Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Installation proceeds just like any regular software.

Step 2: Import VS Code Settings (Optional)

On first launch, you will be asked whether to import your existing VS Code settings. If you already use VS Code, selecting "Import" will carry over your extensions and keyboard settings as-is.

Step 3: Open a Project

Open an existing project folder or create a new one. Since Cursor understands your entire project to provide AI completion, the key is to open it as a project folder.

Step 4: Try Asking the AI a Question

Open the Chat panel and try asking something like "What does this project do?"

The AI will read your code and respond.

Whenever you have a question while writing code, you can ask at any time.

Step 5: Experience Tab Completion

Open a file and start writing code — you can complete the next line with the Tab key. The AI understands the context and makes suggestions with surprising accuracy.

Pros and Cons of Cursor

Pros

Designed with AI at the core: While GitHub Copilot is an extension added to an IDE, Cursor is an editor built with AI as its foundation, resulting in a much higher degree of AI integration.
Excels at editing multiple files: In Composer mode, you can instruct changes across multiple files all at once.
Faster workflow: According to research, Cursor resolves tasks in an average of 62.95 seconds, compared to 89.91 seconds for GitHub Copilot — roughly 30% faster.
VS Code extensions work out of the box: Because it is based on VS Code, your existing extensions carry over seamlessly.
Choice of multiple AI models: You can choose from models like Claude Sonnet 4, GPT-4o, and more depending on the task.

Cons

Relatively expensive: Cursor Pro is $20/month (approximately ¥3,000), twice the price of GitHub Copilot Pro ($10/month).
Requires switching editors entirely: Copilot can be added to your existing IDE, but Cursor replaces the editor itself.
Cannot be used with other IDEs: It does not support other IDEs such as JetBrains or Neovim.
Credit-based system: Since June 2025, a credit amount equal to the monthly fee is granted each month, and using premium models consumes those credits.

Who Should Use Cursor

Developers who want to actively delegate work to AI: Ideal for those who want to go beyond code completion and hand off multi-file editing and autonomous task execution to AI.
VS Code users: People already using VS Code can migrate smoothly since their settings carry over as-is.
Startups and solo developers: In environments that prioritize development speed, Cursor's fast performance is a significant advantage.
Programming learners: Since you can ask the AI questions while writing code, it is well-suited for people teaching themselves programming.
People doing complex refactoring (code reorganization): Being able to instruct changes across multiple files at once makes large-scale code cleanup much easier.

On the other hand, people who are strongly attached to their existing IDE or who are concerned about the $20/month cost may find GitHub Copilot a better fit.

Summary

Cursor is a code editor where AI helps you write code
It has five main features: Tab Completion, Chat, Composer, Agent Mode, and Automations
It excels at editing multiple files and executing tasks autonomously, and it works fast
Because it is based on VS Code, your existing extensions work out of the box
At $20/month it is on the pricier side, but it is ideal for those who prioritize development speed
Recommended for developers who want to actively delegate work to AI and for programming learners

Cursor also has a free plan, so it is worth trying it out first to see whether it fits your development style. Collaborating with AI just might transform your development experience entirely.

This article is a cross-post from AI Friends.

What you'll learn in this article

What kind of AI tool Cursor is
What you can do with Cursor (key features)
How to use Cursor (for beginners)
Pros and cons of Cursor
Who Cursor is best suited for

What Is Cursor?

Cursor is a code editor (software for writing programs) where AI helps you write code. It is built on top of VS Code (Visual Studio Code), so anyone already using VS Code will feel right at home.

As of 2026, it has been rapidly gaining popularity among developers and has become one of the leading AI coding tools alongside GitHub Copilot.

What You Can Do with Cursor

Cursor has five main features, broadly categorized as follows.

1. Tab Completion (Auto-Complete for Code)

2. Chat (Conversation with AI)

You can chat with the AI about your codebase (all the code in your project). Ask questions like "What does this function do?" or "Fix this error," and the AI will respond.

3. Composer (Editing Multiple Files)

4. Agent Mode (Autonomous Task Execution)

5. Automations (Automated Agents)

How to Use Cursor

Here is a step-by-step guide for beginners on getting started with Cursor.

Step 1: Download and Install

Download Cursor from the official website (cursor.com).

It supports Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Installation proceeds just like any regular software.

Step 2: Import VS Code Settings (Optional)

On first launch, you will be asked whether to import your existing VS Code settings. If you already use VS Code, selecting "Import" will carry over your extensions and keyboard settings as-is.

Step 3: Open a Project

Open an existing project folder or create a new one. Since Cursor understands your entire project to provide AI completion, the key is to open it as a project folder.

Step 4: Try Asking the AI a Question

Open the Chat panel and try asking something like "What does this project do?"

The AI will read your code and respond.

Whenever you have a question while writing code, you can ask at any time.

Step 5: Experience Tab Completion

Open a file and start writing code — you can complete the next line with the Tab key. The AI understands the context and makes suggestions with surprising accuracy.

Pros and Cons of Cursor

Pros

Designed with AI at the core: While GitHub Copilot is an extension added to an IDE, Cursor is an editor built with AI as its foundation, resulting in a much higher degree of AI integration.
Excels at editing multiple files: In Composer mode, you can instruct changes across multiple files all at once.
Faster workflow: According to research, Cursor resolves tasks in an average of 62.95 seconds, compared to 89.91 seconds for GitHub Copilot — roughly 30% faster.
VS Code extensions work out of the box: Because it is based on VS Code, your existing extensions carry over seamlessly.
Choice of multiple AI models: You can choose from models like Claude Sonnet 4, GPT-4o, and more depending on the task.

Cons

Relatively expensive: Cursor Pro is $20/month (approximately ¥3,000), twice the price of GitHub Copilot Pro ($10/month).
Requires switching editors entirely: Copilot can be added to your existing IDE, but Cursor replaces the editor itself.
Cannot be used with other IDEs: It does not support other IDEs such as JetBrains or Neovim.
Credit-based system: Since June 2025, a credit amount equal to the monthly fee is granted each month, and using premium models consumes those credits.

Who Should Use Cursor

Developers who want to actively delegate work to AI: Ideal for those who want to go beyond code completion and hand off multi-file editing and autonomous task execution to AI.
VS Code users: People already using VS Code can migrate smoothly since their settings carry over as-is.
Startups and solo developers: In environments that prioritize development speed, Cursor's fast performance is a significant advantage.
Programming learners: Since you can ask the AI questions while writing code, it is well-suited for people teaching themselves programming.
People doing complex refactoring (code reorganization): Being able to instruct changes across multiple files at once makes large-scale code cleanup much easier.

On the other hand, people who are strongly attached to their existing IDE or who are concerned about the $20/month cost may find GitHub Copilot a better fit.

Summary

Cursor is a code editor where AI helps you write code
It has five main features: Tab Completion, Chat, Composer, Agent Mode, and Automations
It excels at editing multiple files and executing tasks autonomously, and it works fast
Because it is based on VS Code, your existing extensions work out of the box
At $20/month it is on the pricier side, but it is ideal for those who prioritize development speed
Recommended for developers who want to actively delegate work to AI and for programming learners

Cursor also has a free plan, so it is worth trying it out first to see whether it fits your development style. Collaborating with AI just might transform your development experience entirely.

This article is a cross-post from AI Friends.

What Is Cursor?

What You Can Do with Cursor

1. Tab Completion (Auto-Complete for Code)

2. Chat (Conversation with AI)

3. Composer (Editing Multiple Files)

4. Agent Mode (Autonomous Task Execution)

5. Automations (Automated Agents)

How to Use Cursor

Step 1: Download and Install

Step 2: Import VS Code Settings (Optional)

Step 3: Open a Project

Step 4: Try Asking the AI a Question

Step 5: Experience Tab Completion

Pros and Cons of Cursor

Pros

Cons

Who Should Use Cursor

Summary

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What Is Cursor?

What You Can Do with Cursor

1. Tab Completion (Auto-Complete for Code)

2. Chat (Conversation with AI)

3. Composer (Editing Multiple Files)

4. Agent Mode (Autonomous Task Execution)

5. Automations (Automated Agents)

How to Use Cursor

Step 1: Download and Install

Step 2: Import VS Code Settings (Optional)

Step 3: Open a Project

Step 4: Try Asking the AI a Question

Step 5: Experience Tab Completion

Pros and Cons of Cursor

Pros

Cons

Who Should Use Cursor

Summary