How do I open a project folder in Cursor?
Opening a folder from the menu
The most straightforward way is to click 'File' in the top menu bar and choose 'Open Folder...'. A file dialog will appear; navigate to your project folder and click 'Open'. Cursor will load the folder as your workspace, showing its files in the Explorer sidebar.
If you prefer keyboard shortcuts, press Ctrl+K Ctrl+O (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+K Cmd+O (Mac) to trigger the same dialog. This works whether you have a folder already open or not.
Alternative methods
You can drag a folder from your file manager directly onto the Cursor window. Cursor will open that folder as a new workspace. This is handy for quick access without navigating menus.
If you have Cursor installed via the command line, open a terminal, navigate to your project directory, and run 'cursor .' (the dot means current directory). This launches Cursor with that folder. On some systems you may need to install the 'cursor' command first via the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P) and search for 'Install cursor command'.
Common mistakes
- Thinking you need to create a new project from scratch in Cursor; you can open any existing folder.
- Confusing 'Open File' with 'Open Folder'—the former opens a single file, not a whole project.
- Assuming Cursor can only open one folder at a time; you can actually open multiple windows or use workspaces.
