How to install Cursor AI code editor on Ubuntu?
Using the AppImage (recommended for simplicity)
Go to cursor.com and download the Linux AppImage file. It's a single executable that runs on most distributions without installation.
Open a terminal, navigate to your Downloads folder, and run 'chmod +x Cursor-*.AppImage' to make it executable. Then run './Cursor-*.AppImage' to launch the editor.
You can integrate it into your desktop by moving it to a permanent location like ~/Applications and creating a .desktop file, or using a tool like AppImageLauncher.
- Download .AppImage from cursor.com
- chmod +x Cursor-*.AppImage
- ./Cursor-*.AppImage to run
- Optional: create a desktop shortcut
Using the .deb package (system-wide install)
Cursor also offers a .deb package for Debian-based systems like Ubuntu. Download the .deb file, then install it with 'sudo dpkg -i cursor-*.deb' or 'sudo apt install ./cursor-*.deb'.
This method adds Cursor to your applications menu and handles dependencies automatically. It's a good choice if you prefer a traditional install.
After installation, you can launch Cursor from the terminal with 'cursor' or from your desktop environment's application launcher.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting to make the AppImage executable, leading to a 'permission denied' error.
- Downloading the wrong architecture (e.g., ARM instead of x64) for your system.
- Trying to install via apt without the .deb file—Cursor isn't in the default Ubuntu repositories.
