CPU usage is too high

Discussion
1

Each cursor instance uses 200% cpu cycles. All the time. Computer literally becomes unusable. I did not have this issue until recently. I love the product but this regression need a fix asap. Please take a look guys. Thanks!

Screenshot 2025-02-09 at 19.18.48
Screenshot 2025-02-09 at 19.18.481626×222 26.7 KB

Macbook Air M1 2020, Sequoia 15.2

Cursor Version: 0.45.11
VSCode Version: 1.96.2
Commit: f5f18731406b73244e0558ee7716d77c8096d150
Date: 2025-02-07T09:43:58.555Z (2 days ago)
Electron: 32.2.6
Chromium: 128.0.6613.186
Node.js: 20.18.1
V8: 12.8.374.38-electron.0
OS: Darwin arm64 24.2.0

2

Same issue on my system. Macbook Pro M2 2023, 32G

1 Like
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4

I do need to use the extensions otherwise it’s not a useful solution.

Could you suggest the next steps to identify the extension causing trouble with Cursor?

5

You can try identifying the extension causing problems by opening the Process Explorer in Cursor.

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6

Hi deanrie, see the screenshot below.

I did some testing and I can confirm that not a specific extension is using CPU but instead the parent process extensionHost process consuming 200% consistently. This indicates the issue is on Cursor. For reference I tried using Visual Studio Code and did not bump into this problem.

I suggest escalating this to the tech team to investigate please. My battery which is supposed to last 10+ hours with light coding, is now being exhausted within 2 hours and computer is always heated up while cursor is running.

Screenshot 2025-02-17 at 15.11.18
Screenshot 2025-02-17 at 15.11.183010×1302 489 KB

7

I don’t have this problem, so I believe the issue is on your side. Try starting in safe mode: cursor --disable-extensions.

8

I started having the same issue after the last update, I could barely use my computer. I “fixed it” by removing an “import cost” plugin I had. I’ve been using that plugin for years without an issue, so it’s definitely something related to cursor.

1 Like
9

Just tested this now, after I disable this extension CPU usage is down to normal. @deanrie, can you investigate this incompatibility? It’s an extension most people would have.

10

Try this alternative extension, it performs the same function.

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Same with me as well.

1 Like
12

Same issue here. Constantly using ca 20% cpu. It stops if I use the disable-extensions parameter. If I manually stop all extensions it doesn’t stop.

13

This is exactly what happened on my end, both Cursor helper(Renderer) and Cursor Helper(extension-host) are the one who kills my CPU and burned my mac

14

I had the same issue with Cursor. The moment I was opening Cursor, my MacBook M4 Max was just heating up so quick that was draining the battery almost immediately. I’ve used ⁠cursor --disable-extensions and there was no heat and I was also tracking the usage in Activity Monitor so everything was perfect. Then I’ve started Cursor and disabled all extensions. Tried to enable each extension one by one to see how CPU reacts on Activity Monitor. Finally I found out that “Settings Sync” extension was causing all the trouble. Even though I only run syncing once a month this extension was always working in the background I don’t know why. I just disabled it and the problem has been fixed. It was frustrating and I was even thinking to switch to VS Code or Windsurf because I thought it was a problem with Cursor and I’m glad I’ve searched the issue on the internet.

15

Thank you @ozgrozer!

I had the same issue; intense heat while cursor was running, battery getting drained, also seemed like it was preventing my mac from sleeping while closed so my backpack would heat up if cursor was running.

Settings Sync (Settings Sync - Visual Studio Marketplace) was also the culprit for me. My macbook is back to running as cool as a cucumber after disabling/uninstalling that extension :partying_face:

1 Like
16

you’re my laptop saver!

this is exactly the issue I was facing

TLDR: Settings Sync is causing Cursor have 100% ~ 200% CPU usage.

17

I need F… reinstall cursor and loose all my chat history … well done @cursor !!

18

Hey, you can create a backup of your chats and restore them after reinstalling. You can also try saving your chat history using this extension: