Cursor AI is no longer able to load chats locally

[iamk3nnyt (Kenny Tran)]

Cursor AI is no longer able to load chats locally

[Benutzer6 (Sadfabsro)]

Same problem here, since yesterday none of the older chats loads. Also new chats stay in “Loading Chat” status after restarting cursor

[zy_z]

I had the same problem. After reopening the cursor, I found that the usage history only showed records from 3 months ago, and it kept showing as loading.

[derekNeedCoffee (tao tang)]

Same problem here! This is important as I kept each chat separately so I can discuss different issues without fixing context..Please fix this, thanks! This happened after I updated to Version: 2.1.19 (Universal) version.

[iamk3nnyt (Kenny Tran)]

I found for me now that if I’m in a different directory. The chats won’t load. I would have to re-open cursor on a specific directory for it to start recognize and reload the chats again

[bliksempie (Kobus Myburgh)]

I have the exact same problem. But my colleague does not have the same problem. I have followed all the guidance I could get with the exception of deleting my profile - did not want to risk losing my chats. Anybody have a solution yet? I do not want to lose my chats! There is important context in them!

[bliksempie (Kobus Myburgh)]

There are no errors in my console. Some other users talk about Composer 1 errors. Mine just does nothing. Frozen on the “Loading Chat” placeholder. I am considering downgrading cursor to the last time it worked for me: Thursday 20 November. Looking at the releases, it seems that I will have to revert to 29 October (release of 2.0). Not sure that is a great idea, or whether it will even solve the problem.

EDIT: I have taken a chance on the download page when it wants to download 21.1.20 and changed the filename I want to download to 21.1.0. That downloaded correctly. Scared of breaking things further or permanently.

Anybody else tried this?

[Artemonim]

Why does Cursor remove all of my settings every time I update?

This is an old random bug. You can report a bug and hope that it will be fixed someday. I reported mine in July

[derekNeedCoffee (tao tang)]

Tried downgrade to 2.0, still no luck…. when I clicked on past chats, it showed an error at the left bottom corner

[mdurmus]

Sadly I’m having the same issue. Has anyone figured out a fix yet?

[sabriguenes (SG)]

Could you please check if the chat data is still stored locally on your machine? It would be helpful to know if the files are actually gone or just failing to load.

Also, which specific version of Cursor are you currently using?

[derekNeedCoffee (tao tang)]

where is the chat data located locally?

[hime]

Hey, I just investigated this, and it happened to me, I lost 6 months worth of chat, around ~8gb in the global storage and now it’s only 4mb. Around ~4000 chats approximately lost.

The chat reference is still there, but the actual bubble chats are no longer in the global storage.

WORKSPACE DB (per-project):                    GLOBAL DB (shared):
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐       ┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ composer.composerData               │       │ cursorDiskKV                    │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐ │       │ ┌─────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ {                               │ │       │ │ bubbleId:chat1:msg1 → {...} │ │
│ │   "composerId": "chat1",        │ │  ──►  │ │ bubbleId:chat1:msg2 → {...} │ │
│ │   "name": "My Chat Title",      │ │ LINK  │ │ bubbleId:chat2:msg1 → {...} │ │
│ │   "lastUpdatedAt": ...,         │ │       │ │ ...                         │ │
│ │   "filesChangedCount": 18       │ │       │ └─────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │ }                               │ │       │                                 │
│ └─────────────────────────────────┘ │       │ If content isn't saved here,   │
│                                     │       │ it's GONE - but metadata stays!│
│ ✅ This file: 10.7 MB (HEALTHY)     │       │ ❌ This file: 2.7 MB (TOO SMALL)│
└─────────────────────────────────────┘       └─────────────────────────────────┘

This specifically happened when the server degradation was happening today, and when I restarted cursor, it logged me out. When I logged in again, the cursor settings are reset, but not vscode settings.

Then I got “Loading chat” for all of my old chats. Starting new chats was fine.

Chat	Created	Content
Test message discussion	Today 21:29	HAS
Old chats not working	Today 21:42	HAS
Understanding stripe	Today 21:56	HAS
—	—	—
Testing terminal commands	Today 03:30	GONE
Review azure app config	Yesterday 22:47	GONE
Transitioning to .NET for Stripe	Yesterday 21:06	GONE

The backup as well is small in size. I cannot overstate enough how serious this bug is.

2025-11-25 21:42:41.242 [error] [Window] Model is disposed!: Error: Model is disposed!
    at nF._assertNotDisposed (vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Users/dev/AppData/Local/Programs/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:281:437)
    at nF.validateRange (vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Users/dev/AppData/Local/Programs/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:284:2619)
    at nF._validateEditOperation (vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Users/dev/AppData/Local/Programs/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:287:430)
    at nF._validateEditOperations (vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Users/dev/AppData/Local/Programs/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:287:607)
    at nF.applyEdits (vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Users/dev/AppData/Local/Programs/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:289:1371)
    at Zzc.$onVirtualDocumentChange (vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Users/dev/AppData/Local/Programs/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:6301:7023) Model is disposed!

[icgriggs14 (Ian)]

same issue here.. keep hoping the updates will fix this MAJOR issue… it’s like running a company and having Outlook disable access to all email history! Cursor, do you think this is acceptable?

Cursor support said “This is likely a local authentication/sync issue rather than a widespread bug (our services are operational and there are no known issues matching this)”

”have a look in the forum where someone might already have a solution” … i’m here looking for a solution that Cursor could more easily look for, not to mention AI that should be able to find a solution or invent a solution. How long would it take one cursor employee to build an app that we could use to investigate the bug, find the root cause, and fix it?

Moving forward i guess this is the quality of product we can expect from Cursor!?!?

[icgriggs14 (Ian)]

Update: it looks like I’m SOL! Just imagine starting a company (I quit my engineering job to build an app) and ALL of your documented communication with your employees (agents) and all the problems you came across and discussions about your product are suddenly erased!

Bug Report: Complete Chat History Loss After Cursor Update

Environment

• OS: Windows 11

• Cursor Version: 2.1.42

• Date Issue Started: December 1, 2025 (noticed after Cursor version upgrade)

Symptoms

• All previous chats (100+) show “Loading Chat” indefinitely when clicked

• Chat titles/metadata still visible in sidebar

• New chats work fine

• Also experienced GitHub token authentication error (now resolved, but didn’t fix chat issue)

Diagnostic Findings

I investigated the local storage files and found clear evidence of data loss:

Location	Expected Size	Actual Size	Status
globalStorage\state.vscdb	50-500+ MB (for 100+ long chats)	2.1 MB	Data gone
globalStorage\state.vscdb.backup	Should be pre-corruption backup	2.0 MB	Backup made AFTER corruption
workspaceStorage\…\state.vscdb	N/A	21 MB	Metadata intact (explains why titles show)
Cursor\Backups\ folder	Should contain recovery data	85 bytes	Empty

Root Cause Analysis

This matches exactly what user hime described in their forensic investigation:

> “I lost 6 months worth of chat, around ~8gb in the global storage and now it’s only 4mb. Around ~4000 chats approximately lost. The chat reference is still there, but the actual bubble chats are no longer in the global storage.”

The architecture appears to be:

• Workspace DB stores chat metadata (titles, IDs, timestamps) → Still intact, hence titles appear

• Global DB stores actual chat message content → Corrupted/cleared, hence “Loading Chat” forever

Timeline

1. Cursor updated to new version

2. Possibly experienced server degradation or forced re-authentication

3. globalStorage\state.vscdb was cleared/corrupted (dropped to ~2MB)

4. Built-in backup was created AFTER corruption (useless)

5. Chat titles remain visible but content is permanently inaccessible

What I Tried (Did Not Work)

• Restored GitHub token authentication - did not fix chats

• No Windows restore points available

• No external backups of AppData folder

• Built-in Cursor backup is post-corruption

Impact

• 100+ chats lost containing essential development context

• Months of AI conversation history used for project continuity

• No way to recover without Cursor server-side backups (if they exist)

Questions for Cursor Team

1. Does Cursor maintain server-side copies of chat history? If so, can affected users request restoration?

2. Why does the built-in backup mechanism fail to protect against this? The backup was created after corruption.

3. What triggered the data clearing? Was it the update process, authentication reset, or server sync issue?

4. Will there be a fix or prevention mechanism? This is unacceptable data loss for a professional development tool.

Request

This is a critical data loss bug affecting multiple users. We need:

1. Acknowledgment from Cursor team

2. Investigation into root cause

3. Recovery option if server-side data exists

4. Prevention mechanism for future updates

[user1436 (SB)]

Wow, this is so bad. I’m enjoying the same experience after updating today. Forced login and then all the chats not loading and globalStorage\state.vscdb and globalStorage\state.vscdb.backup both showing 528k.

[mackann (markus)]

Suddenly my chat stopped working, restarted cursor and now new chat just loading and is not working and cant see any old chats…

[sabriguenes (SG)]

Hey, thanks for the reports

Since we are seeing multiple similar reports regarding this issue in this thread, I highly recommend opening a formal Bug Report.

While discussions are great for troubleshooting, an official bug report is the best way to ensure the engineering team is notified directly and can prioritize a fix.

You can submit it here: Link: https://forum.cursor.com/c/bug-report/6
(Please include your logs and system specs to speed up the process.)

[bliksempie (Kobus Myburgh)]

SG, you’ve been seeing these reports for weeks now, but now all of a sudden bug reports need to be opened? Cursor’s dead silence in the light of this is very concerning. Hundreds of us lost data. It is THE cardinal sin of a SaaS to lose your data.

[sabriguenes (SG)]

Thank you for reporting this.I was missing this thread initially. Given the severity of data loss affecting multiple users, I strongly recommend opening a formal bug report immediately if one hasn’t been created. This is critical for Cursor team to investigate and track properly. Please include relevant account and timeline details in the report.