I see I am not alone. So annoying this “feature” is.
When I open Cursor, the expected behavior is that it opens where I closed it. I certainly don’t expect Cursor to force me to do anything.
Cursor Settings > Agents > Turn Off Open Agents Window on Startup - this option doesn’t exist (I have the latest version).
“Switch between Agent and Editor default layouts” is set to Editor.
Despite this, the forced Agent mode continues.
Forcibly imposing something is very, very bad.
In 3.12/3.13, the setting is now called Window Restoration.
Same bug of Agents Window. Funny. Long time go back and it is unusable now. As I can not quickly navigating in the sea of codes in my project like I used to be with a normal text editor tool. What a toy.
Nah genuinely, who thought this was a good idea?? I am using cursor for CODING not a CHATBOT. Please put the smart people in charge who thought this shouldn’t be the default. OR AT LEAST MAKE AN EASY SETTING TO SWITCH THIS.
Yes, good idea! Let’s rename and move this option to new places on each release, to hide it from users and keep pushing the IDE-as-Chatbot concept to all users, until all real programmers move back to VS Code, keeping only vibe-coders in Cursor!
It’s genuinely impressive how every update turns into a game of hide-and-seek. The button you need? Moved. Finally found it? Renamed. Found it again next update? Congratulations, it’s somewhere else.
If the goal is to force everyone into Agentic Mode, why not just release a separate app for it and let developers… you know… code in their IDEs?
Instead, every startup is:
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Open Cursor.
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Disable Agentic Mode.
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Hunt for the setting because it moved again.
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Repeat after the next update.
At this point, finding the toggle is becoming a bigger challenge than fixing the bug I opened Cursor for. 
I wanted to show a friend dev the Cursor IDE.
Even the website opens the Agents by default instead of the Cursor product page.
And after finally found the product / download page via google, there is no trace of the IDE. All Screenshots only show the Agents window. And in the docs, nothing of the IDE can be found.
Agents is fine as a additional functionality of Cursor, but pushing it that hard, even on the product page, will not lead new developers to use it, cause it doesn’t look like an IDE at all.
Just to add another data point: I’ve uninstalled Cursor and gone back to VS Code because of this change.
I liked Cursor and paid for a subscription for months, even though I increasingly used CLI-based AI tools instead. However, making the new Agents view the default startup experience—regardless of whether users want it—crossed a line for me.
Whether the view itself is good is subjective. The real problem is taking that choice away from users and forcing a major workflow change on everyone by default. It feels like the Microsoft approach: aggressively push a new feature until the backlash becomes large enough to warrant an opt-out.
That is not something I’m willing to accept in an IDE I use every day.
What made this considerably worse was how difficult it was to disable. I spent more than an hour searching for the setting. An AI assistant then spent another half hour looking through misleading forum posts and FAQ entries before giving up. Apparently, the setting has been moved several times and even renamed in the configuration files.
How is anyone supposed to find and reliably follow this?
Please stop forcing major UI changes as defaults, provide a clearly documented opt-out, and keep configuration names stable. Users should not have to fight their development environment to restore their previous workflow.
I’m also now trying the default VS Code and evaluating the AI experience there before deciding whether to cancel my Cursor subscription entirely. If the goal is to make users leave, this approach is working…
I’ll ask one more time: give users a simple setting for Default Opening Window with options like Last Used, IDE Window, and Agent Window, and respect it.
If adoption of the Agent Window is low enough that you feel you need to force it as the default to get usage numbers up, that’s the actual problem to solve, not something to force upon the user. Ask users why they aren’t using it. Don’t assume the answer is “they haven’t discovered it yet” and respond by taking away their ability to opt out.
Hey all, catching up on the open asks here.
macOS Dock / warm start (close all windows, app still running, click Dock → Agents every time): that specific case is addressed in the current stable. Update if you’re behind, set Cursor Settings > General > Startup > Window Restoration to Last Used Windows, and quit from an IDE window. If you’re already on the latest and it still happens, reply with OS + version from Help > About.
For everyone else who just wants the IDE back: Default is not “always IDE” - it can still open the Agents Window. Use Last Used Windows, then break the loop once: from Agents hit Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+N (or File > Open IDE), open your folder, close Agents, quit from the IDE. Next launch should restore the IDE. There’s no separate Always IDE option today; Last Used is the closest thing. If you want Agents never on startup, this thread has a community launcher workaround.
@kemike - on Ubuntu, Default explains the Agents launches; switch to Last Used with the steps above. The missing JSON when resuming is separate - please open a Bug Reports thread with the exact error, version, and that Workspaces path so we can chase it cleanly.
@2bethere - opening via cursor . is a different path from the Dock case; if it still lands in Agents on the latest build with Last Used set, drop your version here and we’ll dig into that separately.
I see Agent Window. Where is IDE Window option?
This demonstrates a complete indifference for their customers’ desires and preferences.
Just installed 3.14.7 (Installer took forever on windows) and it seems to have put back things in place. Next time you play this trick, Cursor, I am out! Claude code is begging me!
The product team had one job!
Are you guys trying to rival Windows 11 when it comes to poor settings and unwanted features that can’t be turned off? To be honest, you’re doing a great job of it. It’s been less than a month since the “Open Agents Window on Startup” setting appeared, and you’ve already replaced it with a new one that lacks the most obvious solution - the “IDE” option. People literally beg you for it in the thread and you straight ignore it.
We’re currently working to clarify the setting (and probably renaming it) so that it does what it sounds like!
You did quite the opposite.
If I wanted my code editor to look like Claude Code, I would use Claude Code. All I wanted is to have VSCode with AI support. I assume most of your paid user base wants the same.
I am also getting increasingly frustrated with the constant changes and the removal or relocation of settings.
I urgently need a simple option in Settings to always open a new empty IDE window on startup.
None of the current options work properly for my workflow. The “Default” option does not consistently open an empty window, the “Agent Window” option is not what I want, and “Last Used Window” is by far the worst because it automatically reopens my previous projects, including SSH remote workspaces, and immediately starts reconnecting to remote servers without my permission.
I simply want Cursor to start with a clean, empty window so I can choose which project to open. This is basic IDE behavior and should be available as a dedicated setting.
At this point, this issue, together with the constant UI and settings changes, is making me seriously consider canceling my subscription. I genuinely like Cursor, but these kinds of regressions have become frustrating enough that I’m thinking about leaving the platform permanently.
Please bring back a straightforward “Open New Empty Window on Startup” setting.