Cursor does not open in windows Terminal

Bug Reports
1

Describe the Bug

Of course. Here is a complete summary of the problem, the investigation, and the final solution in English.

Summary of the Terminal Issue in Cursor

1. The Problem

When opening a new integrated terminal in Cursor, it would appear blank and unresponsive. There was no command prompt (e.g., PS C:\>), the cursor would not blink, and no keyboard input was accepted.

2. The Investigation & Misleading Clues

Our troubleshooting followed a logical path, but we initially pursued several incorrect theories:

  • Initial Suspect: settings.json: We first suspected a bad configuration in the settings.json file. We simplified the file, but the problem persisted.
  • Strong Suspect: NODE_OPTIONS Environment Variable: This became the primary suspect because temporarily unsetting it in a separate terminal (set NODE_OPTIONS=) seemed to work. However, we could not find this variable in the System Environment Variables, user profiles, or PowerShell profiles ($PROFILE). This was a “red herring”—a clue that was ultimately misleading.
  • Ruled Out: GPU/Hardware Acceleration: We tested launching Cursor with hardware acceleration disabled (cursor --disable-gpu), but this had no effect, proving the issue was not related to graphics rendering.

3. The Breakthrough: Using Process Explorer

The turning point came when we used the Process Explorer tool from Microsoft to inspect the live environment variables of the running Cursor.exe process. This provided the definitive evidence:

  • The Discovery: We found a hidden, unexpected environment variable: __COMPAT_LAYER = RunAsAdmin Win8RTM.
  • The Proof: After applying the fix, a new scan with Process Explorer confirmed this variable was gone.

4. The Root Cause

The problem was not caused by Cursor’s settings or a Node.js conflict, but by a Windows Compatibility Setting on the Cursor.exe file itself.

  • What is __COMPAT_LAYER? This is a special variable Windows injects into a program’s environment when you set compatibility options for its executable file. RunAsAdmin forced the program to always start with Administrator privileges.
  • Why did it break the terminal? When a “parent” process (Cursor) runs with elevated administrator rights, Windows security policies disrupt its ability to properly communicate with a standard-user “child” process (the terminal, like powershell.exe). This security context mismatch breaks the communication pipe (known as pty or ConPTY) between them. The terminal process was technically running, but Cursor couldn’t see its output (the prompt) or send it any input (your keystrokes).

5. The Solution

The solution was to remove the incorrect compatibility setting from the Cursor.exe file.

  1. Locate the File: Navigate to the Cursor installation directory (C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Local\Programs\cursor).
  2. Open Properties: Right-click on Cursor.exe and select “Properties”.
  3. Change Compatibility Settings: Go to the “Compatibility” tab.
  4. Disable All Options: Uncheck all boxes, especially “Run this program in compatibility mode for…” and “Run this program as an administrator”.
  5. Apply and Restart: Click “Apply”, then “OK”. After completely closing and restarting Cursor, the terminal began working correctly.

This setting was likely applied accidentally in the past, possibly by the Windows Program Compatibility Troubleshooter after a crash. Removing it restored Cursor’s ability to function as a standard application and communicate correctly with its terminal process.

Steps to Reproduce

using

Expected Behavior

windows Termainal stop INPATH

Operating System

Windows 10/11

Current Cursor Version (Menu → About Cursor → Copy)

all version Cursor does not open in windows Termainal

Does this stop you from using Cursor

Sometimes - I can sometimes use Cursor