Cursor is frequently being updated, removing and adding functionality, moving panels from one side to the other without any input from me. Is this normal?
One day my Agent Panel is on the left. Another day it is on the right. And today it is on the left. This is within 2 months (since I started using Cursor).
I just want to know if my Cursor schizophrenic? Is it bipolar? Is all of this intentional?
Regardless, it keeps switching around the panels without my consent. Is there at least an option to toggle the placement back to where I am used to?
This has long been an issue with their UX (or lack thereof) team. They like to constantly switch up where things are and change features that you’re used to. It’s incredibly frustrating.
Check out my other post, the solution there addresses the issue here. It turns out I was unaware these were two separate modes. I must have clicked on the try button to try out the new layout. It would have helped if they made the option easy to find. Switching to the original mode also brings back the original layout.
Glad you figured it out, Peter, and thanks for coming back to share the fix.
For anyone who hits the same thing, here’s the quick gist: in Cursor 3.x, a new Agents Window Glass opens by default, and the familiar layout is the classic Editor Window. That’s why it feels like the panels moved. It’s actually two different modes.
@Morneplaine here’s how to get the usual layout back:
Ctrl+Shift+P > Open Editor Window. You can also switch between windows with Ctrl+Shift+N.
To make Editor Window open by default: Cursor Settings > Agents > turn off Open Agents Window on Startup. After that, it’s best to restart.
One more thing: if chat got forced to the right and Cmd+E stopped working, that was a temporary rollout and it got reverted. Fully quit Cursor with Cmd+Q, open it again, and update to the latest version. The layout should come back.
Let me know if anything still doesn’t go back to normal.
Thanks for helping! The Ctrl + Shift + N opened a window on my left and then I had to close the agent first window on the left for the new one on the right to take over as the main window.
I understand switching up the UI. Tbh, I do the same at my workplace. Just wanted to put in my opinion where I strongly desire the left hand side to be the file structure. And no matter how much agentic ai I use. And I use a lot. I still want to be able to read code and see the code. Just a note.
I’m stumbling too but I more want to discover best practices than go back to a previous layout.
My issue: I use Agents collaboratively with Terminal Agents bouncing work back and forth between the two. Long/short it works great for me and Cursor Agent(s) work great in this collaborative development environment. However… keeping both visible in the new UI is a challenge. When Cursor Agents are running locally (for me in the left pane) they change the right pane where I might’ve had multiple terminal tabs open. The tabs were initially visible and then poof! they’re gone and I’m looking at an isolated document (e.g. plan) created by the Cursor Agent and everything else is ‘somewhere’ else.
The only way I’ve found to return to those Terminal Tabs (they’re not closed, just no longer visible) is to click on another Cursor Agent session that still displays them.
It’s maddening and I take full responsibility for not getting it and most likely using Cursor incorrectly.
Any pointers on how this works efficiently for others would be sincerely welcomed!
Hey @pee13, in the Editor Window Ctrl+Shift+P > Open Editor Window the file explorer is on the left by default, and code opens in the center. That’s the classic layout you’re describing. I’ll pass along the note about prioritizing the left panel, thanks.
@Darwin what you’re describing, terminal tabs disappearing from the right panel while an agent is running and only coming back after you click another agent session, is a known Glass bug. It’s not a usage mistake on your side. The terminals aren’t being closed, they keep running in the background, they just stop rendering. I can’t share an ETA for a fix yet.
There’s no Open Agents Window on Startup setting under Cursor Settings > Agents any other suggestions for how I can make the editor window open by default?
One other issue…when I do open the editor, old agent conversations (some of which I haven’t used in months) get re-opened even after I’ve right-clicked on the tab and selected Close chat.
Hey @tsongas, for the first point, the setting isn’t under Agents. It’s under Cursor Settings > General > Startup > Open Agents Window on Startup. Turn it off and restart Cursor. You can open the Editor Window manually via Ctrl+Shift+P > Open Editor Window, and switch between windows with Ctrl+Shift+N.
If that setting isn’t there at all, tell me your Cursor version and OS. There’s a case where the toggle disappears after being turned off, and I want to confirm that’s what you’re seeing.
For the second point, old chats re-opening after you close them is a known bug. I can’t share an ETA for the fix yet. Here’s a thread to track it, subscribe for updates: Cursor re-opens closed chat tabs on each launch
Let me know if the layout went back to normal after changing the setting.