Default Cursor Markdown renderer fails to display local/remote images; VS Code markdown preview works

[fire]

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

The default Cursor Markdown renderer fails to render Markdown images ( both remote URLs and local relative paths ).

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open any markdown file in Cursor that contains image markdown, for example:
   • Remote: ![](https://assets.leetcode.com/uploads/2021/06/10/ringofgrid.png)
   • Local: ![](ringofgrid.png) ( download the above image into the same local folder )
2. View it in Cursor’s default Markdown renderer.
3. Observe that images do not render.

Expected Behavior

• Cursor’s default Markdown renderer should render valid Markdown images for both remote URLs and local relative paths.
• Behavior should probably just match VS Code markdown preview.

Screenshots / Screen Recordings

Remote images:

Editor:

Renderer:

Local images:

Editor:

Renderer:

vscode.markdown.preview.editor ( local and remote ):

Operating System

MacOS

Version Information

Version: 3.3.28
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: e64b4f5f409b4d92c952bf936c243894a315db10
Date: 2026-05-08T06:09:12.665Z
Layout: editor
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Nightly
Electron: 39.8.1
Chromium: 142.0.7444.265
Node.js: 22.22.1
V8: 14.2.231.22-electron.0
OS: Darwin arm64 25.4.0

Additional Information

If you configure Cursor’s workbench editor association to use the VS Code markdown preview editor instead:

"workbench.editorAssociations": {
  "*.md": "vscode.markdown.preview.editor"
}

The images render without issue, however, if a markdown file is then opened with the VS Code preview editor first, using the in-editor Preview / Markdown toggles ( in the top right ) switches to Cursor’s Markdown editor ( and subsequently its previewer ) and image rendering breaks again.

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

[deanrie]

Hey, thanks for the detailed report with screenshots and the workaround you found, it really helps.

This is a known bug in the built-in Markdown renderer. The current editor doesn’t load the image extension, so ![alt](url) gets parsed but not rendered. The association to vscode.markdown.preview.editor you found is the right temporary workaround.

We’re tracking this issue on our side, but there’s no exact fix timeline yet. When there’s an update, I’ll reply in the thread.