Display file / folder view - option changed or missing since new UI

Support Help
,
1

I have been away for a couple of weeks and have returned to a completely new Cursor User Interface and no obvious indication of where things are!

How do I set the file / folder view to be aways visible? Previously I used it to “add to chat”, now I can’t find the option to show it? and seem to need learn a new interface which is not ideal to say the least?

Thanks

5

Hey, thanks for the request. Explorer didn’t go anywhere. In Cursor’s new UI it opens the Agents Window by default, which is chat-first. The usual file and folder view with Explorer on the left is in the Editor Window.

How to get the classic layout back:

  • Switch right now: press Shift+Cmd+N on Mac or Shift+Ctrl+N on Win and Linux. This runs Open Editor Window. You can also run it via Cmd+Shift+P or Ctrl+Shift+P then Open Editor Window, or click the IDE button in the top bar. Explorer will be back on the left.
  • Make it the default: Cursor Settings > Open Agents Window on Startup > Off. Then Cursor will start in the Editor Window.
  • Note: after a full quit, this setting sometimes doesn’t stick. To make sure it saves, confirm the Editor Window is the last active window before you quit. On macOS quit with Cmd+Q, not the window close button.
  • If you launch from Terminal: cursor . can still open the Agents Window no matter the setting. Use cursor . --classic to open the Editor right away with the folder loaded.

Add to Chat works like before. In Explorer, right-click a file then Add to Chat, or use @ mentions in the chat input to attach files or folders.

One small warning: in the Agents Window, Cmd+Shift+E or Ctrl+Shift+E is currently mapped to chat archiving, not opening Explorer. So use Open Editor Window for switching.

Let me know if anything still looks off.