# Model picker is stuck on paid model and can't switch off

**URL:** <https://forum.cursor.com/t/model-picker-is-stuck-on-paid-model-and-cant-switch-off/174260>\
**Category:** Bug Reports\
**Tags:** auto-mode\
**Created:** [October 10, 2026, 1:08pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/model-picker-is-stuck-on-paid-model-and-cant-switch-off/174260 "2026-10-10T13:08:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![daviswhitehead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/daviswhitehead/32/59280_2.png) [@daviswhitehead](https://forum.cursor.com/u/daviswhitehead)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 1:08pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/model-picker-is-stuck-on-paid-model-and-cant-switch-off/174260/1 "2026-10-10T13:08:26Z")

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### Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

### Describe the Bug

I was previously a paid customer. Now I’m free. My model switcher is stuck on a paid model. I can’t switch off of it because clicking to switch the model requires a paid subscription, and I don’t want to pay.

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/original/3X/5/a/5a66f42b2ed747b68635904b5438031863184bba.jpeg)

### Steps to Reproduce

See the description above.

### Expected Behavior

I should be able to switch from a paid model to the auto model from the free account

### Operating System

MacOS

### Version Information

Version: 3.23.23  
VS Code Extension API: 1.128.0  
Commit: 2dac2428994fe34f12658d9ecad1541b98db2c00  
Date: 2026-10-05T01:43:43.807Z  
Layout: Agent Window  
Build Type: Stable  
Release Track: Default  
Electron: 42.10.0  
Chromium: 148.0.7778.280  
Node.js: 24.18.1  
V8: 14.8.178.38-electron.0  
xterm.js: 6.1.0-beta.291  
OS: Darwin arm64 25.6.0

### Does this stop you from using Cursor

Yes - Cursor is unusable

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kevinn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/kevinn/32/101206_2.png) [@kevinn](https://forum.cursor.com/u/kevinn)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/model-picker-is-stuck-on-paid-model-and-cant-switch-off/174260/6 "2026-10-10T16:58:00Z")

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Hey @daviswhitehead, thanks for the report. Nothing is broken on your account, this is how the Free plan works right now.

On Free (without your own API key), the model picker is locked to a single model. For most Free accounts that model is Cursor Grok 4.6 Medium, shown with a lock icon. Clicking it opens the “Upgrade to unlock more models” card because picking Auto or other models is part of the paid plans. Free used to be Auto only, but that changed recently, so this is the intended Free setup after moving off a paid plan.

The lock only controls switching. It does not stop you from using Cursor. The locked model runs on Free within your included usage, so you can type a message and send it as usual.

Let me know if you have any follow-up questions!