Feature Request: “Pin” Files & Folders in Explorer View within Primary Sidebar
Description:
It would be incredibly helpful to have the ability to “Pin” specific files and folders within the project/workspace Explorer sidebar. This functionality would allow users to keep frequently accessed or currently important items readily visible and accessible at the top of their file/folder list, regardless of the project’s overall structure or recent activity.
Suggested Implementation:
This could be implemented in one of two ways, similar to existing UI patterns within Cursor/VS Code:
Right-Click Context Menu: When a user right-clicks on a file or folder in the Explorer sidebar, an option like “Pin” or “Pin to Top” could be available. Clicking this would move the item to a dedicated “Pinned” section at the top of the Explorer, or simply keep it at the top of the regular file/folder list. A corresponding “Unpin” option would also be necessary.
Thumbtack Icon: Similar to how users can pin views like Explorer, Search, Source Control, etc., to the Primary Sidebar, a small thumbtack icon could appear when hovering over a file or folder in the Explorer. Clicking this icon would pin/unpin the item.
Improved Workflow Efficiency: Quickly access critical project files without navigating through potentially deep folder structures.
Better Organization: Keep focus on relevant files/folders, especially in large or complex projects.
Reduced Cognitive Load: Less time spent searching for frequently used items.
Consistency with Existing UI: Leverages a familiar pinning concept already present for sidebar views.
Use Case Example:
Imagine working on a feature that involves changes across several directories and sub-directories but primarily three specific files. Pinning these three files would keep them grouped and instantly accessible at the top of the Explorer, saving considerable time and clicks compared to manually locating them each time. Similarly, if you’re frequently referencing a specific configuration folder or a ‘docs’ directory, pinning it would be very convenient.
This feature would be a significant quality-of-life improvement for many Cursor users, enhancing navigation and focus within the editor. Thank you for considering this request!
VSCode, on which Cursor is based does not have that feature but there are several extensions you can install in Cursor from the marketplace that offer bookmarks for either files or even code lines.
Technically it could be added by the Cursor team, VSCode does not prevent that.
But the bookmarks are not their specialty I assume, its AI features that they add to make Cursor better than VSCode.
Even Microsoft doesnt add all features directly into VSCode so they added Extensions capability that the community can provide more features. Those that need the specific feature can install the extensions as not everyone needs every feature.
I looked up the extension that would fit your use case, its called file-bookmark.
This feature is definitely a must-have for working with large codebases.
I’m sure at some point it will be implemented in VSCode or in Cursor natively. In the meantime, if someone finds a great extension that does a job, please let us know.
You must be able to bookmark files and folders. On click on a file or folder, it should jump to it in the project tree.
I just submitted a feature request for this, and then i saw that there’s a few existing ones. Notion has this as well - this is a must have feature.
Problem: When doing exploratory work — data analysis, research, investigations that span many folders and files over days or weeks — the sidebar becomes overwhelming. Key files get buried in the tree, and the cognitive load of re-finding them causes context-switching friction, procrastination, and lost time.
Proposed solution: Add the ability to pin / favorite files and folders in the sidebar explorer. Pinned items would appear in a dedicated “Pinned” section at the top of the file explorer, persisted per workspace.
Key behaviors:
Right-click any file or folder → “Pin to Sidebar”
Pinned items appear in a collapsible “Pinned” section at the top of the explorer
Pins persist across sessions (per workspace)
Optional: support for simple ordering / grouping of pinned items
Optional: a keyboard shortcut to pin/unpin the currently active file
Use cases:
Data analysis projects where you revisit the same notebooks, scripts, and data files across multiple sessions
Large monorepos where frequently-needed files live deep in the folder tree
Research/exploration work that spans many directories over time
Reducing information overload when working across dozens of open files
Why this matters: A native, first-class pinning feature in Cursor’s sidebar would reduce friction significantly — especially in AI-assisted workflows where conversations and explorations often touch many files across a session. No existing workaround solves the persistent, cross-session bookmarking problem cleanly.
