Primary sidebar moves after IDE update

Support Bug Reports
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1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

I tend to use the primary sidebar on the right side of the IDE. Anytime lately the IDE updates and asks for a restart, the primary side bar switches back to the left side and I have to keep resetting it to the right.

Steps to Reproduce

Place primary sidebar on the right, wait for an update, restart per the notification request, primary sidebar moves back to the left side.

Expected Behavior

Primary sidebar should remain on whatever side it is initially set to after an update.

Operating System

MacOS

Version Information

Version: 2.4.28 (Universal)
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: f3f5cec40024283013878b50c4f9be4002e0b580
Date: 2026-02-03T00:56:18.293Z
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Default
Electron: 39.2.7
Chromium: 142.0.7444.235
Node.js: 22.21.1
V8: 14.2.231.21-electron.0
OS: Darwin arm64 25.2.0

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

3

Hey, thanks for the report. This is a known regression. The bug was fixed before, but it came back in version 2.3.41+.

Try this workaround:

  1. CMD + Shift + P > “Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)”
  2. Add:
"workbench.sideBar.location": "right"

It doesn’t work for everyone, but it helps many users. Another option is CMD + Shift + P > “View: Toggle Primary Side Bar Position”, but it might reset after an update.

The team is aware. Here’s the main thread with lots of reports: Primary Side Bar forgets its position

Let me know if the workaround doesn’t help.