Search in Files no longer seeds selected editor text (regression in 3.8.11)

Support Bug Reports
1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

When text is selected in the editor and Ctrl+Shift+F is pressed, the Search panel opens but the selected text is not copied into the search field.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Open any file.
    2.Select a word or phrase in the editor.
    3.Press Ctrl+Shift+F.

Expected Behavior

The selected text should be automatically populated into the Search in Files search box.

Screenshots / Screen Recordings

Screenshot 2026-06-22 at 15.21.04.png
Screenshot 2026-06-22 at 15.21.04.png2708×1328 200 KB

Operating System

MacOS

Version Information

Version: 3.8.11
VS Code Extension API: 1.105.1
Commit: e56ad3440df06d22ca7501e65fd518e905486ef0
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Default
OS: Darwin arm64 25.5.0

Additional Information

Cmd+F correctly seeds the selected text.
workbench.action.findInFiles is invoked correctly.
Search from Terminal selection seeds correctly.
Reproduces in all file types.
Reproduces with extensions disabled.
Works correctly in Cursor 3.7.x.
Broken in Cursor 3.8.11.

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

5

Thanks for flagging this! This is a known regression in the 3.8.x line where Cmd+Shift+F stopped seeding the editor selection into the Search field.

It’s already fixed. Update to the latest version (3.8.14 or newer) via the Cursor menu, then Check for Updates, and selection seeding will work again.

If you’d rather stay on your current build for now, a couple of workarounds:

  • Select the text, Cmd+C, then Cmd+Shift+F, then Cmd+V. The Search field is focused on open, so the paste lands in it.
  • For searching within a single file, Cmd+F still seeds the selection normally.
7

Thanks !!!

I tried to installed version 3.8.14 - but i get only up to 3.8.11:

Version: 3.8.11
VS Code Extension API: 1.105.1
Commit: e56ad3440df06d22ca7501e65fd518e905486ef0
Layout: editor
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Default
Electron: 40.10.3
Chromium: 144.0.7559.236
Node.js: 24.15.0
V8: 14.4.258.32-electron.0
xterm.js: 6.1.0-beta.256
OS: Darwin arm64 25.5.0

‫בתאריך יום ב׳, 22 ביוני 2026 ב-16:12 מאת ‪Mohit‬‏ <‪[email protected]‬‏>:‬

8

The most reliable fix is to grab the latest build directly:

  • Download from cursor.com/download, open the .dmg, and drag Cursor into your /Applications folder, replacing the existing app. Your settings, extensions, and chat history live separately, so nothing is lost.

If you’d rather unstick the built-in updater instead, any one of these usually does it:

  • Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P) and run Cursor: Attempt Update (uses a slightly different update path).
  • Make sure Cursor is running from /Applications - the updater can’t replace the app if you launched it from Downloads or a mounted disk image.
  • Install any pending macOS system updates, restart, then try Check for Updates again.

Once you’re on 3.8.14 or newer, Cmd+Shift+F will seed the selection again. Let me know if it still won’t move past 3.8.11.

9

Solved! Got the latest version 3.8.24 and it’s back to work!

10

This is still happening to me on 3.8.24 Version: 3.8.24:

VS Code Extension API: 1.105.1
Commit: cf80f4b937f3b9c48070d7085129a838ce7876a0
Date: 2026-06-24T06:55:08.142Z
Layout: editor
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Default
Electron: 40.10.3
Chromium: 144.0.7559.236
Node.js: 24.15.0
V8: 14.4.258.32-electron.0
xterm.js: 6.1.0-beta.256
OS: Darwin arm64 25.5.0

11

Glad that got you unblocked, @kobimill

@hernan.laura - odd, because the fix is already in 3.8.14+ and it’s working for others on the same 3.8.24 build. A few things that can still leave the box empty even with the fix:

  1. Open Cursor Settings, search for seedSearchStringFromSelection, and make sure it isn’t set to never (leave always or selection).
  2. Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P) → Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts → search Find in Files, and confirm Cmd+Shift+F is bound to workbench.action.findInFiles (no custom override).
  3. Control check: select text and press Cmd+F. Does single-file Find seed normally?

Workaround for now: select text, Cmd+C, then Cmd+Shift+F, then Cmd+V (Search is focused on open, so paste works).

If it still fails after (1) and (2), try once with extensions disabled (cursor --disable-extensions) and reply with that result - that tells us local interference vs a remaining product issue.