Tab key not triggering code completion, and breaking all keybindings/ESC/Backspace on fresh Cursor install (2 new PCs, old PC works fine)

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1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

I’ve been encountering a really disruptive issue with Cursor on two brand-new Windows PCs, and I’m hoping someone can help me figure this out. The problem doesn’t exist on my older development machine, which is confusing me.
Problem Description:
Tab key not working for code completion: When I press Tab, instead of accepting an inline AI suggestion or indenting code, the focus moves between UI elements/buttons in the editor (showing active/hover highlights).
Key input lock-up after pressing Tab: Once I’ve pressed Tab once, the editor enters a broken state where:
All modifier key combinations (e.g., Ctrl+S, Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+Shift+P) stop working.
The ESC and Backspace keys become completely unresponsive.
I can only type the 26 basic English letters; no other input works.
Consistent across new hardware: This happens on two different new laptops, but my older PC with the same Cursor version works perfectly.

Steps to Reproduce

Pressing ESC repeatedly to try and exit a “stuck” mode, with no effect.
Running Reload Window from the command palette. This temporarily fixes it, but the problem returns immediately after pressing Tab again.
Switching to the default English (US) system keyboard layout, no change.
Disabling Windows Sticky Keys, Filter Keys, and Toggle Keys in Accessibility settings.
Resetting all keybindings in Cursor to default.
Starting Cursor with --disable-extensions to rule out extension conflicts.

Operating System

Windows 10/11

Version Information

Version: 2.5.26 (user setup)
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: 7d96c2a03bb088ad367615e9da1a3fe20fbbc6a0
Date: 2026-02-26T04:57:56.825Z
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Default
Electron: 39.4.0
Chromium: 142.0.7444.265
Node.js: 22.22.0
V8: 14.2.231.22-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.28000

Does this stop you from using Cursor

Yes - Cursor is unusable

3

I have the same issue. Restarting cursor helps for a couple of minutes but it keeps happening.

4

Hey, thanks for the detailed report.

What you’re describing, Tab moving focus between UI elements instead of accepting completions, sounds like Tab Focus Mode is enabled. This is an accessibility feature in VS Code and Cursor where Tab moves focus through the UI instead of inserting a tab or indent.

Try this:

  1. Click into the editor, then press Ctrl+Shift+M. This toggles Tab Focus Mode. See if Tab works normally right away.
  2. Open Settings Ctrl+, search for editor.tabFocusMode, and make sure it’s set to false.
  3. Also check the status bar at the bottom. If Tab Focus Mode is on, you should see an indicator there.

The weird part in your case is that after pressing Tab, all hotkeys get stuck. That shouldn’t happen just from Tab Focus Mode. If Ctrl+Shift+M fixes Tab but hotkeys are still blocked, let me know.

One more thing, are you using the built-in browser panel (Simple Browser) when this happens? There are some known focus bugs when that panel is active.

If nothing helps, try:

  • Download the latest version from https://cursor.com in case a clean install helps
  • Check if it reproduces in a completely empty workspace with no folder opened

Let me know how it goes.

5

Hey, thanks a lot! :folded_hands:The issue was Tab Focus Mode being enabled. I just used the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+M to toggle it off, and everything works perfectly now!

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