Update Error - Cursor updater is unable to perform rename operation

Support Bug Reports
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1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Somewhere else…

Describe the Bug

Hi,
When Cursor decide to update itself (without any user which is another issue) i have an error.
I am prompted with the following message:
An error occured while trying to rename a file in the destination diretory:
Movefile failed; code 3.
The system cannot find the path specified.

I can see in task manager the prompt is liked to the following executable in temporary folder:
CodeSetup-stable-2.6.18.exe

I have 3 options:

  • Try again => the error come back after few seconds
  • Skip this file => I have to do this a many files
  • Cancel

What is this issue ?
How to solve it ?

Steps to Reproduce

This happen every time cursor update

Screenshots / Screen Recordings

Screenshot 2026-03-12 143358.png
Screenshot 2026-03-12 143358.png512×415 10.4 KB

Operating System

Windows 10/11

Version Information

Version: 2.6.13 (user setup)
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: 60faf7b51077ed1df1db718157bbfed740d2e160
Date: 2026-03-06T06:17:49.499Z
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Default
Electron: 39.6.0
Chromium: 142.0.7444.265
Node.js: 22.22.0
V8: 14.2.231.22-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.19045

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

6

Hi Tony,

That error (“MoveFile failed; code 3 – The system cannot find the path specified”) during auto-update is a known issue with the Windows updater.

From your screenshot, the update is trying to move a file inside a OneDrive-synced directory, and the filename being operated on is very long (e.g., index-node-test-ts-write-text-over-image-bottom-align-text...). That combination is a common trigger: the OneDrive path prefix (like OneDrive - <OrgName>) adds extra characters, and when combined with deeply nested files inside the Cursor installation, the full path can exceed Windows’ legacy 260-character MAX_PATH limit. When that happens, the underlying MoveFile call can surface as error code 3.

Immediate fix

  • Download the latest version from Cursor and run the installer manually.

To prevent this in future updates -

  • Reinstall Cursor to a location that is not synced by OneDrive. The default install path (%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\cursor) typically works—unless your org’s IT policies redirect that folder into OneDrive.

  • If it is redirected, your IT team may need to (a) exclude the Cursor install directory from OneDrive sync, or (b) approve installing Cursor to a non-synced location.

About auto-updates
If updates are happening without your consent, you can change this in Cursor:

  • Open Settings (Ctrl+,)

  • Search for update.mode

  • Set it to manual (you’ll still be notified, but updates won’t install automatically)

Hoping this helps.

Best,
Mohit