So last few months, every single time I try to update. It removes cursor, gives an error asking to double check if any cursor processes that are still runinng (which there aren’t). Then I click cancel and cursor is gone and i have to re-download from the site again.
Hey there! That first dialog is the key one, and clicking Cancel is what leaves you with nothing to launch (some old files are already gone by then). The delete fails because a leftover Cursor helper process, usually a node.exe from an MCP server or extension (sometimes rg.exe), is still holding files in the install folder.
Next time it shows up: open Task Manager, end any lingering Cursor / node.exe / rg.exe processes, then click Retry (not Cancel).
To reduce how often it happens:
Add your install folder (C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\Programs\cursor) as an antivirus/endpoint-security exclusion.
In settings.json, set "update.enableWindowsBackgroundUpdates": false so updates apply on restart instead of while Cursor is running.
Neither is a full guarantee, and what you’re seeing isn’t intended behavior, it’s not something you misconfigured. Our team is looking into this. Longer-running thread to follow along here.
