# Why can't user rules be set in the system user directory? And why can commands be set in C:\\Users\\{{user}}\\.cursor\\commands?

**URL:** <https://forum.cursor.com/t/why-cant-user-rules-be-set-in-the-system-user-directory-and-why-can-commands-be-set-in-c-users-user-cursor-commands/148764>\
**Category:** Help\
**Tags:** rules\
**Created:** [January 13, 2026, 10:23am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/why-cant-user-rules-be-set-in-the-system-user-directory-and-why-can-commands-be-set-in-c-users-user-cursor-commands/148764 "2026-01-13T10:23:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![lalala123](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lalala123](https://forum.cursor.com/u/lalala123)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 10:23am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/why-cant-user-rules-be-set-in-the-system-user-directory-and-why-can-commands-be-set-in-c-users-user-cursor-commands/148764/1 "2026-01-13T10:23:37Z")

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Why can’t user rules be set in the system user directory? And why can commands be set in C:\Users{{user}}.cursor\commands?

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**Author:** ![deanrie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/deanrie/32/1263_2.png) [@deanrie](https://forum.cursor.com/u/deanrie)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 3:14pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/why-cant-user-rules-be-set-in-the-system-user-directory-and-why-can-commands-be-set-in-c-users-user-cursor-commands/148764/3 "2026-01-13T15:14:07Z")

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Hey, thanks for the request.

There are a few types of rules:

Global rules in files:

- `~/.cursor/rules/` (Mac/Linux) or `C:\Users\{user}\.cursor\rules\` (Windows)  
These are global rules in `RULE.md` format. They apply to all projects and are stored locally.

User Rules (cloud):

- Managed via Cursor Settings \> Rules
- Stored in the cloud and synced across devices

Commands:

- `.cursor/commands/`  
Local files with commands

So yes, you can store global rules in files under `~/.cursor/rules/`, and they will apply to all projects. Commands are also stored in files under `.cursor/commands/`.

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**Author:** ![Rao\_Athar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@Rao\_Athar](https://forum.cursor.com/u/Rao_Athar)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 3:17pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/why-cant-user-rules-be-set-in-the-system-user-directory-and-why-can-commands-be-set-in-c-users-user-cursor-commands/148764/4 "2026-01-13T15:17:34Z")

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unknown, the reason user rules cannot be set in the system user directory is because global rules are stored locally in the user’s home directory, whereas user rules are managed via the cloud to ensure consistency across all projects. As a result, setting user rules in the system user directory would not allow for cloud-managed updates.

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**Author:** ![system](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/system/32/99069_2.png) [@system](https://forum.cursor.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 3:18pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/why-cant-user-rules-be-set-in-the-system-user-directory-and-why-can-commands-be-set-in-c-users-user-cursor-commands/148764/5 "2026-04-13T15:18:29Z")

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Closed on April 13, 2026, 3:18pm UTC

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