window.nativeTabs has no effect on macOS 26 in Cursor 2.6.19

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

window.nativeTabs is enabled in settings.json, and macOS “Prefer tabs when opening documents” is set to Always, but Cursor windows never merge into native macOS tabs. A full quit and relaunch does not change the behavior.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Set "window.nativeTabs": true in Cursor settings.json.
  2. In macOS System Settings > Desktop & Dock, set “Prefer tabs when opening documents” to Always.
  3. Quit Cursor completely with Cmd+Q and reopen it.
  4. Open multiple Cursor windows.
  5. Observe that the windows do not merge into native macOS tabs.

Expected Behavior

Multiple Cursor windows should merge into a single native macOS tabbed window when native tabs are enabled.

Operating System

MacOS

Version Information

IDE:
Version: 2.6.19
OS: macOS 26.3.1
Setting: window.nativeTabs = true
macOS setting: Prefer tabs when opening documents = Always

Additional Information

A similar issue was reported in v0.48.1 and was reportedly fixed in v0.48.2, but the problem still exists or has regressed in v2.6.19.

Related thread: MacOS Native tabs broken in version 0.48.1

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

Hey, thanks for the detailed report. This looks like a regression related to macOS 26 Tahoe compatibility. The previous fix in 0.48.2 was for Sequoia, and on Tahoe it might show up again due to OS changes.

Did native tabs work in any earlier version of Cursor on macOS 26, or have they not worked since you updated to Tahoe?

I’ve passed this to the team to look into. Let me know.

Hi,

Yes, it worked for me until about 2–3 weeks ago.
Im on Tahoe since it came out to public.

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Additional Info:
When i’m using Command + Shift + N the native tabs are working, but when i’m opening another project from Command + O it’s override the existing one.
If need more info tell me.

Hey, that’s a helpful detail about Cmd+Shift+N vs Cmd+O. It helps narrow down the issue. It looks like native tabs work when you create a new window, but not when you open a project via Cmd+O, which replaces the current window instead of adding a tab.

Let me know if you notice any other patterns in the behavior.

Hi,
In addition, when there are 2 native tabs open and you using Developer: Reload Window, the native tab turns blank, only if I’m opening a new native tabs the IDE renders.
If you need a video for that just notify me
Thanks

Hey, that helpful detail about Reload Window does sound like it’s tied to the same native tabs bug on macOS 26.

A video would be really helpful, send it over when you can. It’ll help the team understand the issue faster.

The bug is logged and the team is aware. There’s no ETA yet, but your extra details help us prioritize it. Let me know if you notice anything else.

For some reason, it’s not reproducing at the moment. If I encounter it again, I’ll upload a video.
Thanks.

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