workbench.sideBar.location: right, not respected after 2.3.26 update, even with --disable-extensions flag

[TheChris]

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

workbench.sideBar.location: right, not respected after 2.3.26 update, even with --disable-extensions flag

MacOS Sequoia 15.1

Cursor:

Version: 2.3.26
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: bdbdd3f2cf698f583c5cdd2a6dc0f5aec4ed5f90
Date: 2026-01-07T07:11:15.842Z
Electron: 37.7.0
Chromium: 138.0.7204.251
Node.js: 22.20.0
V8: 13.8.258.32-electron.0
OS: Darwin arm64 24.1.0

Steps to Reproduce

1. Install latest cursor
2. add this setting to user settings JSON:
   “workbench.sideBar.location”: “right”,

Expected Behavior

files/extensions should be on the right, agents etc on the left

Operating System

MacOS

Current Cursor Version (Menu → About Cursor → Copy)

Version: 2.3.26
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: bdbdd3f2cf698f583c5cdd2a6dc0f5aec4ed5f90
Date: 2026-01-07T07:11:15.842Z
Electron: 37.7.0
Chromium: 138.0.7204.251
Node.js: 22.20.0
V8: 13.8.258.32-electron.0
OS: Darwin arm64 24.1.0

Does this stop you from using Cursor

Sometimes - I can sometimes use Cursor

[Colin]

Hey @TheChris,

add this setting to user settings JSON:
“workbench.sideBar.location”: “right”,

This is working for me!

Is it possible that something has been overridden in this pane?

On any new window, it should match what you have set in your JSON. If you have workbench.sideBar.location set to right, the Agent Sidebar option will be set to left, and vice versa.