How Cursor IDE Enhances Code Editing Using AI
Tags: cursor, vscode, ai, tutorial
Published: 2024-06-24 04:00:00

## 📝 Introduction to Cursor IDE

### Overview of Cursor IDE

In the ever-evolving world of software development, having the right tools can make all the difference. Enter Cursor IDE, a groundbreaking code editor designed to enhance productivity through seamless AI integration.

### The Rise of New IDEs in the Software Development Landscape

The software development landscape is constantly changing, with new IDEs emerging to meet the needs of modern developers. Cursor IDE stands out by combining the best of Visual Studio Code with advanced AI capabilities.

## 🤷‍♂️ Why Choose Cursor IDE?

### Key Features

Cursor IDE offers a range of features that cater to both novice and experienced developers:

* 💡 **AI-Powered Code Suggestions with Copilot++**: This advanced tool makes suggestions based on a history of your recent changes, understands your intent, and can modify multiple lines at once. [Learn more about Copilot++](https://docs.cursor.com/cpp/introduction).
    
* 🗣️ **Natural Language Editing with Cmd-K**: Write code using natural language instructions. [Explore Cmd-K](https://docs.cursor.com/cmdk/introduction).
    
* 🌟 **Feels Familiar**: Import all your extensions, themes, and keybindings in one click.
    
* 🔒 **Privacy & Security**: With privacy mode, none of your code is stored by us. Cursor is SOC 2 certified.
    
* 🔑 **Bring Your Own Key**: Start out with your API Key. Use our hosted version for the full experience.
    
* 🎨 **Customizable UI**: The user interface is highly customizable to fit your preferences.
    
* 📂 **Enhanced Codebase Indexing**: Indexes your codebase for better and more accurate codebase answers. [Learn more about Codebase Indexing](https://docs.cursor.com/context/codebase-indexing).
    
* **Contextual AI with @web, @files, @folders, and Images 🌐**: Pass contextual information to the AI for more relevant suggestions. [Discover more about Contextual AI](https://docs.cursor.com/context/@-symbols/basic).
    

### Benefits Over Traditional IDEs

Cursor IDE seamlessly integrates AI into the coding workflow, making it an invaluable tool for any developer. The focus on privacy and security ensures that your code remains safe.


![Copilot++ Autosuggesting Preview](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/2blk71tv5vvexudb56kf.png)

> Copilot++ autosuggesting code completion for faster development.


![Command+K shortcut Preview](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/sfzeb339a1jaylbmi2ur.jpg)

> Command + K keyboard shortcut

![Edit Preview](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/etcjgpawu93rkavp9744.png)

> Editing and accepting/rejecting suggested code changes from Edit

## 🛠️ Getting Started with Cursor IDE

### Installation Guide

To get started with Cursor IDE, simply download it from the [official website](https://www.cursor.com/). The installation process is straightforward, and you'll be up and running in no time.


![How to download Image](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/03soysa5h25q946wjsgc.png)

### Basic Setup and Configuration

For those migrating from VS Code, the built-in import feature makes the transition effortless. Customize your settings and keybindings to match your preferences.

## 🔄 Migrating from VSCode to Cursor IDE

### Step-by-Step Migration Guide

Transitioning to Cursor IDE is a breeze. Import your extensions, settings, and keybindings with just a few clicks.

### Common Issues and Solutions

Encountering issues during migration? Check out the [Cursor Documentation](https://docs.cursor.com/get-started/migrate-from-vscode) for common solutions.

## 🖥️ Interface and User Experience

### Layout and Design

The user interface of Cursor IDE is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. The activity bar is horizontal by default to save room for Chat, but you can easily switch it to a vertical orientation if you prefer.

### Customizability Options

Cursor IDE offers a highly customizable UI, allowing you to tailor the editor to your workflow.

## 🚀 Productivity Boosters in Cursor IDE

Boost your productivity with Cursor IDE's integrated AI features. These advanced tools understand your coding context and provide intelligent suggestions, helping you write code faster and with fewer errors.

## 🔒 Security Features in Cursor IDE

Cursor IDE promotes secure coding practices to help you write safe and reliable code.

## 🌐 Community and Support

Join the [Cursor IDE community forums](https://forum.cursor.com/) to connect with other developers, share knowledge, and access valuable resources. The forums are categorized into various topics such as General, Bug Reports, Feature Requests, and How To guides, making it easy to find and participate in discussions relevant to your interests. You can also browse through tags like in-progress, solved, and closed to quickly locate threads of interest.

Need help? You can directly report an issue to the Cursor IDE developers from within the application. Simply navigate to the "Help" menu and select "Report an Issue." This will allow you to provide detailed information about the problem you're experiencing, ensuring that the developers can address it promptly.

## 💰 Pricing

![Pricing Image](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/gdycr8qvaci56uthbju2.png)

Cursor IDE offers a range of pricing plans to suit different needs, including a **FREE plan**. The free plan includes:

* Pro two-week trial
    
* 50 slow GPT-4 uses
    
* 200 cursor-small uses
    
* 2000 Copilot++ completions
    

For more advanced needs, you can upgrade to the **Pro** or **Business** plans. The Pro plan is $20/month and includes unlimited slow GPT-4 uses, 500 fast GPT-4 uses per month, and more. The Business plan is $40/user/month and includes additional features like an admin usage dashboard and centralized billing. For more details, visit the [Cursor Pricing Page](https://www.cursor.com/pricing).

Cursor also offers a variety of models to use, including GPT-4o, GPT-4-turbo-2024-04-09, GPT-4, GPT-3.5, cursor-small, Claude-3-Opus, and Claude-3.5-Sonett. If the free plan is not enough, you can always upgrade to the Pro version for more features and capabilities. [Learn more about the pricing and plans](https://www.cursor.com/pricing).

## 💡 Personal Experience with Cursor IDE

### My Transition from VSCode to Cursor

In my opinion, transitioning from VSCode to Cursor IDE was a smooth and rewarding experience. The AI-powered features and customizable UI have significantly boosted my productivity. I set rules in Cursor settings for all AI features to use, which has streamlined my workflow even further. Additionally, I use Cursor with the Pro plan, and it has proven to be trustable and highly effective.

### Tips and Tricks I Find Useful

Here are some tips and tricks that I find useful when using Cursor IDE:

* Utilize the AI-powered code suggestions to save time and reduce errors.
    
* Customize the UI to fit your workflow.
    
* Take advantage of the built-in debugging tools to quickly identify and fix issues.
    
* Enable privacy mode and automatic codebase indexing to make managing your projects much easier.
    
* Enable all Beta features as they offer valuable enhancements and improvements.
    

## 📝 Conclusion

### Summary of Cursor IDE's Strengths

Cursor IDE is more than just a code editor; it's a productivity powerhouse that leverages AI to make coding faster, easier, and more enjoyable.

### Final Thoughts and Recommendations

I highly recommend using Cursor IDE for its advanced features and productivity boosters. However, I do not recommend it for beginners in coding, as they might become highly dependent on AI and miss out on learning the fundamentals of coding.

## ❓ Frequently Asked Questions

### Why isn't Cursor completely free?

Large-language models cost quite a bit of money to run. To grow Cursor sustainably without compromising their service quality, they need to cover their costs.

### What is cursor-small?

cursor-small is Cursor's custom model that is not as capable as GPT-4 models but faster, useful for quick editing tasks.

### What are fast and slow uses?

Fast uses of GPT-4 are given first priority by Cursor's backend and are served faster than OpenAI's public API. On the Pro plan, once you hit your fast use limit, you can still use GPT-4, but your requests may be queued behind others at times of high load.

### What code do they store?

With "Privacy mode", your code is never stored anywhere other than your machine and will never be trained on. Otherwise, Cursor caches code snippets when you invoke the AI to improve their service.

### Do all Cursor features work with an API key?

A few of Cursor's features (including Copilot++ and Apply from Chat) are powered by custom models and cannot be charged to an API key.

### How do the plan limits work?

If you go over your limit, Cursor will nicely ask you to upgrade. You can use up to 50 uses of GPT-4 for free.

### Can I cancel my subscription plan?

Of course! Cancel at any time by clicking the manage plan button in settings.

### Where can I ask more questions?

Feel free to join and post on Cursor's forum. If you'd rather keep your question private, you can email them directly at hi@cursor.sh.

### Who owns the code generated in Cursor?

You! Regardless of whether you use the free, pro or business version of Cursor, all generated code is yours and free to be used however you like, including commercially.

### What is Copilot++?

Copilot++ is Cursor's native autocomplete feature. It's a more powerful version of Copilot that can suggest mid-line completions and entire diffs.

## 📚 References

* [Cursor Official Website](https://www.cursor.com/)
    
* [Cursor Documentation](https://docs.cursor.com/get-started/migrate-from-vscode)
    
* [Copilot++ Introduction](https://docs.cursor.com/cpp/introduction)
    
* [Codebase Indexing](https://docs.cursor.com/context/codebase-indexing)
    
* [Cursor Pricing Page](https://www.cursor.com/pricing)
    

## 🖼️ Images

* [Cursor.sh Featured Image](https://billionai.co/wp-content/uploads/elementor/thumbs/Cursor.sh-Featured-Image-New-2-qo6qv749be8yt04inngpjosdnnkfx1tsp24i053w34.jpg)
    
* [Cursor Features - CPP Rewrite](https://www.cursor.com/_next/image?url=%2Ffeatures%2Fcpp_rewrite.png&w=3840&q=75)
    
* [Changelog - Sub Diffs](https://changelog.cursor.sh/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2FsubDiffs.721e55c6.png&w=828&q=75)

* Cover Image by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

## 🚀 Happy coding!

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