Step-by-Step Beginner Guide To Easily Install Cursor On Ubuntu Bash

Step 1: Save the Script From Below

First, you need to save this script to a file on your Ubuntu system:

Open a text editor like nano or gedit: nano install_cursor.sh
Copy and paste the script below
Save the file and exit the editor (in nano: Ctrl+O, Enter, then Ctrl+X)

Step 2: Make the Script Executable

chmod +x install_cursor.sh
This command gives the script permission to run as a program.

Step 3: Run the Script

sudo ./install_cursor.sh
Using sudo ensures the script has the permissions it needs to install software in system directories.

Step 4: Apply the Alias

After the script completes, you'll need to refresh your shell to use the new alias:
source ~/.bashrc
You can also skip this by restarting your shell

Step 5: Using Cursor AI IDE Now you can launch Cursor AI in two ways:

From the application menu: Look for "Cursor AI IDE" in your applications
From the terminal: Simply type cursor to launch it

Script:

#!/bin/bash

installCursor() {
if ! [ -f /opt/cursor.appimage ]; then
    echo "Installing Cursor AI IDE..."

    # Check for sudo privileges
    if [ "$(id -u)" -ne 0 ]; then
        echo "This script needs sudo privileges to install Cursor AI."
        echo "Please run with: sudo $0"
        return 1
    fi

    # URLs for Cursor AppImage and Icon
    CURSOR_URL="https://downloader.cursor.sh/linux/appImage/x64"
    ICON_URL="https://registry.npmmirror.com/@lobehub/icons-static-png/latest/files/dark/cursor.png"

    # Paths for installation
    APPIMAGE_PATH="/opt/cursor.appimage"
    ICON_PATH="/opt/cursor.png"
    DESKTOP_ENTRY_PATH="/usr/share/applications/cursor.desktop"

    # Install curl if not installed
    if ! command -v curl &> /dev/null; then
        echo "curl is not installed. Installing..."
        apt-get update
        apt-get install -y curl
    fi

    # Download Cursor AppImage
    echo "Downloading Cursor AppImage..."
    if ! curl -L $CURSOR_URL -o $APPIMAGE_PATH; then
        echo "Failed to download Cursor AppImage. Please check your internet connection."
        return 1
    fi
    chmod +x $APPIMAGE_PATH

    # Download Cursor icon
    echo "Downloading Cursor icon..."
    if ! curl -L $ICON_URL -o $ICON_PATH; then
        echo "Failed to download Cursor icon, but continuing installation."
    fi

    # Create a .desktop entry for Cursor
    echo "Creating .desktop entry for Cursor..."
    cat > $DESKTOP_ENTRY_PATH <<EOL
[Desktop Entry]
Name=Cursor AI IDE
Exec=$APPIMAGE_PATH --no-sandbox
Icon=$ICON_PATH
Type=Application
Categories=Development;
EOL

    echo "Adding cursor alias to .bashrc..."
    if [ -f "$HOME/.bashrc" ]; then
        cat >> $HOME/.bashrc <<EOL

# Cursor alias
function cursor() {
    /opt/cursor.appimage --no-sandbox "\${@}" > /dev/null 2>&1 & disown
}
EOL
        echo "Alias added. To use it in this terminal session, run: source $HOME/.bashrc"
    else
        echo "Could not find .bashrc file. Cursor can still be launched from the application menu."
    fi

    echo "Cursor AI IDE installation complete. You can find it in your application menu."
else
    echo "Cursor AI IDE is already installed."
fi
}

installCursor

kobataiwan/install-cursor-ubuntu.md

Script: