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recipes / beginner · 30 min

Migrating from GitHub Copilot to Cursor: 30-minute checklist

Move your config, key bindings, and ignore patterns. Keep Copilot for one week as backup.

Stack: GitHub Copilot Cursor

The most common AI tool switch in 2026. Here’s how to do it without losing momentum.

Pre-migration checklist

  • Cancel auto-renew on Copilot but don’t cancel yet — keep it as fallback for one week.
  • Export your settings.json from VS Code.
  • Note your favorite Copilot key bindings (default Tab to accept, Esc to dismiss, Ctrl+Enter for chat).

Install Cursor

Download from cursor.com. On first launch:

  • It offers to import your VS Code settings, extensions, key bindings — say yes.
  • You’ll be logged out — sign in with GitHub.

Settings to migrate

In Cursor’s Settings → AI:

Copilot settingCursor equivalent
Inline suggestionsTab (Cursor Tab — same UX)
Copilot ChatCmd-L (Cursor Chat)
Copilot WorkspaceComposer (Cmd-I)
.gitignore-aware.cursorignore (same syntax)

The big new thing: .cursorrules

Drop a file at your repo root:

You are working in our React/TypeScript codebase.
- We use Vite, Tailwind, TanStack Query.
- We DO NOT use Redux. State is via Zustand.
- All components are functional, hooks-only.
- Tests live in __tests__/ next to the file.

This is the killer feature Copilot doesn’t have natively (Copilot Workspace partially). Cursor reads this for every chat.

What Copilot does better still

Be honest:

  • Editor breadth: Copilot works in JetBrains, Neovim, Visual Studio. Cursor only forks VS Code.
  • GitHub integration: PRs reviewed by Copilot are tighter integrated than Cursor’s GitHub flow.
  • Free tier for OSS maintainers: Copilot is free if you’re a verified OSS maintainer. Cursor isn’t.

If you live in JetBrains or maintain a popular OSS repo, stay on Copilot.

What Cursor does better

  • Composer (multi-file edits) — leagues ahead of Copilot Workspace as of 2026-04.
  • Codebase chat — @codebase actually works on monorepos.
  • Background agents — long-running tasks.
  • Models — you can route to Claude/GPT/Gemini per task.

Week-1 dual-running plan

  • Day 1-3: Cursor only for new features. Copilot fallback if Cursor confuses you.
  • Day 4-7: Cursor for everything. Compare your speed vs Copilot week.
  • Day 8: Decision. If you’re faster, keep Cursor and cancel Copilot. If slower, give it 30 more days — there’s a learning curve, especially for Composer.

Most engineers I know pick Cursor by day 5. The minority that goes back is mostly Vim/JetBrains diehards.