Open your first project in Cursor

Get oriented in a practice project and make one small change you can check.

Before you start

• Cursor installed from cursor.com and an account with access to the features you use.
• A practice project folder and a saved copy before editing. Use the project’s documented setup requirements.

Want to do it yourself?

Difficulty

5 out of 10

Estimated completion time

30–60 minutes, plus project setup

Skills you’ll need: Open the correct project folder, inspect changed files, and run documented preview commands.

I’ll do it myselfI’d rather get help

How this helps your brand

Learn where your website files live and make one visible improvement in a practice copy. This gives you a manageable starting point for using Cursor on future business website changes.

1. 1

   Step 1: Open the project folder

   Sign in to Cursor and choose the project’s root folder, where its README and configuration files live. Check the file tree matches the intended project.

   Start with a copy if this is your first time. Keep unrelated personal files outside that folder.

2. 2

   Step 2: Find your way around

   Open Agent and ask it to explain the main entry points and the documented preview command. Tell it to explain only and wait before making edits.

   Read its cited files. If the explanation describes files you do not have, confirm the selected folder and ask again with the actual README.

   Illustrated exampleFrom request to a checkable result

   1. 01Open project root
   2. 02Understand the files
   3. 03Edit one heading

3. 3

   Step 3: Make one visible change

   Choose a small edit such as replacing one heading. Give Cursor the exact old and new text and ask it to preserve the rest of the page.

   Review proposed commands and changes as it works. Stop it if the task spreads to unrelated files.

4. 4

   Step 4: Check the actual page

   Review the changed file and run the project’s documented preview or checks. Open the affected page and confirm the heading appears.

   If setup fails, copy the exact error and ask for an explanation before accepting dependency or configuration changes. Restore the saved copy if you need to start again.

   Illustrated exampleCheck the recovery path

   1. Preview fails
   2. 02Read the exact error
   3. 03Fix the setup cause

In this practice project, explain the main entry points and README setup steps first. Do not edit until I confirm the target. Then change only [old heading] to [new heading] on [page]. Preserve the layout and behavior. Show the changed files, run the relevant existing checks, and explain how I can view the result. Do not commit, push, or deploy.