Cursor safety profile

What it does with your data

Cursor is a code editor with AI features built in, so what staff send it is mostly code, prompts and project files. Anysphere’s privacy policy says it does not train its models on what you type or the suggestions you get back. There are three exceptions: content flagged for security review, content you report as feedback, and content you have agreed may be used for training.

There is a catch. The data use page says that when Privacy Mode is off, Cursor may use and store your codebase, prompts, editor actions and code snippets to improve and train its AI features. None of the pages checked say whether Privacy Mode starts on or off.

With Privacy Mode on, Cursor has zero data retention agreements with all its model providers, though prompts that trip abuse detectors may be kept for investigation. With it off, some providers may store inputs and outputs briefly and delete them after use. File contents are cached temporarily and not stored permanently. Personal data is kept as long as needed, with no fixed period given.

Settings to change first

The vendor pages checked do not quote a menu path, so the steps below name settings only as the pages do.

1. Turn on Privacy Mode in Cursor’s settings for every person who uses the tool. It is available on free and Pro plans.
2. If you have a team or enterprise account, have the admin turn on Privacy Mode for the team. New members then inherit that setting.
3. Do not opt in to models outside zero data retention. Cursor marks these models or requires an admin to opt in before they are enabled for a workspace.
4. Check that each person’s setting is on before they open any project that holds real organizational data.

If someone stops using Cursor, they can delete their account at any time from the Settings dashboard.

Free and paid tiers

Privacy Mode is open to anyone, free or Pro, so the main protection against training does not depend on paying.

The bigger split is between personal and organizational accounts. The consumer privacy policy does not apply where Anysphere handles data on behalf of commercial customers, such as accounts an employer sets up. Those accounts are governed by the customer agreement instead, so the terms you sign matter more than the public policy.

Two more points apply to organizational accounts. If someone signs up with your organization’s email address, their account information may be shared with your organization. On business and enterprise accounts, administrators can access and manage how each person uses Cursor.

The pages checked do not describe other differences in retention or training between free and paid plans.

Admin controls

Team and enterprise admins can turn on Privacy Mode for everyone, and new members inherit it. Admins also decide whether models outside zero data retention can be used in the workspace.

The security page lists enterprise administration documents covering single sign-on (SSO), SCIM, compliance logging (audit logs), MDM deployment, privacy and data governance, and data encryption with customer managed keys (CMEK).

Cursor says it holds AIUC-1, ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certifications and a SOC 2 Type II attestation. Certificates and reports are available on request. It also commits to penetration testing by outside firms at least once a year, with a summary of the latest report available on request.

Using it with donor and client data

For most small non-profits, Cursor matters only if staff or volunteers write code, such as scripts that tidy a donor export or a website form. If they do, use a team account so an admin can turn on Privacy Mode for everyone, and confirm it is on before anyone opens a real project.

Never paste these into prompts, and keep them out of code files Cursor can read:

• donor names with gift amounts or contact details
• client case notes
• health or payment details
• passwords and API keys

Test with made-up sample data instead of a real export.

Before staff use Cursor near donor data, ask Anysphere in writing whether Privacy Mode is on or off by default for your plan, how long personal data is kept, and whether you can choose where data is stored. The pages checked do not answer those questions.

Questions people ask

Does Cursor train on our code?

Not under its privacy policy, apart from security flags, feedback you send and content you agree to share. But the data use page says it may train on your code when Privacy Mode is off. Turn Privacy Mode on to close that gap.

Where is our data stored?

On servers in several jurisdictions, including the United States, and data from European users may be moved there. Cursor says it uses no infrastructure or subprocessors based in China. The pages checked do not offer a choice of region.

Can we delete an account?

Yes. Each person can delete their account at any time from the Settings dashboard. Personal data is kept as long as Anysphere needs it for operations and legal needs, and no fixed period is given.