Home / Errors / Cursor / checkpoint-restore-failing

Cursor Restore Checkpoint Missing or Not Working

Cursor Easy 10-30 minutes data risk Last verified Jul 17, 2026
The fix  Warning: do not rely on the checkpoint, and recover your code another way first. Fully quit and reopen Cursor (missing restore buttons often reappear), then restore the file from the Timeline local history or git. Checkpoints are chat-scoped UI snapshots, not backups: they never covered terminal-command side effects, and version-specific bugs make restores silently no-op.

Symptoms

  • The 'Restore Checkpoint' button is gone from prompts in the chat
  • Clicking Restore or Rollback does nothing and the code stays modified
  • After some updates, restoring a checkpoint has reportedly lost files
  • The failure surfaces exactly when you most need the undo, right after a bad agent run

Why it happens

Checkpoints are not a backup system

They are chat-scoped UI snapshots of AI edits. They do not capture terminal-command side effects (deletes, git operations the agent ran) or all manual edits, so even a working restore cannot bring those back.

A series of version-specific UI bugs

Bug reports spanning versions 1.0 through 2.x (May 2025 through July 2026) describe the restore button disappearing or the restore silently doing nothing. These are regressions Cursor staff track by version.

Session-state bugs, not always lost data

A Cursor restart often brings the buttons back, which points to session-state bugs rather than deleted snapshots. The real losses happened to users who relied on checkpoints as their only safety net.

How to fix it

  1. If the button is missing, fully quit and reopen CursorMultiple users report that invisible or missing restore buttons reappear after a full restart. Quit the app entirely, not just the window, then reopen the project and check the chat again.
  2. If restore does nothing, recover from local historyRight-click the file and choose Open Timeline to browse the editor's local history snapshots. You can also look at the history folder directly: ~/Library/Application Support/Cursor/User/History on macOS, or %APPDATA%\Cursor\User\History on Windows.
  3. If the project is under git, recover from gitRun 'git status' and 'git diff' to see exactly what the agent changed. Then discard the unwanted changes with 'git checkout -- <file>' or set them aside with 'git stash'. This works regardless of any checkpoint bug.
  4. Know what checkpoints can never restoreHonest limit: checkpoints do not cover terminal commands the agent ran, including deletes and git operations. If your loss came from a terminal command and you have no git commit and no local history snapshot, a checkpoint cannot bring it back, even when the button works.
  5. Report your Cursor version in the forum threadThese are version-specific regressions that Cursor staff track. Include your exact version number when reporting so your case can be matched to a known regression or flagged as a new one.

How to prevent it

  • Commit before every agent session; that makes every checkpoint bug a non-event
  • Never treat checkpoints as your undo strategy: only git commits cover terminal-command side effects like deletes and git operations
  • Keep the file Timeline in mind as a second recovery layer for individual files
  • After Cursor updates, verify restore works on a throwaway change before trusting it in a real session

Tools that actually fix this

Recommended because they address the failure mode above, not because of the payout. Some are affiliate links; see how we choose.

SimpleBackupsNo free tier (free trial)

Automated, scheduled backups of your database and storage so the AI's next confident refactor is survivable. Set it once and stop trusting an agent with your only copy.

Try SimpleBackups →
GitProtectFree for open source

Backup and recovery for your Git repositories, so a force-push or an agent's cleanup does not take your history with it. Free for open-source projects.

Try GitProtect →

Frequently asked questions

Why is the Restore Checkpoint button missing in Cursor?

The missing Restore Checkpoint button is a session-state UI bug reported across Cursor versions 1.0 through 2.x, not usually a sign the snapshot is gone. Fully quitting and reopening Cursor brings the buttons back for many users. If restore still does nothing, recover the file through the Timeline local history or git instead.

Do Cursor checkpoints back up everything the agent did?

No. Cursor checkpoints are chat-scoped UI snapshots of AI edits, and they do not capture terminal-command side effects like deletes or git operations the agent ran, nor all manual edits. Only git commits cover those, which is why committing before every agent session is the real safety net.

Cursor's restore did nothing. Is my old code gone?

Often not. A restore that silently no-ops is usually a session-state bug, and the code is still reachable through other paths: the file's Timeline local history, the Cursor User/History folder on disk, or git if the project was committed. Check those in order before assuming the work is lost.

Are Cursor checkpoints a substitute for git?

No, and users who treated checkpoints as their only safety net have lost work. Checkpoints skip terminal-command side effects entirely and have shipped with version-specific bugs where the button disappears or the restore does nothing. Commit before every agent session and let checkpoints be a convenience, not a strategy.

Sources

Related errors

Replit rollback not working: checkpoint doesn't restore what you expected

Bolt.new project disappeared (or chat history gone, or rollback made it worse)

Cursor Agent Deleted My Files (Wiped Uncommitted Work)

The AI agent deleted my code or database and there's no backup

The Vibe Oops briefing

One email when something ships to production that should not have. New incidents, new error guides, no filler.