How to Open Copilot in Visual Studio Code

Opening Copilot for the first time

GitHub Copilot opens in Visual Studio Code through the Copilot Chat icon in your left sidebar, or by pressing Ctrl+Shift+I on Windows and Linux, or Cmd+Shift+I on Mac. The first time you do this, you will be asked to sign in with your GitHub account and authorize the extension to use your credentials.

If you do not see the Copilot icon in your sidebar, the extension is not installed yet. Open the Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X), search for "GitHub Copilot Chat", and click Install. You will need an active GitHub account and either a Copilot subscription or a may have access to free tier (such as being a verified student or maintainer of a popular open-source project).

Once installed and authorized, the Copilot Chat panel will appear on the left side of your editor. You can now type questions about your code, ask for explanations, or request help with specific programming tasks.

Key Takeaways

Copilot Chat opens with Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+I (Mac), or by clicking the Copilot icon in your left sidebar.
You must install the GitHub Copilot Chat extension from the VS Code Extensions marketplace before you can use it.
The first time you open Copilot, you will sign in with your GitHub account and grant permission for the extension to access your credentials.
Copilot Chat requires an active GitHub account and either a paid subscription or a free tier account (students, open-source maintainers, and others may may have access to).

Installing the Copilot Chat extension

Open Visual Studio Code and press Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+X (Mac) to open the Extensions panel. Type "GitHub Copilot Chat" in the search box. The official extension published by GitHub will appear at the top of the results — it has a blue GitHub logo next to the name.

Click the Install button. The extension will read and set up automatically. You may see a prompt to reload VS Code; if so, click Reload. After the reload, you should see a new icon in your left sidebar that looks like a chat bubble or Copilot logo.

If you see a message saying you need to sign in, proceed to the next section. If you already have a GitHub account signed into VS Code, Copilot may authorize automatically without asking you to sign in again.

Signing in with your GitHub account

When you first open Copilot Chat, a dialog will appear asking you to authorize the extension. Click the "Sign in with GitHub" button or the link provided. Your browser will open to GitHub's authorization page, where you will see what permissions Copilot Chat is requesting (typically read access to your repositories and profile information).

Click "Authorize github-copilot" or the equivalent button on that page. GitHub will redirect you back to VS Code with a confirmation message. The authorization is now complete, and you can start using Copilot Chat when ready.

If you do not have a GitHub account, you will need to create one at github.com before you can authorize Copilot. The account creation process takes a few minutes and requires only an email address and a password.

Checking your Copilot subscription status

Copilot Chat requires either a paid GitHub Copilot subscription (currently around $10 per month or $100 per year) or a free tier account. To check whether your GitHub account qualifies for free access, sign into github.com, go to your account settings, and look for the Copilot section under Billing.

If you see "Copilot Free" or "Copilot Pro", your account has access. If you see "No active subscription", you will need to either start a paid subscription or verify that you meet the criteria for a free tier (verified student, open-source maintainer, or other may have access to status). GitHub's documentation on copilot.github.com lists the current free tier requirements.

If your subscription has expired or been cancelled, Copilot Chat will still open in VS Code, but you will see a message that you have no active subscription. You can renew or start a new subscription through your GitHub billing settings.

Using Copilot Chat once it is open

Once Copilot Chat is open, you will see a text box at the bottom of the chat panel labeled "Ask Copilot". Type your question or request here. You can ask Copilot to explain code, write new code, fix bugs, suggest refactors, or answer questions about programming concepts.

Copilot can also see the code currently open in your editor. If you have a file open and ask a question about it, Copilot will reference that file in its response. You can also select a specific block of code and ask Copilot about it — the selection will be included in your message automatically.

Responses appear in the chat panel above the text box. You can copy code snippets directly from Copilot's responses by hovering over them and clicking the copy icon. If you want to insert code into your editor, you can also click the "Insert at Cursor" button that appears on some code blocks.

Troubleshooting common issues

If Copilot Chat does not open when you press the keyboard shortcut, check that the extension is installed by opening the Extensions panel and searching for "GitHub Copilot Chat". If it is not listed, install it. If it is listed but shows an Uninstall button, the extension is installed but may not be active — try reloading VS Code (Ctrl+Shift+P, then type "Reload Window").

If you see a message that you are not signed in, click the "Sign in" button in the Copilot Chat panel and follow the authorization flow described above. If the sign-in process fails or hangs, try signing out of GitHub in VS Code (Ctrl+Shift+P, search for "Sign Out"), then sign back in.

If Copilot Chat opens but you see a message about no active subscription, check your GitHub billing settings to confirm your subscription status. Free tier accounts may take a few hours to set up after you verify your status. If you believe you should have access but do not, contact GitHub Support through your account settings.

Keyboard shortcuts and quick access

The main shortcut to open Copilot Chat is Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+I (Mac). You can also open it by clicking the Copilot icon in your left sidebar. If you want to ask Copilot about code you have selected, select the code first, then press the shortcut or click the icon — your selection will be included in the chat.

You can also right-click on code in your editor and look for "Ask Copilot" or similar options in the context menu. This varies depending on your VS Code version and extensions, but the keyboard shortcut and sidebar icon are always available.

If you want to change the keyboard shortcut, open the Keyboard Shortcuts panel (Ctrl+K Ctrl+S or Cmd+K Cmd+S), search for "Copilot Chat", and click the pencil icon next to the shortcut you want to change. Type your new shortcut and press Enter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to pay for Copilot Chat?

Copilot Chat requires either a paid subscription or a free tier account. GitHub offers free access to verified students, open-source maintainers, and some other groups. Check your GitHub account settings under Billing to see whether you may have access to. If not, you can start a paid subscription through the same page.

Can I use Copilot Chat offline?

No. Copilot Chat requires an internet connection and communicates with GitHub's servers to generate responses. If you lose your connection, the chat will not work until you reconnect.

What if the keyboard shortcut does not work?

The shortcut may conflict with another extension or your system settings. Open the Keyboard Shortcuts panel (Ctrl+K Ctrl+S or Cmd+K Cmd+S), search for "Copilot Chat", and check what shortcut is assigned. You can change it by clicking the pencil icon and typing a new one.

Can Copilot Chat see my private repositories?

Copilot Chat can see code that is currently open in your editor, regardless of whether it is in a public or private repository. The code you type in the chat is sent to GitHub's servers. Review GitHub's privacy policy and Copilot documentation if you have concerns about sending proprietary code to Copilot.

How do I sign out of Copilot Chat?

Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P), search for "Sign Out", and select the GitHub sign-out option. This will remove your GitHub credentials from VS Code and Copilot Chat will no longer work until you sign back in.

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