Set up GitHub Copilot in VS Code

This guide walks you through setting up GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio Code. To use Copilot in VS Code, you need to have access to GitHub Copilot with your GitHub account.

Tip

If you don't yet have a Copilot subscription, you can use Copilot for free by signing up for the Copilot Free plan and get a monthly limit of completions and chat interactions.

Get access to GitHub Copilot

There are different ways to get access to GitHub Copilot:

Type of User	Description
Individual	Set up GitHub Copilot Free to get a limited experience of Copilot without a subscription. See About GitHub Copilot Free. Sign up for a paid GitHub Copilot subscription to get unlimited completions and chat interactions. You can try GitHub Copilot for free with a one-time 30-day trial. See Setting up GitHub Copilot for yourself for all options.
Organization/Enterprise member	If you are a member of an organization or enterprise that has a subscription to GitHub Copilot, you can request access to Copilot by going to https://github.com/settings/copilot and requesting access under "Get Copilot from an organization." See Setting up GitHub Copilot for your organization to enable Copilot for your organization.

Set up Copilot in VS Code

To use Copilot in VS Code, you need access to a GitHub Copilot subscription.

To set up Copilot in VS Code:

Hover over the Copilot icon in the Status Bar and select Set up Copilot.
Select Sign in to sign in to your GitHub account or Use Copilot if you're already signed in.

If you don't have a Copilot subscription yet, you'll be signed up for the Copilot Free plan.

Important
Telemetry in your free version of GitHub Copilot is currently enabled. By default, code suggestions that match public code, including code references in the VS Code and <github.com> experience, are allowed. You can opt out of telemetry data collection by disabling telemetry in VS Code by setting telemetry.telemetryLevel to off, or you can adjust both telemetry and code suggestion settings in Copilot Settings.
You can now start using Copilot in VS Code. Learn the basics with the Copilot Quickstart.

Use a different GitHub account with Copilot

If your Copilot subscription is associated with another GitHub account, sign out of your GitHub account in VS Code, and sign in with another account.

Select the Accounts menu in the Activity Bar, and then select Sign out for the account you're currently signed in with for Copilot.
Sign in to your GitHub account by entering GitHub Copilot: Sign in in the Command Palette (⇧⌘P (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+P))

Alternatively, sign in to GitHub in VS Code by selecting the Accounts menu in the Activity Bar, and then Sign in with GitHub to use GitHub Copilot.

Next steps

Continue with the Copilot Quickstart to discover the key features of Copilot in VS Code.

04/03/2025