How to Open GitHub Copilot in VS Code: 1-Min Guide

How to Open GitHub Copilot in VS Code

Updated on:

June 5, 2026

By:

Try this interactive demo to learn how to open GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio Code.

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Ensure you have an active GitHub account with a Copilot subscription and the necessary extensions installed. To open and use GitHub Copilot in VS Code, follow these steps:

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Click on the side bar to open the chat panel of GitHub Copilot.
After clicking the button, a chat panel appears in your VS code interface.
Type your prompt in the input box and press Enter.

📌 Why this matters

Opening GitHub Copilot's chat panel transforms your coding workflow from isolated problem-solving to having an AI pair programmer at your fingertips. You can ask specific questions about your codebase, request explanations for complex functions, or get suggestions for refactoring without leaving your editor.

The chat interface excels where inline suggestions fall short—it provides context-aware responses tailored to your project's structure and coding patterns, making it particularly valuable for debugging, learning new frameworks, or exploring alternative implementation approaches within your existing code.

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