How to Enable GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio

GitHub Copilot has quickly become one of the most powerful AI-powered coding assistants available. While most developers associate it with Visual Studio Code, many don’t realize that Copilot can also integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Visual Studio (the full IDE), offering real-time code suggestions, smarter completions, and help writing functions or tests

in my previous post(Start Using GitHub Copilot in VS Code) explained how to enable GitHub Copilot in VS Code,If you're using Visual Studio 2022 and want to boost productivity with AI, here’s a simple guide to enabling GitHub Copilot.

How to Enable GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio

Getting Started

Artificial intelligence is transforming the way developers write, review, and understand code and at the center of this transformation is GitHub Copilot, an AI pair programmer trained on billions of lines of public code. While many developers first experience Copilot in lightweight editors such as Visual Studio Code, Microsoft has brought its full power into Visual Studio, enabling .NET developers to benefit from intelligent, context-aware code assistance directly in their primary IDE.

Visual Studio Copilot integrates seamlessly into the traditional Windows-based environment that professional C#, C++, and .NET developers rely on every day. Instead of interrupting your workflow or forcing you to switch tools, Copilot works in the background, offering real-time suggestions as you type. It learns from the context of your file, your project, and even your comments, allowing it to propose complete functions, unit tests, refactors, or boilerplate code in seconds.

For teams building large, long-term enterprise applications, this integration provides a significant boost in productivity and consistency. Whether you're prototyping, maintaining legacy codebases, or building new features, Visual Studio Copilot reduces repetitive tasks, speeds up coding workflows, and helps you focus on logic and design rather than syntax and boilerplate.

Enable GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio

Visual Studio Copilot brings modern AI-assisted development directly to one of the world’s most widely used professional IDEs—making software creation faster, smarter, and more enjoyable.

Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have:

• Visual Studio 2022 (version 17.4 or later recommended)
• A GitHub account
• An active GitHub Copilot subscription (individual or business)
• Internet access to authenticate with GitHub

Install the GitHub Copilot Extension

1. Open Visual Studio 2022.
2. Go to Extensions > Manage Extensions.
3. In the search bar, type GitHub Copilot.
4. Select GitHub Copilot (published by GitHub).
5. Click Download and then restart Visual Studio to allow the extension to install.

After restarting, the extension will activate automatically. Visit my previous post (How to Install Extensions in Visual Studio) to know more how to install extensions.

Sign In to Your GitHub Account

Once the extension is installed:

1. In Visual Studio, navigate to View > Other Windows > GitHub Copilot.
2. A Copilot panel will appear prompting you to Sign in to GitHub.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions. Visual Studio will open a browser window to authenticate with your GitHub account.
4. After signing in, return to Visual Studio to complete the authentication.

You’re now connected to Copilot.

Enable Inline Suggestions

Copilot can provide inline code suggestions as you type. To ensure this is turned on:

1. Go to Tools > Options.
2. Scroll to GitHub Copilot in the left panel.
3. Ensure Enable or Enable completions is checked.
4. You may also configure:
   • Suggestion delay
   • Filtering modes
   • Telemetry settings

Your environment is now ready for AI-assisted coding.

Start Using Copilot in Your Code

With everything enabled, begin coding in C#, C++, or other supported languages. Copilot will:

• Suggest full lines or blocks of code
• Offer alternative completions
• Help write methods, tests, comments, and even documentation
• Respond to natural-language prompts inside comments (e.g., // create a Fibonacci generator)

ou can accept suggestions via:

• Tab — accept the suggestion
• Ctrl + ] — see more suggestions
• Esc — dismiss the suggestion

Tips for Getting the Most from Copilot

• Be descriptive: Adding clear comments or writing the beginning of a function helps Copilot generate better suggestions.
• Iterate: Use the “Next suggestion” shortcuts to cycle through alternatives.
• Use responsibly: Always review AI-generated code for correctness, security, and style.
• Combine with GitHub Copilot Chat: If you also install GitHub Copilot Chat, you can get explanations, code fixes, refactoring help, unit test generation, and more—all inside Visual Studio.

Summary

Enabling GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio is quick and significantly enhances your development workflow. With intelligent code completions, real-time assistance, and powerful AI-driven suggestions, Copilot can save time, reduce repetitive coding tasks, and help you stay focused on building high-quality software.

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