GitHub Copilot Not Working in VS Code
Quick answer
Usually an outdated extension, stale sign-in, excluded file or credits/rate limit. Update, sign out and back in, reload the window.
Most likely fix: Check status and icon
How to fix it
Try these in order — the most common fix is first.
1. Check status and icon
- Open githubstatus.com and look for Copilot incidents
- Click the Copilot icon in the status bar; a slash means the file is excluded or completions are disabled
- Hover to see which setting applied
Did this fix it?2. Update and reload
- Update VS Code and the GitHub Copilot and Copilot Chat extensions
- Press F1 and run Developer: Reload Window
- If still broken run GitHub Copilot: Reset Extension
Did this fix it?3. Re-authenticate
- Click the Accounts icon bottom left, hover your username, choose Sign out
- F1 > Developer: Reload Window
- Sign in to GitHub again
Did this fix it?
Symptoms
No ghost text, chat panel empty or erroring, status bar icon shows a slash or warning.
Why it happens
- Outdated Copilot extension or VS Code
- Stale or corrupted GitHub token
- Content exclusion on the repo/file (Business/Enterprise)
- Proxy or firewall blocking Copilot domains
- GitHub incident
This guide also covers
- github copilot not working
- copilot not working vs code
Still not working?
If GitHub Copilot keeps failing, you're not alone. See every GitHub Copilot problem users report or the alternatives people switch to.
Have an app idea? Our small team builds any software: web and mobile apps, games, desktop, AI tools. Price agreed together.
Talk to us