How to Set Up GitHub Copilot Free in VS Code

GitHub Copilot Free setup in VS Code starts from the built-in Copilot menu, so you do not need to find and install it manually. Select Use AI Features, sign in with a GitHub account, and VS Code signs you up for Copilot Free if the account does not already have a Copilot subscription.

The free tier includes 2,000 inline code completions per month and a limited monthly allowance of GitHub AI Credits for chat, agents, and other metered Copilot features. No credit card is required. Model availability changes by feature and over time, so check the model picker instead of relying on a fixed list.

Once Copilot is active, learn /vscode/how-to-use-github-copilot-inline-suggestions-in-vs-code to start using code completions.

Sign in and activate Copilot Free

What Copilot Free includes

The free plan is for individual use. Paid individual plans add unlimited completions and larger AI-credit allowances, while features such as cloud agents and third-party agents depend on the specific plan. Check GitHub's current Copilot plans before upgrading.

Run /init to teach Copilot about your project

After signing in, open the Chat view with Ctrl+Alt+I on Windows or Linux, or Ctrl+Cmd+I on macOS. Type /init and press Enter.

The /init command analyzes your codebase and creates custom instructions that tell Copilot about your project's conventions, structure, and coding style. This helps Copilot generate suggestions that fit your codebase.

The generated instructions are saved in your workspace and can be edited later. Learn more about managing them in the article on /vscode/how-to-use-custom-instructions-in-vs-code-with-agents-md-and-instructions-md.

Check your usage

Select the Copilot icon in the Status Bar to view your plan and usage. It shows your progress toward the limits included with the plan and the date each allowance resets.

For a detailed AI-credit breakdown, open GitHub billing settings, select AI usage, and review the models and credits used during the current period. Included AI Credits reset at 00:00 UTC on the first day of each calendar month.

What to do when you hit the limit

Inline suggestions and AI Credits are tracked separately. If you exhaust one allowance, the other may remain available. VS Code shows the affected feature and the reset date in the Copilot Status Bar menu.

To continue, wait for the displayed reset date or upgrade to a paid plan. Select the Copilot icon in the Status Bar and look for the upgrade action, or open GitHub Copilot settings.

Review privacy controls

Copilot Free telemetry is enabled when you activate the service. In addition, GitHub may use interactions from individual Copilot Free, Pro, Pro+, and Max accounts, including prompts, outputs, code snippets, and associated context, to train and improve AI models.

You can opt out of model training in GitHub Copilot settings by disabling Allow GitHub to use my data for AI model training. You can also set telemetry.telemetryLevel to off in VS Code and review public-code matching options in Copilot settings. Organization-managed accounts may have policies controlled by an administrator.

Switch to a different GitHub account

If your Copilot subscription is tied to a different GitHub account, sign out of your current account first. Select the Accounts menu in the Activity Bar, choose Sign out for your current account, then sign in again with the correct account using the Copilot setup steps above.

For work and personal accounts on the same machine, learn /vscode/how-to-use-vs-code-profiles-for-different-projects-and-tech-stacks to separate them with VS Code profiles.

Troubleshooting

No suggestions appear after sign-in. Open the Copilot menu from the Status Bar and check that inline suggestions are enabled. They can be disabled globally or for the active language. On a managed network, ask the administrator to verify the current GitHub Copilot network requirements instead of changing firewall rules yourself.

Chat says I do not have a subscription. Sign out from the Accounts menu in the Activity Bar and sign in again. Verify that your GitHub account shows an active Copilot subscription at github.com/settings/copilot.

I see "rate limited" or "quota exceeded." Open the Copilot Status Bar menu to identify which allowance is exhausted and note its reset date. Wait for the reset or upgrade if you need more usage sooner.