Installation

Install the GitHub Copilot extension in VS Code from the Extensions marketplace. Sign in with your GitHub account that has an active Copilot subscription.

Basic Usage

Copilot activates automatically as you type. Key interactions:

- **Accept suggestion:** Press Tab

- **See alternatives:** Alt+] / Alt+[

- **Dismiss:** Escape

- **Trigger manually:** Alt+\

Copilot Chat

Open Copilot Chat with Ctrl+Shift+I. Ask it to:

- Explain selected code

- Write unit tests for a function

- Fix a specific bug

- Refactor for readability

Writing Effective Prompts

Copilot works best with context. Add detailed comments before functions describing what you want, include example inputs/outputs, and be specific about language and library preferences.

Workspace Commands

Use /fix, /tests, /explain, /doc as slash commands in Copilot Chat for structured assistance.