How to Use GitHub Copilot: Free Setup, Chat and Agents (2026)

Short answer: Install VS Code, hover over the Copilot icon in the Status Bar, select Use AI Features and sign in with GitHub. If you have no paid plan, you are enrolled in Copilot Free automatically, which includes 2,000 code completions a month and limited chat and agent use. Press Tab to accept a suggestion, and open the Chat view to ask questions or let an agent edit files.

This guide is for anyone starting with Copilot, new to coding or not.

Which Copilot plan do you need?

Start on Free. As of November 2026, GitHub's individual plans are:

GitHub now measures chat and agent use in GitHub AI Credits. It doesn't publish the exact allowance for Free or Student.

Two more groups can get Copilot Pro for free: verified teachers on GitHub Education and maintainers of popular open-source projects. GitHub rechecks eligibility every month.

How to get GitHub Copilot as a student

1. Go to github.com/settings/education/benefits.
2. If you aren't verified yet, click Start an application and complete it.
3. Once approved, find Free GitHub developer resources for students and teachers and click Learn more.
4. Follow the prompts to activate Copilot Student.

GitHub says the benefit can take several days to appear. If you only see paid options, don't buy anything. Wait a few days, then contact GitHub Support if it still hasn't changed.

How do you set up GitHub Copilot in VS Code?

1. Download and install VS Code from code.visualstudio.com.
2. Hover over the Copilot icon in the Status Bar at the bottom.
3. Select Use AI Features.
4. Choose a sign-in method and sign in with your GitHub account.
5. Choose File > Open Folder and open a project folder.

If you can't find the icon, open the Command Palette and run GitHub Copilot: Sign in. If your employer pays for Copilot, sign in with your work account and check its rules before you share company code.

This official VS Code walkthrough shows the setup. It dates from January 2025, so some menus have changed; trust the labels above where they differ.

How do you use Copilot's suggestions and chat?

Inline suggestions appear as grey "ghost text" while you type. Press Tab to accept one, or Escape to dismiss it. Press Ctrl+Right (Mac: ⌘→) to accept just the next word.

Copilot also offers next edit suggestions. After you rename something, an arrow in the gutter points to a related line elsewhere. Press Tab to jump there and Tab again to accept.

Chat and agent mode

The Chat view is where you ask questions or hand Copilot a task that touches several files.

1. Press Ctrl+Alt+I (Mac: ⌃⌘I) to open the Chat view.
2. Select + to start a new chat.
3. Keep the agent set to Agent and the model on Auto.
4. Set permissions to Manual permissions so Copilot asks before acting.
5. Type your request and press Enter.
6. Read each approval request before you accept it.
7. Select the changed-file indicator in the chat to review the diff.
8. To undo a request's file changes, hover over it and select Restore Checkpoint.

Restore Checkpoint only reverts files. It doesn't undo terminal commands Copilot already ran, which is one more reason to keep manual approvals on while you learn.

How do you use Copilot in Visual Studio, IntelliJ or PyCharm?

Visual Studio: you need Visual Studio 2022 version 17.8 or later on Windows. From version 17.10, Copilot is a built-in component. Add your GitHub account in Visual Studio to start.

IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm and other JetBrains IDEs:

1. Open Plugins in Settings and search the Marketplace for GitHub Copilot.
2. Click Install, then Restart IDE.
3. Open Tools > GitHub Copilot and click Login to GitHub.
4. In the dialog, click Copy and Open.
5. Paste the device code in your browser and click Continue.
6. Click Authorize GitHub Copilot Plugin, then OK in the IDE.

What are Copilot CLI and the Copilot desktop app?

Copilot CLI brings the agent to your terminal. It can edit code, run Git commands and work with your pull requests and issues. GitHub's plans page lists it on every plan, including Free.

1. Install it with npm install -g @github/copilot (needs Node.js 22 or later).
2. Run copilot inside your project folder.
3. Type /login and follow the prompts.

On Windows you can use winget install GitHub.Copilot, and on macOS brew install --cask copilot-cli. By default the CLI asks before running a tool it isn't already allowed to use. Options such as --allow-all-tools or /yolo skip those prompts, and GitHub warns that you lose the chance to review commands first.

There is also an official desktop app. The GitHub Copilot app for macOS, Windows and Linux launched in June 2026 for running agent sessions across your repositories. Download it from gh.io/app.

Did you know? GitHub says the Copilot desktop app supports every Copilot plan, including Free. You can even bring your own key from another model provider and run sessions with no Copilot subscription at all.

How do you use GitHub Copilot effectively?

Give Copilot a custom instructions file. Create .github/copilot-instructions.md at the root of your repository and describe your stack, coding style and test commands. Copilot adds it to requests automatically. In VS Code, make sure the github.copilot.chat.codeGeneration.useInstructionFiles setting is turned on.

You don't have to write it from scratch. Type /init in the Chat view and Copilot drafts one from your project. To confirm it was used, expand References under a chat reply. Copilot also reads an AGENTS.md file at the repository root.

In our view, these habits matter more than any setting:

• Ask for one small change at a time, then review it before the next.
• Name the files and functions you mean, rather than "fix the bug".
• Read every diff. Copilot can be confidently wrong, and you are the one shipping the code.

If you're still learning to program, use Copilot to explain code as well as write it. Our guide on where a beginner should start learning to code covers that balance, and how to build a website with AI is a good first project.

Which privacy settings should you check?

Click your profile picture on GitHub, then Copilot settings. Two settings are worth a look:

• Suggestions matching public code: choose Block if you don't want suggestions that match public code on GitHub.
• Allow GitHub to use my data for AI model training: set it to Disabled to opt out.

GitHub's docs say that from April 24, 2026, it may use your Copilot interactions for AI model training unless you opt out. This applies to Free, Pro and Pro+ accounts. Business and Enterprise accounts don't have this setting.

In VS Code, telemetry is on by default for Copilot Free. Set telemetry.telemetryLevel to off if you want to turn it off.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is GitHub Copilot free?

Yes. Copilot Free costs nothing and includes 2,000 completions a month plus limited chat and agent use. Verified students get Copilot Student for free, and verified teachers and popular open-source maintainers can get Copilot Pro for free.

How much is GitHub Copilot Pro?

As of November 2026, Copilot Pro costs $10 a month and Pro+ costs $39 a month. A Max plan costs $100 a month.

How do I use GitHub Copilot Chat in VS Code?

Press Ctrl+Alt+I (Mac: ⌃⌘I) to open the Chat view, type your question and press Enter. Set the agent to Agent if you want Copilot to edit files for you.

Does GitHub Copilot have a desktop app?

Yes. The GitHub Copilot app runs on macOS, Windows and Linux on every Copilot plan.

GitHub Copilot vs Claude Code: which should I use?

Copilot lives in your editor and on GitHub. Claude Code is Anthropic's coding agent, included with a paid Claude plan. Copilot Pro and above can also run Claude Code and Codex as third-party agents. Compare more options in our AI IDEs category.

Is Cursor better than GitHub Copilot?

Cursor is a separate AI-first editor, while Copilot adds AI to editors you already use. In our view, try Copilot Free first because you don't have to switch editors.

Sources

• GitHub: Copilot plans and pricing
• GitHub Docs: Plans for GitHub Copilot
• GitHub Docs: Individual Copilot plans
• GitHub Docs: Access Copilot for free as a student
• GitHub Docs: Get free access to Copilot Pro
• GitHub Docs: Install the Copilot extension in your IDE
• GitHub Docs: Install Copilot CLI
• GitHub Docs: About Copilot CLI
• GitHub Docs: Manage Copilot policies as an individual
• GitHub Changelog: GitHub Copilot app generally available (June 17, 2026)
• GitHub Changelog: GitHub Copilot app available to all (July 7, 2026)
• VS Code Docs: Set up GitHub Copilot
• VS Code Docs: Agents quickstart
• VS Code Docs: Inline suggestions
• VS Code Docs: Custom instructions

Reviewed on November 3, 2026. GitHub changes Copilot's plans, AI credit allowances and VS Code labels often. Check GitHub's plans page before you upgrade.