How to Use GitHub Copilot 2026: Developer's Setup Guide

Updated June 2026 · 8 min read

GitHub Copilot is the most widely used AI coding assistant, integrated directly into VS Code and other editors. This guide covers setup, key features, and the prompting habits that get the best results.

💰 Pricing

$10/month for individuals. Free for verified students and open-source maintainers via github.com/education.

🚀 How to Get Started

Install the VS Code extension

Open VS Code, go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X), search 'GitHub Copilot', and install. Also install 'GitHub Copilot Chat'.

Sign in with GitHub

The extension will prompt you to sign in with GitHub. Complete the auth flow in your browser and return to VS Code.

Start a subscription

Go to github.com/features/copilot and subscribe to Individual plan ($10/month) or verify student status for free access.

Use inline completions

Start typing code and Copilot suggests completions in grey text. Press Tab to accept, or Escape to dismiss. The more context in your file, the better the suggestions.

Use Copilot Chat

Press Ctrl+Shift+I (or Cmd+Shift+I on Mac) to open Copilot Chat. Ask questions about your code: 'Explain this function', 'Fix the bug in this code', 'Write tests for this class'.

💡 Pro Tips

Write comments before code Type a comment describing what you want to write, then press Enter. Copilot generates the code. 'Calculate the average of an array of numbers' → Copilot writes the function.

Use /fix and /explain In Copilot Chat, select code and type /fix for bug fixes or /explain for plain-language explanations. Fastest way to understand unfamiliar code.

Accept partial suggestions Press Ctrl+Right (Cmd+Right on Mac) to accept one word of a suggestion at a time instead of the whole thing.

❓ FAQ

Is GitHub Copilot free?

$10/month for most users. Free for verified students and open-source maintainers.

Is Copilot better than Cursor?

Copilot is better for staying in your existing VS Code workflow. Cursor has more powerful codebase-wide AI features. See our coding tools comparison.

Does Copilot work with JetBrains IDEs?

Yes — Copilot has plugins for IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, and other JetBrains IDEs.

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