How to get started with GitHub Copilot?
To get started with GitHub Copilot: sign in to GitHub, enable a Copilot plan (the Free tier is $0), install the Copilot extension in your editor such as VS Code, sign in to authorize it, then start typing to see gray suggestions you accept with Tab. Open Copilot Chat for questions. Setup takes about five minutes.
Why — the first-principles explanation
Getting started with Copilot is really three connected steps: an account, a plan, and an editor connection. Copilot is tied to your GitHub identity, so everything flows from signing in. Your GitHub account is what holds the subscription and remembers your settings across devices.
Next you activate a plan. The Free tier costs nothing and is the perfect on-ramp — 2,000 completions and 50 chats a month, enough to feel how it works. Students activate Pro for free through Education; everyone else can upgrade later. This step tells GitHub's servers that your account is allowed to receive suggestions.
Then you connect your editor by installing the Copilot extension (and Copilot Chat) and signing in with that same GitHub account. This is the bridge: the extension gathers context from your code and talks to GitHub's model on your behalf. Once authorized, Copilot is live — no restart of your brain required.
From there, using it is intuitive because it's built into your normal workflow. Type code and watch gray ghost text appear; press Tab to accept or keep typing to ignore. Write a plain-English comment describing what you want, and let Copilot draft it. Open the chat panel to ask questions. The whole thing is designed so the learning curve is basically zero — the hardest part is remembering to pause and let it suggest.
An example that makes it click
Think of setting up a new streaming app on your TV. First you log in to your account, then you pick a plan (there's a free one to try), then you install the app on the TV and sign in so it knows it's you. After that, you just press play.
Copilot is the same rhythm: log in to GitHub, pick the free plan, install the extension in your editor and sign in, then 'press play' by typing code. The suggestions start rolling in, and you accept the good ones with Tab.
How to do it
- Sign in to your account at github.com (create a free one if you don't have it).
- Go to github.com/features/copilot and activate a plan — start with Free ($0), or Pro for free if you're a verified student.
- Open your editor (for example, VS Code) and install the 'GitHub Copilot' and 'GitHub Copilot Chat' extensions.
- Sign in to the extension with the same GitHub account to authorize it.
- Start typing code or write a comment describing what you want, then press Tab to accept the gray suggestion.
- Open the Copilot Chat panel to ask questions, generate tests, or explain code.
Key facts
- Copilot is tied to your GitHub account, which holds your plan and settings.
- The Free tier costs $0 and includes 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests per month.
- Setup requires installing the Copilot extension in a supported editor like VS Code, Visual Studio, or JetBrains.
- Inline suggestions appear as gray ghost text and are accepted with the Tab key.
- Verified students can activate Copilot Pro free through GitHub Education.
The AI pair-programmer built into your editor.
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no cost to you.▶ The 60-second explainer (script)
Want to start using GitHub Copilot? You can be up and running in about five minutes. Here's the whole process. Step one: sign in to GitHub, or make a free account — Copilot is tied to your GitHub identity. Step two: activate a plan. The free tier costs nothing and gives you 2,000 completions and 50 chats a month, which is perfect for trying it out. If you're a verified student, you can activate the Pro plan for free through GitHub Education. Step three: open your editor — let's say VS Code — and install two extensions: GitHub Copilot and GitHub Copilot Chat. Sign in to the extension with the same GitHub account to authorize it. And that's it — Copilot is live. Now just start typing. You'll see faint gray suggestions appear; press Tab to accept them, or keep typing to ignore. Even better, write a plain-English comment like 'sort this list by date,' and watch Copilot draft the code. Need help? Open the chat panel and ask it anything about your code. The learning curve is basically zero — the only trick is remembering to pause and let it suggest.
What authoritative sources say
People also ask
Do I need to pay to try Copilot?
No. The Free plan is $0 with 2,000 completions and 50 chats per month, which is enough to test it before deciding to upgrade.
Which editor should I use?
VS Code is the most common and best-supported, but Copilot also works in Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Neovim, and Xcode.
How do I accept a suggestion?
When gray ghost text appears, press Tab to accept it. Keep typing to ignore it, or use the arrow shortcuts to cycle alternatives.
How do I ask Copilot a question?
Open the Copilot Chat panel in your editor and type your question in plain English, such as 'why is this function failing?'