GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio 17.13: New features to supercharge your development workflow

Welcome to another exciting GitHub Copilot update for Visual Studio! This release introduces several powerful new features to enhance your workflow, improve transparency, and make coding with Copilot even more intuitive.

GitHub Copilot Free now available in Visual Studio

GitHub Copilot is now more accessible than ever with our new free plan for Visual Studio. With your GitHub account, you’ll get:

• 2,000 code completions per month – Speed up development with AI-powered suggestions.
• 50 chat messages per month – Get instant coding help, explanations, and debugging support.
• Access to the latest AI models (Claude 3.5 Sonnet & GPT-4o) – Write, refactor, and improve your code with cutting-edge AI.

For developers who are just getting started with AI coding tools or those who only need occasional assistance, the free plan provides an easy way to experience the benefits of GitHub Copilot.

Ready to give it a try? Sign up for GitHub Copilot Free and start coding smarter today!

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Copilot Edits: Multi-file editing

Refactor and edit multiple files faster with Copilot Edits:

• Preview with clarity – See which files are affected before making changes.
• Review with flow – Accept (TAB) or reject (Alt+Del) changes inline with code diffs.
• Iterate with confidence – Use checkpoints to revisit past iterations.

Copilot Edits helps you make large-scale changes more efficiently, helping to ensure accuracy and control over your codebase. Whether you’re refactoring, applying consistent patterns, or fixing issues across multiple files, GitHub Copilot Edits speeds up the process while keeping you in control.

To try it today, click the Edits thread button (a “+” symbol with a pencil icon) in the top-right corner of the GitHub Copilot Chat window to start a Copilot Edits session.

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GitHub Copilot just got smarter: Automatically retrieve relevant context

GitHub Copilot can now pull in the information you need without requiring manual input, making it easier than ever to get accurate, context-aware suggestions. Copilot can search for information from:

• Your current file, open files, and related files – Get relevant suggestions based on what you’re actively working on.
• Your entire codebase – Surface insights from across your project without switching context.
• Debugger data (locals, call stacks, etc.) – Use real-time debugging information to troubleshoot faster.
• Visual Studio itself – Get answers about IDE settings, commands, and workflows.

Instead of manually copying code, searching through files, or retyping information, Copilot can now pull in the right context automatically—helping you write, debug, and refine code faster.

Need more control? Use #file, #method, or #solution in your prompts to specify exactly where Copilot should look.

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Code referencing for completions: More transparency, more control

Ever wondered where Copilot’s completions (gray text) come from? Now, with Code Referencing for Completions, you’ll get more visibility when Copilot suggests code that matches public GitHub repositories.

• Toast notification – If you accept a completion that matches public code, you’ll see a toast notification in the bottom-right of your editor.
• Copilot Output Window – View license details and links to the original repository in the Copilot Output Window (Ctrl+Alt+O).
• Adjustable settings – Individual subscribers can block or allow suggestions that match public code in their GitHub settings.

By default, matches to public code are rare (less than 1% of completions), but this tool helps you code with more confidence and transparency.

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Bug fixes & improvements

• Added support for zooming in and out within Copilot windows for improved accessibility and readability.
• Users can now easily retry their prompts for better responses.
• Users can now pick which model GitHub Copilot is using for inline chat with the model picker, allowing for quick and easy model selection.

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How to update

Make sure you’re using Visual Studio 2022 17.13 or later to access these features.

➡ Download the latest version of Visual Studio 2022

We’d love to hear your feedback! Share your thoughts through the Developer Community or the Send Feedback button in Visual Studio.

Happy coding! 🚀