# How do you use GitHub Copilot for the first time?

Source: https://codelifter.com/forum/posts/how-do-you-use-github-copilot-for-the-first-time/
Site: CodeLifter Forum, category MCP and tools
Published: 2026-11-08. Updated: 2026-11-08. Replies: 1.

## Question by CodeLifter editors (staff), 2026-11-08

To use GitHub Copilot for the first time, open VS Code, select the Copilot icon in the Status Bar, choose Use AI Features and sign in with GitHub. Without a paid plan you are enrolled in Copilot Free. Then type code and press Tab to accept grey suggestions, or open the Chat view and ask for a change.

## What do you need before you start?

GitHub Copilot is GitHub's AI coding assistant. It runs inside editors, on GitHub.com and in a terminal client. You need two things: a GitHub account and a supported editor. This thread uses Visual Studio Code because its [Copilot setup page](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/setup/copilot) (read 16 October 2026) documents the first-run flow step by step. The FAQ on GitHub's [Copilot plans page](https://github.com/features/copilot/plans) also lists Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Vim and Neovim.

Three account facts to check first:

- **Plan.** Per the VS Code page, "Without a plan, signing in enrolls an eligible account in Copilot Free." What Free includes is covered in the plans thread, linked at the end.
- **Work account.** If your employer provides Copilot, sign in with that account so its policies apply, not your personal settings.
- **Data.** The same page warns that on the free version "Telemetry ... is currently enabled" and that suggestions matching public code are allowed by default. You can change both at github.com/settings/copilot.

## Step by step: first run in VS Code

1. Install VS Code from code.visualstudio.com and open a project folder, ideally one under git so you can undo anything.
2. Hover over the Copilot icon in the Status Bar at the bottom of the window and select **Use AI Features**.
3. Choose a sign-in method and follow the browser prompts. If your account already has a Copilot subscription, VS Code uses it.
4. Open a source file and start typing a function. Copilot shows dimmed "ghost text". Press `Tab` to accept it, or keep typing to ignore it.
5. Open the Chat view and type a request, for example `Add input validation to the signup form`. Type `#` to attach context such as `#file` or `#codebase`, and `/` to see slash commands.
6. When the agent changes files, select each changed file in the response to open its diff, and read it before you keep it.
7. Optional: type `/init` in chat. The setup page says it "analyzes the codebase and records coding practices" into a custom instructions file.

## Which Copilot feature does what?

| Feature | What it does | Where you find it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Inline suggestions | Ghost text that completes the line or block at your cursor | The editor, as you type |
| Next edit suggestions | Predicts where your next edit goes and what it is; an arrow in the gutter marks it | The editor; turn on `github.copilot.nextEditSuggestions.enabled` |
| Chat | Answers questions about your code and proposes or makes changes | The Chat view, or inline chat in the editor |
| Agent | Runs tools, edits several files and reports back | The Chat view; you may be asked to confirm each tool call |
| Copilot CLI | The same kind of agent in a terminal | The `copilot` command |

Inline and next edit suggestions are documented on the VS Code [inline suggestions page](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editing/ai-powered-suggestions); chat on its [chat overview](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/chat/chat-overview).

## How do you get better results in the first week?

**Give it context on purpose.** The inline suggestions page says Copilot "looks at the current and open files in your editor" to build its suggestions. Keep the related files open, and write a comment describing what the next function should do before you write it.

**Be specific in chat.** The chat overview puts it plainly: "be specific about what you want, provide relevant context, and write clear instructions." The CodeLifter [prompt guide](https://codelifter.com/prompts/how-to-write-a-coding-prompt/) turns that into a reusable structure.

**Write your rules down once.** A repository instructions file such as `.github/copilot-instructions.md`, or an `AGENTS.md`, saves repeating your conventions in every prompt. The [AGENTS.md thread](/forum/posts/what-should-go-in-an-agentsmd-or-coding-rules-file/) covers what belongs in one.

**Steer, do not restart.** While a chat request runs, the Send button offers **Steer with Message**, which redirects the agent after its current tool call. Stopping a request "doesn't undo file edits, terminal commands, or other actions that already completed", so restore a checkpoint or use git if you need to go back.

**Review before you commit.** Copilot writes plausible code, not checked code. Run the tests and read the diff; the [review thread](/forum/posts/how-should-you-review-ai-generated-code-before-you-merge-it/) has a routine.

## Is VS Code the only way in?

No. If you are weighing Cursor instead, the [Cursor thread](/forum/posts/what-is-cursor-and-how-is-it-different-from-vs-code-with-copilot/) compares the two. Copilot also has a chat on GitHub.com and the Copilot CLI. The CodeLifter [coding agents directory](https://codelifter.com/agents/) lists Copilot's rules file, skills folder and licence next to other agents. What the free plan includes, and its limits, is the subject of the plans thread, "Is GitHub Copilot free, and what does the free plan include?".

## Short version

- In VS Code: Copilot icon in the Status Bar, **Use AI Features**, sign in with GitHub.
- No plan means Copilot Free; a work account brings its employer's policies.
- `Tab` accepts ghost text; the Chat view handles questions and multi-file changes.
- Use `#` for context, `/init` for an instructions file, and read every diff before you commit.

## Reply 1 by CodeLifter editors (staff), 2026-11-08

**How do you turn off Copilot suggestions for one language or file type?** Use the `github.copilot.enable` setting. VS Code's [inline suggestions page](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editing/ai-powered-suggestions) says to "Add an entry for each language you want to enable or disable inline suggestions for", and to set `*` to `true` or `false` to change all languages at once. So a settings entry with `"*": true` and `"markdown": false` keeps suggestions on for code and off while you write prose. You can do the same from the Copilot menu in the Status Bar, which shows a checkbox for the language of the file you have open. For a short break there is **Snooze**, which pauses all inline suggestions and adds five minutes each time you press it; **Cancel Snooze** brings them back. This only affects inline suggestions; chat still works. Two related settings: `github.copilot.nextEditSuggestions.enabled` controls next edit suggestions separately, and on a metered network connection VS Code stops starting automatic suggestion requests, though you can still run **Trigger Inline Suggestion** from the Command Palette.

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Cite as: CodeLifter Forum, "How do you use GitHub Copilot for the first time?", https://codelifter.com/forum/posts/how-do-you-use-github-copilot-for-the-first-time/, accessed 2026-11-12.