title: "Setup" description: "Sign in and configure GitHub Copilot in VS Code" section: "Copilot" readTime: "3 min"

Setup GitHub Copilot

Quick Start

1. Hover over the Copilot icon in the Status Bar → select Use AI Features
2. Choose a sign-in method and follow the prompts
   • If you have an existing Copilot subscription, VS Code uses it automatically
   • If not, you are signed up for the Copilot Free plan (monthly limits apply)
3. Type /init in a chat session to configure your project for AI

Sign in with GitHub Enterprise (GHE)

1. Hover over the Copilot icon → select Use AI Features
2. In the sign-in dialog, choose Continue with GHE.com
3. Provide your GHE instance URL and credentials

Use a Different GitHub Account

1. Open the Accounts menu in the Activity Bar
2. Select Sign out for your current account
3. Sign in with the new account via:
   • Copilot status menu → Sign in to use Copilot
   • Accounts menu → Sign in with GitHub to use GitHub Copilot
   • Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) → GitHub Copilot: Sign in

Per-Workspace Account Configuration

To use different GitHub accounts per workspace or profile:

For GitHub.com:

1. Accounts menu → Manage Extension Account Preferences
2. Select GitHub Copilot Chat from the list
3. Choose the account for this workspace

For GHE.com, add to your workspace settings.json:

"github.copilot.advanced": {
    "authProvider": "github-enterprise"
}

Disable AI Features

Use the chat.disableAIFeatures setting to hide all AI features and disable Copilot extensions. Configure at workspace or user level.

Alternatively: Chat menu in title bar → Learn How to Hide AI Features.

Next Step

Run the Quickstart to discover key AI features.