GitHub Copilot in VS Code: Complete Tutorial for Beginners (2026)

Category: AI Coding Difficulty: Beginner Updated: 2026-05-26

Step-by-step tutorial for using GitHub Copilot in VS Code. Installation, setup, shortcuts, and best practices for AI pair programming.

Installing Copilot in VS Code

Open VS Code Extensions (Cmd+Shift+X), search "GitHub Copilot", install both the Copilot and Copilot Chat extensions. Sign in with your GitHub account.

Essential Shortcuts

ActionShortcut
Accept suggestionTab
Next suggestionAlt+]
Previous suggestionAlt+[
Open Copilot ChatCmd+Shift+I
Inline chatCmd+I

Writing Better Comments for Better Suggestions

Copilot reads your comments. Write descriptive comments that explain what the code should do. Example: // Calculate shipping cost based on weight, distance, and shipping tier will generate accurate implementations.