Introduction

GitHub Copilot not working usually means the extension loaded but one of the required services around it did not: account auth, subscription entitlement, network reachability, model availability, or the editor integration itself. The fastest fix is to separate sign-in, extension health, and network path instead of only reinstalling the extension.

Symptoms

  • Copilot suggestions stop appearing in files where they previously worked
  • The Copilot extension shows signed in, but no completions arrive
  • The issue appears after VS Code updates, account changes, or proxy changes
  • Copilot logs show request failures, auth errors, or unavailable completions

Common Causes

  • The GitHub account or Copilot entitlement is no longer valid in the current session
  • The extension is loaded, but the editor integration is stuck or partially activated
  • A proxy, firewall, or TLS inspection layer blocks Copilot network requests
  • The extension cache or authentication tokens became stale after an update

Step-by-Step Fix

  1. 1.Check account and extension state
  2. 2.Confirm Copilot is signed in and enabled in the current VS Code profile.
text
Extensions -> GitHub Copilot
Accounts -> Verify active GitHub sign-in
  1. 1.Open Copilot and extension logs
  2. 2.Look for auth failures, request timeouts, or activation errors before changing settings blindly.
text
Command Palette -> GitHub Copilot: Open Logs
Command Palette -> Developer: Show Running Extensions
  1. 1.Retest with network restrictions in mind
  2. 2.If you are behind a proxy or security filter, check whether Copilot endpoints are reachable from the current machine.
powershell
Test-NetConnection github.com -Port 443
  1. 1.Reload the editor and refresh auth
  2. 2.Reauthenticate and reload VS Code only after you know whether the issue is local state or network reachability.
text
Command Palette -> Developer: Reload Window
Command Palette -> GitHub Copilot: Sign Out
Command Palette -> GitHub Copilot: Sign In

Prevention

  • Keep one VS Code profile for work tools and auth-sensitive extensions
  • Review proxy and certificate interception rules after security stack changes
  • Check Copilot logs after major VS Code or extension updates
  • Document which account and entitlement should be active on shared machines