# Fix VS Code GitHub Copilot Suggestions Not Appearing in Editor

You install GitHub Copilot in VS Code, sign in, but no inline suggestions appear as you type. The Copilot icon in the status bar shows a slash through it, or clicking it says "Sign in to use Copilot" even though you are already signed in.

Step 1: Verify Copilot Status

Check the Copilot icon in the status bar (bottom right):

  • Copilot icon (no slash) -- Active and ready
  • Copilot with slash -- Disabled or not authenticated
  • Spinning icon -- Processing a request

Click the icon to check the current status. If it says "Sign in to GitHub", click it and complete the authentication flow.

Step 2: Check Authentication

Copilot requires GitHub authentication. Even if you are signed in to VS Code, you may need to sign in separately for Copilot:

bash
GitHub Copilot: Sign In

From the Command Palette. This opens the browser for GitHub OAuth authentication.

Verify the sign-in:

bash
GitHub Copilot: Check Copilot Status

This shows whether Copilot is authenticated and whether your GitHub account has an active Copilot subscription.

Step 3: Check Subscription Status

Copilot requires an active subscription. Check at:

bash
https://github.com/settings/copilot

If your subscription has expired or your organization has disabled Copilot, suggestions will not appear.

Step 4: Suggestions Disabled by Settings

Inline suggestions may be disabled in settings:

json
{
    "github.copilot.inlineSuggest.enable": true,
    "editor.inlineSuggest.enabled": true
}

Both must be true for Copilot suggestions to appear.

Step 5: Language Not Supported

Copilot does not provide suggestions for all file types. Check if your language is supported:

  • Supported: JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Ruby, Go, Rust, Java, C++, C#, PHP, HTML, CSS, SQL, Shell
  • Limited or not supported: Proprietary languages, binary files, heavily obfuscated code

Test with a supported language:

python
# Type this and wait for a suggestion:
def fibonacci(n):

If suggestions appear here but not in your target language, that language may not be fully supported.

Step 6: Network Issues

Copilot communicates with GitHub's servers for suggestions. If your network blocks the API:

bash
curl -I https://api.github.com/copilot_internal/v2/token

If this fails with a timeout or connection refused, your network is blocking Copilot. Common in corporate environments with restrictive proxies.

Configure a proxy:

json
{
    "http.proxy": "http://proxy.company.com:8080",
    "http.proxyStrictSSL": false
}

Step 7: Conflicting Extensions

Other AI coding assistants may interfere with Copilot:

  • Amazon CodeWhisperer / Q Developer
  • Tabnine
  • Codeium
  • Cody

Disable other AI autocomplete extensions to test if Copilot works in isolation:

bash
Extensions > Search: @enabled AI

Disable all AI autocomplete extensions except Copilot.

Step 8: File Too Large

Copilot does not provide suggestions for very large files:

json
{
    "github.copilot.editor.enableAutoCompletions": true
}

Files exceeding approximately 1MB may be excluded from suggestions. Check your file size:

bash
wc -c your_file.py

Step 9: Check Copilot Output

Open the Copilot output panel for debugging:

bash
View > Output > Select "GitHub Copilot" from dropdown

This shows API requests and responses:

bash
[Info] Sending request to Copilot API
[Info] Received response with 1 suggestion
[Error] Request failed: 401 Unauthorized

A 401 error means authentication failed. A 429 error means rate limited. A 500 error means the Copilot service is experiencing issues.

Step 10: Keyboard Shortcut for Manual Trigger

If inline suggestions do not appear automatically, trigger them manually:

bash
Alt+\    (Windows/Linux)
Option+\ (macOS)

This forces Copilot to generate a suggestion at the current cursor position. If this works but auto-suggestions do not, the issue is with the inline suggestion setting or a conflict with another extension.

Step 11: Reset Copilot State

If nothing else works, reset the extension:

bash
GitHub Copilot: Clear Authentication

Then sign in again:

bash
GitHub Copilot: Sign In

And reload the window:

bash
Developer: Reload Window

This clears any corrupted authentication state and forces a fresh OAuth flow.