| title | Troubleshoot GitHub Copilot state |
|---|---|
| description | Learn how to use the GitHub Copilot badge in the Visual Studio IDE to troubleshoot Copilot's state and resolve common issues. |
| ms.date | 2/19/2026 |
| ms.update-cycle | 180-days |
| ms.topic | troubleshooting-problem-resolution |
| author | RoseHJM |
| ms.author | rosemalcolm |
| ms.subservice | ai-tools |
| ms.collection | ce-skilling-ai-copilot |
| ms.custom | ai-learning-hub |
This troubleshooting guide includes steps for resolving GitHub Copilot issues in Visual Studio 2022 version 17.10 or later.
:::moniker range="visualstudio"
If you see the message Copilot is temporarily unreachable when you hover the mouse pointer over the GitHub Copilot badge in the upper-right corner of Visual Studio, GitHub Copilot is currently offline.
:::image type="content" source="media/visualstudio/copilot-error.png" alt-text="Screenshot that shows the Copilot unreachable error.":::
:::moniker-end
:::moniker range="<=vs-2022"
If the GitHub Copilot badge in the upper-right corner of the Visual Studio environment displays the message Copilot is temporarily unreachable, it means GitHub Copilot is currently offline.
:::image type="content" source="media/vs-2022/copilot-inbox/copilot-error.png" alt-text="Screenshot of copilot unreachable error." lightbox="media/vs-2022/copilot-inbox/copilot-error.png":::
:::moniker-end
GitHub Copilot may be offline due to one of the following reasons:
- Network issues
- Copilot service being unavailable
- Credentials requiring a refresh
- Copilot being disabled
If you're running into an issue not in this list, report your problem to us.
If your network is down, GitHub Copilot may not be able to connect.
Action: Ensure you have a stable internet connection. For more information, see Troubleshooting network errors for GitHub Copilot.
The GitHub Copilot service may be temporarily down.
Action: Wait for the service to come back online. You can check the status on GitHub Status.
Occasionally, you may need to refresh your credentials due to expected timeouts.
Action: Select Refresh Your GitHub Credentials from the Copilot badge in the upper-right corner of your Visual Studio environment to reauthenticate your GitHub account and sign in again.
:::image type="content" source="media/visualstudio/copilot-badge-dropdown-refresh-credentials.png "alt-text="Screenshot of Refresh your credentials option." lightbox="media/vs-2022/copilot-inbox/copilot-refresh-credentials.png":::
Note
Known issue: If you don’t see the option to refresh your credentials for the GitHub account in the All Accounts window, you can resolve this by removing and re-adding your GitHub account. For more information, refer to the Dev Community ticket related to this issue.
Your administrator may have disabled GitHub Copilot for individual or any Copilot license. With Visual Studio version 17.10, your admin can disable Copilot.
Action: Contact your IT department to confirm whether your admin has disabled Copilot.
:::moniker range="<=vs-2022"
:::image type="content" source="media/vs-2022/copilot-inbox/copilot-disable-badge.png "alt-text="Screenshot of code suggestions in new file in the editor." lightbox="media/vs-2022/copilot-inbox/copilot-disable-badge.png":::
:::moniker-end
:::moniker range="visualstudio"
:::image type="content" source="media/visualstudio/copilot-disable-badge.png "alt-text="Screenshot that shows the Copilot is disabled message.":::
:::moniker-end
- Report a problem to us from either the Visual Studio IDE or the installer. The built-in Feedback Tool allows you to easily add diagnostic information that helps the Visual Studio teams diagnose and fix the issues.
- Suggest a feature, track product issues, and find answers in the Visual Studio Developer Community.