GitHub Copilot Chat Not Working Even After Reinstalling VS Code

[tejashdev-123]

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Hello Everyone,
I’m facing an issue while using GitHub Copilot Chat in VS Code.
Even though I’m already signed in with my GitHub account (and I do have access to Copilot), I’m not able to use the Copilot Chat feature.

Things I have already tried:
I confirmed that I’m signed in to GitHub properly.
I uninstalled and reinstalled Visual Studio Code.
I installed the latest version of GitHub Copilot and GitHub Copilot Chat extensions.

Still, I see an error message like:
“Copilot failed to get ready. Please ensure you are signed in to GitHub and that the extension GitHub.copilot-chat is installed and enabled.”

On clicking the signin, I cant see anything. Please help me to fix this.

[ShubhamGajera]

Hi, you can try this...
->Go to https://github.com/settings/copilot
Make sure Copilot Chat is enabled for your account.
->In VS Code:
Open Command Palette (Ctrl + Shift + P)
Run: GitHub: Sign Out
Then: GitHub: Sign In and complete login in your browser.
->Check that both GitHub Copilot and GitHub Copilot Chat extensions are installed and enabled.
->Try Reload Window from the command palette.
->If it still doesn’t work, try using VS Code Insiders.
Let me know if that helps!

[CrepsMan]

I have tried all of that and have the same problem, the copilot on the github page is neither not working

[ShubhamGajera]

I have tried all of that and have the same problem, the copilot on the github page is neither not working

Thanks for checking. If Copilot isn’t working on the GitHub site too, try this
->Go to https://github.com/features/copilot and check if Copilot Chat is active.
->Make sure your email is verified and billing is set up.
->If it still doesn’t work, contact GitHub Support — it might be an account issue.
Hope this helps!

[mehboobme]

Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P)
Type "Developer: Reload Window" and run it
"this simple tip solved this issue for me"

[abhideepghosh]

Try clean uninstall of VSCode

You can delete VSCode related data completely by deleting both of these or if you just want to reset your editor just delete the .vscode folder in your user profile.

To delete user data directory Code:

Windows %APPDATA%\Code
macOS $HOME/Library/Application Support/Code
Linux $HOME/.config/Code

To delete the extensions and other related data, delete the folder named .vscode:

Windows %USERPROFILE%\ .vscode
macOS ~/.vscode/
Linux ~/.vscode/
For reference: Clean uninstall ("This can also be used to reset all settings if you don't want to uninstall VS Code.")

Then reinstall VSCode. Hope it helps 😊!

[CrepsMan]

It seems to be working for me now, so maybe it was a downtime of some sort

[ShubhamGajera]

All good then!

[muhammad-danial-malik]

Hi! 👋

If you're seeing the “Copilot failed to get ready” error in VS Code even after signing in and reinstalling extensions, here’s a full checklist that typically resolves this issue:

---

✅ Step-by-Step Fix:

1. Check if Copilot Chat is enabled on your GitHub account
   Visit: https://github.com/settings/copilot
   Make sure:

   • Copilot is active
   • Copilot Chat is checked/enabled for your account

2. Re-authenticate in VS Code

   • Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
   • Run: GitHub: Sign Out
   • Then: GitHub: Sign In → Complete the login in your browser

3. Reload & Verify Extensions

   • Make sure both extensions are installed and enabled:
     • GitHub Copilot
     • GitHub Copilot Chat
   • Run: Reload Window from Command Palette

4. Check for Extension Conflicts or Outdated VS Code

   • Use VS Code Insiders to test if it works there
   • Disable other extensions temporarily
   • Make sure you're using the latest stable VS Code version

5. Clear VS Code Data (optional reset)
   If the issue persists, do a clean reset:

   • Delete:
     • Windows: %APPDATA%\Code
     • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Code
     • Linux: ~/.config/Code
   • Also delete .vscode folder from your home directory
   • Reinstall VS Code

6. Final Check:
   Visit: https://github.com/features/copilot
   Ensure your GitHub email is verified and billing is active. If all else fails, contact GitHub Support — it may be an account-side issue.

---

This issue can sometimes be caused by temporary outages too, so if it suddenly starts working, you’re not alone — GitHub services occasionally experience downtime.

Hope this helps!

[DavidKeech-Which]

One additional check that got me: I had been using the Github API to crawl for stats across our repos and had hit the rate limit which caused Copilot to start giving me the above error message. Apparently the rate limit also applies to Copilot API requests so no using Copilot until the rate limit expires.

[Hariswar8018]

Check Your VS Code Settings Sync – Sometimes VS Code doesn’t properly sync sign-in info across all extensions. Try signing out of GitHub completely in VS Code (Accounts > Sign Out), then sign in again fresh.
OR
Check Your GitHub Copilot Plan – Make sure your GitHub account has Copilot Chat access (it’s separate from regular Copilot coding suggestions).

[coderypro]

Chat took too long to get ready. Please ensure you are signed in to GitHub and that the extension GitHub.copilot-chat is installed and enabled.

[samus-aran]

Hi Everyone! We hope you found what you were looking for. ✨

We're closing this discussion because it has not had recent activity (or reviving an outdated discussion). Thank you for helping us maintain a productive and tidy community for all our members.

[E-zClap]

I got the same problem, I deleted the .vscode folder (C:\Users<YOUR USER>.vscode) and it works now.

[esg575]

Will I lose important data if I delete .vscode folder

[eman-Q2]

No it's just the preference data, you can sync it with your github account just before the deletion.

[rlleshi]

None of the above suggestions worked for me.

What worked was this: in VSCode, go to your Accounts (bottom left) -> "Manage extension account preferences" -> "Github copilot chat" -> just reselect your account.