GitHub Copilot Chat Integration in Visual Studio 2026 Version 18.11

What is new

Microsoft has introduced a new chat experience for GitHub Copilot Chat within the Visual Studio IDE. Starting with Visual Studio 2026 version 18.11, the chat experience utilizes a shared Copilot SDK foundation. This same foundation is also used by the GitHub Copilot app and the Copilot CLI [2]. This integration allows users to move an agent session from the GitHub Copilot app into VS Code without losing the conversation, code changes, or working context [1].

The tool provides several interaction modes. The Ask mode is designed for standard questions and answers, while the Agent mode is intended for task-oriented, multi-step workflows [2]. Users can also manage context by attaching Git history, such as specific commits or entire branches, to the conversation to explain changes or propose edits [2].

How to use it

To enable the new Copilot chat experience in Visual Studio 2026 version 18.11, follow these steps [2]:

1. Navigate to Tools > Options.
2. Go to GitHub > Copilot > Copilot Chat.
3. Select the option to Use new Copilot chat experience.
4. Restart Visual Studio for the changes to take effect.

Users can interact with the AI in two primary ways [2]:

• Chat Window: To access this, select View > GitHub Copilot Chat. This is recommended for general programming help and coding questions. In this window, users can select Ask to open the mode selector and choose between Ask or Agent modes. To resume previous conversations, the chat history panel can be used, which shows the chat title, a preview of the last message, and the last update time.
• Inline Chat: This allows users to ask questions directly within the code editor window. This method is recommended when the goal is to modify or add to the specific code file currently open in the editor.

Users can also bring in Git context. For commit history, users can attach one or more commits from the Git history to the chat. For branch context, users can select the Add to Chat action from the Git Repository window to include the branch name and associated changes in the conversation [2].

Limits, privacy and academic integrity

The provided documentation does not contain information regarding specific limits, privacy policies, or academic integrity guidelines.