Direct answer
How to open Copilot Chat in VSCode means opening the full Chat view beside your editor. Select the Chat menu in the title bar, then choose Open Chat. The Command Palette and keyboard also provide direct methods.
How to open Copilot Chat in VSCode quickly
- Title bar: select Chat, then Open Chat.
- Keyboard: press ⌃⌘i on macOS or Ctrl+Alt+i on Windows and Linux.
- Command Palette: run Chat: Open Chat.
- Terminal: run code chat to start chat from outside VS Code.
Keyboard shortcuts can change when you customize keybindings. If a shortcut does nothing, use the Command Palette and search for the command by name.
The full Chat view is only one chat surface. Choose a surface, open it, add relevant context, ask for one outcome, review every change, and verify the result.
See the current official VS Code instructions for opening the Chat view.
Which VS Code chat surface should you open?
Use the Chat view for code-first work in one project. It stays beside the editor and supports sessions, agents, models, permissions, diffs, tools, and terminal activity. The other surfaces suit narrower jobs.
- Chat view
- multi-step work while you remain in the editor.
- Inline chat
- a focused edit in the active file or a terminal suggestion.
- Quick Chat
- a short question in a light panel above the editor.
- Agents window
- agent-first work across projects and sessions.
Compare the official chat surfaces and current shortcuts in the VS Code chat overview.
Open inline Copilot Chat
Open a file and choose Open Inline Chat from the Chat menu. Select code first when you want the prompt scoped to that selection. The official inline-chat guide lists the current operating-system shortcuts.
A file in an active chat editing session may route that shortcut to Ask in Chat. The inlineChat.askInChat setting controls this behavior. Setting it to false keeps the regular inline-chat action.
Read the official inline-chat guide for editor, terminal, model, and setting details.
Open Quick Chat
Press ⇧⌥⌘L on macOS or Ctrl+Shift+Alt+L on Windows and Linux. The title-bar Chat menu also includes Quick Chat. Move the conversation to the full Chat view when it becomes a larger task.
Open the Agents window
Select Open in Agents in the VS Code title bar or run Chat: Open Agents Window from the Command Palette. From a terminal, code --agents opens the agent-first window.
What do you need before Chat opens?
Install a current Visual Studio Code release and make sure you have GitHub Copilot access. Sign in to the GitHub account connected to that access. Organization policies can also control which Copilot features are available.
- A supported, current VS Code installation.
- A GitHub account signed in within VS Code.
- GitHub Copilot access through an eligible plan or organization.
- Permission from an organization administrator when policies restrict chat.
- Network access to the services required by GitHub Copilot.
Use GitHub's official IDE guide to confirm access and current Copilot Chat behavior.
Why is the Copilot Chat icon missing?
The title-bar control can be hidden when Command Center is disabled. Right-click the title bar and enable Command Center. If the menu still does not appear, run Chat: Open Chat from the Command Palette.
- Update VS Code, then restart it.
- Confirm the correct GitHub account is signed in.
- Check that your Copilot access is active.
- Run Chat: Open Chat from the Command Palette.
- Enable Command Center from the title-bar context menu.
- Review workspace trust, extension, network, and organization-policy messages.
- Open the Output panel and inspect relevant Copilot or authentication logs.
Managed work devices may hide features through policy. In that case, capture the exact message and ask the administrator who controls Copilot access. Reinstalling extensions cannot override an organization setting.
Start a useful chat session
Open the Chat view and select New Chat. Choose the agent target, agent, language model, and permission level before sending a prompt. These options determine where work runs and what actions require approval.
Ask for one observable result and name the constraints. A useful request identifies the file or feature, expected behavior, tests, and actions that need approval. Review the plan before permitting broad changes.
- Weak
- fix this page.
- Stronger
- find why the save button stays disabled after valid input, explain the cause, and propose a minimal fix without changing the API.
- Safer follow-up
- show the affected files and tests before editing.
How do you add the right context?
VS Code can include the active file, selection, and file name automatically. Add explicit context with the context picker or a hash mention when the request depends on a file, folder, symbol, codebase, terminal selection, or tool.
Choose context for relevance, not quantity. Include the smallest set that explains the task, then add missing evidence when the agent asks. Remove secrets, personal data, and unrelated files before sharing context.
See the official context guide for file, folder, symbol, terminal, image, and browser references.
Review Copilot Chat changes before keeping them
Open every changed file and inspect its inline diff. Keep or undo edits deliberately. Read terminal commands before approval, run relevant tests, and confirm the requested behavior yourself.
- Check whether the change matches the request.
- Look for unrelated edits or deleted safeguards.
- Review permissions, data handling, and dependency changes.
- Run linting, type checks, tests, and a build when relevant.
- Test empty, loading, error, and recovery states.
- Commit only the files you understand and intend to ship.
In summary
Open the full Copilot Chat view from the title-bar Chat menu, the Chat: Open Chat command, or the operating-system shortcut. Use inline or Quick Chat for smaller tasks. If controls are missing, verify Command Center, sign-in, access, updates, and organization policy.
Frequently asked questions
Use the full Chat view shortcut shown near the start of this guide. Custom keybindings can replace the defaults.
The inline shortcut can route to Ask in Chat when the file belongs to an active editing session. Setting inlineChat.askInChat to false opens regular inline chat for those files.
Yes. Run code chat to open the Chat view from outside VS Code. Run code --agents when you want the separate Agents window.
Use a current VS Code release and follow its built-in setup prompts. GitHub Copilot access and sign-in are still required. Check current official setup documentation because packaging can change.
No. The Chat view supports broader sessions beside the editor. Inline chat is designed for focused edits in an active file or suggestions in the integrated terminal.