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Will I be able to use VS 2026 without GH Copilot?

Rod Falanga 731 Reputation points
2025-10-30T01:13:29.18+00:00

At home I have downloaded the Visual Studio Insiders app, the Community Edition. I've been enjoying using it and am looking forward to the final VS 2026 edition which I presume will be released next month. The most significant thing I've noticed is the greater integration of GitHub Copilot. I have a GitHub Copilot license I use with my GitHub Pro account, so that's great.

However, at work my CISO has blocked all AI. I am very concerned how this might affect my use of VS 2026, when it does get released. Since the integration of GitHub Copilot with VS 2026 will be blocked, I want to know if I will not be able to use VS 2026? Or will my use of VS 2026 be seriously hampered?

Developer technologies | Visual Studio | Other
Developer technologies | Visual Studio | Other
A family of Microsoft suites of integrated development tools for building applications for Windows, the web, mobile devices and many other platforms. Miscellaneous topics that do not fit into specific categories.
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  1. Jay Pham (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 2,495 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-10-30T03:54:19.4766667+00:00

    Hello @Rod Falanga ,

    Thank you for your reaching out Community Support. GitHub Copilot is an optional AI-assisted coding extension. Visual Studio 2026 (as with prior versions) functions fully without Copilot installed or enabled.

    Here are some key points it helps you understand the relationship between Visual Studio and GitHub Copilot:

    • Not required: Core IDE features (editing, building, debugging, IntelliSense, testing, source control) do not depend on Copilot.
    • Optional installation: You can install, disable, or uninstall the Copilot extension at any time via Extensions > Manage Extensions. During installation, you can deselect GitHub Copilot in the 'Optional components' section to exclude it entirely.
    • Privacy & control: If Copilot is not installed or is disabled, no code context is sent to Copilot services. You can further toggle features like Copilot Chat via Tools > Options > GitHub > Copilot.
    • No mandate: There is no announced plan to make Copilot mandatory in Visual Studio 2026.

    In order to know more about GitHub Copilot and managing extensions in Visual Studio, please refer to the following resources:

    I hope this clarifies your question. Please feel free to reach out if you have any further inquiries.

    2 people found this answer helpful.

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