Is Copilot Down? How to Check GitHub Copilot Status & Quick Fixes

Suggestions stopped appearing. Copilot icon shows error. Authentication keeps failing. When GitHub Copilot has issues, developers worldwide lose their AI pair programmer mid-workflow. But "Copilot down" can mean different things: GitHub Copilot (code completion), Microsoft Copilot (web assistant), Copilot for Business/Enterprise infrastructure, or specific IDE integration issues. This guide helps you diagnose what's actually broken and how to get back to coding.

Check GitHub Copilot Status Right Now

Check real-time GitHub Copilot status on API Status Check →

We monitor GitHub Copilot's API, authentication service, and completion performance every 60 seconds. See exactly what's affected and whether it's a platform-wide outage or local issue.

Understanding Copilot's Service Architecture

GitHub Copilot operates as multiple interconnected services. An outage in one doesn't always cascade:

GitHub Copilot (copilot.github.com)

The code suggestion service used in VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim, and other editors.

Infrastructure: Azure-hosted model inference + GitHub authentication When down: No suggestions appear, "Copilot not responding" errors, status icon shows error Impact: All developers using Copilot extensions lose code completions

Key distinction: GitHub Copilot is different from Microsoft Copilot (Bing/Edge assistant). Different services.

GitHub Copilot Chat

Conversational AI interface within IDEs for asking questions about code.

When down: Chat panel shows "Unable to connect," messages don't send Impact: Chat unavailable but inline suggestions may still work

Copilot for Business/Enterprise

Organization-managed Copilot with admin controls and private model training.

Infrastructure: Same as individual Copilot + additional enterprise API layer When down: Business users can't authenticate, suggestions fail for org members Impact: Enterprise customers affected, individual accounts may work fine

GitHub Authentication (github.com/login/oauth)

OAuth service that validates Copilot subscriptions.

When down: "Failed to authenticate" errors, Copilot shows "Not signed in" Impact: Can't activate Copilot even if inference servers work

Model Inference Infrastructure

Azure OpenAI Service powers Copilot's code generation.

When down: Suggestions extremely slow (10+ seconds) or don't appear Impact: Global slowdown or complete failure of suggestions

Common Copilot Errors & Issues

"GitHub Copilot could not connect to server"

Most common error. Copilot extension can't reach GitHub's inference servers.

Possible causes:

1. GitHub Copilot infrastructure outage (check status)
2. Corporate firewall blocking (copilot-proxy.githubusercontent.com)
3. Network connectivity (your internet)
4. VPN interference (some VPNs block WebSocket connections)

Quick diagnostic:

Test 1: Check GitHub's status

• Go to https://www.githubstatus.com
• Look for "Copilot" service status

Test 2: Try different network

• Disconnect VPN and retry
• Use phone hotspot to bypass corporate network

Test 3: Check firewall** Ask IT to whitelist:

• copilot-proxy.githubusercontent.com
• *.github.com
• Port 443 (HTTPS) and WebSocket protocol

Suggestions Not Appearing

Copilot seems to be working (no error icon) but suggestions don't show.

Common causes:

1. File type not supported: Copilot works best with:

• JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Go, Ruby, Java, C/C++

Limited support:

• Shell scripts, SQL, YAML

Test: Open a .js or .py file and type a function. If suggestions appear, previous file type wasn't supported.

2. Suggestions disabled for file: VS Code can disable Copilot per-file or per-language.

Check settings:

// .vscode/settings.json
{
  "github.copilot.enable": {
    "*": true,  // enabled for all files
    "yaml": false,  // disabled for YAML
    "markdown": false
  }
}

3. Inline suggestions disabled: Copilot icon shows checkmark but suggestions hidden.

Fix:

• VS Code: View → Command Palette → "GitHub Copilot: Enable"
• JetBrains: Tools → GitHub Copilot → Enable completions

4. Prompt too ambiguous: Copilot needs context. Empty file = no suggestions.

Try:

# Write a function that fetches user data from an API
def get_user_data

Adding comment gives Copilot context.

"GitHub Copilot subscription not found"

Authentication succeeded but no active subscription detected.

Causes:

1. Subscription expired:

• Free trial ended (60 days)
• Payment failed
• Organization removed you from Copilot license pool

Check subscription:

1. Go to github.com/settings/copilot
2. See "Subscription status"
3. If expired, resubscribe at github.com/features/copilot/plans

2. Wrong GitHub account signed in: Copilot uses different account than the one with subscription.

VS Code:

1. Click Copilot icon (bottom bar)
2. "Sign out"
3. Sign back in with correct account

3. Organization subscription not provisioned: Your company bought Copilot but hasn't assigned you a seat.

Ask admin to add you:

• Organization settings → Copilot → Manage access → Add people

Authentication Fails / "Sign in to use GitHub Copilot"

Can't authenticate at all.

Troubleshooting:

1. GitHub OAuth service down: Check https://www.githubstatus.com → "Git Operations" and "API Requests"

If down, wait for GitHub to recover.

2. Browser blocked OAuth popup: VS Code opens browser for authentication. If popup blocked:

Fix:

• Allow popups from vscode:// protocol
• Try manual device code flow: Command Palette → "GitHub Copilot: Sign in with device code"

3. SSO organization restrictions: Your GitHub account is in an organization with SSO enabled.

Fix:

1. Complete GitHub SSO authentication
2. Authorize "GitHub Copilot" application in GitHub settings

4. Cached credentials corrupted: Old tokens causing auth loop.

Clear cache:

• VS Code: Command Palette → "Developer: Reload Window"
• Delete ~/.config/github-copilot/ (or equivalent on your OS)
• Sign in again

Extremely Slow Suggestions (10+ seconds)

Copilot works but takes forever to respond.

Causes:

1. Model inference overload: High demand on GitHub's Azure OpenAI backend.

Peak times: US work hours (9 AM - 5 PM PT), Monday mornings

No fix - just wait. Suggestions will be slow until load decreases.

2. Large file context: Copilot analyzes entire file. Huge files (5K+ lines) slow processing.

Workaround:

• Break large files into smaller modules
• Close unrelated large files in editor

3. Network latency: High ping to GitHub servers.

Test:

ping copilot-proxy.githubusercontent.com
# Should be <100ms

If 300ms+, network path is slow. Try different network or VPN.

Copilot Chat Not Working

Chat panel shows "Unable to connect" but inline suggestions work.

Chat runs on separate infrastructure.

Fixes:

1. Restart IDE: Close and reopen VS Code/JetBrains completely.

2. Check Copilot Chat specific status: Chat has its own service. Check https://www.githubstatus.com

3. Update extension: Old versions have chat bugs.

• VS Code: Extensions → GitHub Copilot → Update
• Restart IDE after update

4. Clear chat history: Corrupted chat state can cause connection issues.

• Command Palette → "GitHub Copilot: Clear Chat History"

How to Check Copilot Status

1. GitHub Status Page

https://www.githubstatus.com

Shows status for:

• GitHub Copilot (core service)
• Git Operations (authentication)
• API Requests (affects Copilot API)
• Webhooks (enterprise features)

Status indicators:

• 🟢 Operational
• 🟡 Degraded Performance
• 🔴 Partial Outage / Major Outage

Subscribe: Email/SMS alerts for Copilot-specific incidents

2. GitHub Support Twitter

@GitHubStatus

Real-time updates during outages:

@GitHubStatus: "We are investigating reports of errors with GitHub Copilot. 
Updates will be posted here."

3. API Status Check (Our Monitoring)

https://apistatuscheck.com/copilot

We test GitHub Copilot every 60 seconds:

• Completion API availability
• Response time trends
• Authentication success rate
• Error rate monitoring

Real-time status independent of GitHub's self-reporting.

4. Copilot IDE Extension Status

VS Code: Look at bottom status bar:

• ✓ icon = working
• ⚠️ icon = degraded
• ❌ icon = error

Click icon for detailed status.

JetBrains: Tools → GitHub Copilot → Status

Neovim: :Copilot status

5. Manual API Test

Test Copilot programmatically:

# Requires valid GitHub token with copilot scope
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_GITHUB_TOKEN" \
     https://copilot-proxy.githubusercontent.com/v1/engines/copilot-codex/completions

If returns 401/403 even with valid token, service is down.

Troubleshooting GitHub Copilot Step-by-Step

Step 1: Verify Copilot Extension Status

Check extension is enabled:

VS Code:

1. Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X)
2. Search "GitHub Copilot"
3. Should show "Disable" button (meaning it's enabled)
4. Click for status details

JetBrains:

1. Settings → Plugins
2. Search "GitHub Copilot"
3. Checkbox should be checked

Step 2: Check Subscription & Authentication

Verify account:

1. Click Copilot icon in IDE
2. Check logged-in account matches subscription
3. If wrong account, sign out and sign in with correct one

Verify subscription:

1. Go to github.com/settings/copilot
2. Should show "Active" subscription
3. If "Expired," resubscribe

Step 3: Test in Different File

Ensure file type is supported:

Create new file:

# test.py
def calculate_sum(a, b):
    # Type a comment about what function should do
    # Copilot should suggest implementation

If suggestions appear here but not in your actual work file:

• File type wasn't supported, or
• Work file has Copilot disabled in settings

Step 4: Restart IDE Completely

Full restart sequence:

1. Save all work
2. Close IDE completely (don't just close window)
   • macOS: Cmd+Q to fully quit
   • Windows: File → Exit
3. Wait 5 seconds
4. Reopen IDE

Clears extension cache and re-establishes server connection.

Step 5: Update Copilot Extension

Outdated extensions have bugs.

VS Code:

1. Extensions → GitHub Copilot
2. If "Update" button visible, click it
3. Restart VS Code after update

JetBrains:

1. Settings → Plugins
2. Check for updates
3. Restart IDE

Current versions (as of Feb 2026):

• VS Code: 1.150.0+
• JetBrains: 1.4.0+

Step 6: Check Network & Firewall

Corporate firewalls often block Copilot.

Test connectivity:

curl -I https://copilot-proxy.githubusercontent.com
# Should return 200-series status

If connection refused or timeout, firewall is blocking.

Required whitelist:

• copilot-proxy.githubusercontent.com
• *.github.com
• githubusercontent.com
• WebSocket protocol on port 443

VPN issues: Some VPNs break Copilot. Test with VPN disconnected.

Step 7: Clear Extension Cache

Corrupted cache causes weird issues.

VS Code cache location:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/github.copilot/
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\github.copilot\
• Linux: ~/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/github.copilot/

Clear cache:

1. Close VS Code completely
2. Delete the github.copilot folder
3. Restart VS Code
4. Sign in to Copilot again

What to Do During a Copilot Outage

1. Switch to Alternative AI Code Assistants

Don't wait for Copilot to recover.

Cursor:

• Standalone VS Code fork with built-in AI
• Uses GPT-4 + Claude
• cursor.sh
• Best fallback - same keybindings as VS Code

Cody (by Sourcegraph):

• Multi-model support (Claude, GPT-4, StarCoder)
• Free tier available
• VS Code + JetBrains extensions
• cody.dev

Tabnine:

• Privacy-focused (can run locally)
• Supports more languages than Copilot
• Free tier: limited completions
• tabnine.com

Supermaven:

• Fast completions (faster than Copilot)
• Good free tier
• VS Code extension
• supermaven.com

Quick switch setup:

1. Install alternative extension
2. Disable GitHub Copilot temporarily
3. Keep both installed, toggle as needed

2. Use Copilot CLI as Alternative

If IDE extension down but API works:

GitHub Copilot has a CLI tool:

# Install
npm install -g @githubnext/github-copilot-cli

# Authenticate
copilot-cli auth

# Use
copilot-cli "write a function to parse JSON"

Bypasses IDE extension issues.

3. Leverage Local Code Completion

Your IDE has built-in completion (no AI):

VS Code:

• IntelliSense (Ctrl+Space)
• Tab completion based on current file
• Not as smart as Copilot but works offline

JetBrains:

• Smart Code Completion (Ctrl+Shift+Space)
• Very good for Java, Python, JS

Fallback strategy: Disable Copilot, rely on IDE's native features until recovery.

4. Pre-download Common Code Snippets

During normal operation, save common patterns:

Create personal snippet library:

// VS Code: User Snippets
{
  "API Fetch": {
    "prefix": "apifetch",
    "body": [
      "async function fetchData(url) {",
      "  const response = await fetch(url);",
      "  const data = await response.json();",
      "  return data;",
      "}"
    ]
  }
}

Works even when Copilot is down.

5. Set Up Status Monitoring

Get alerted before losing flow state:

Monitor GitHub Copilot →

Our Alert Pro plan ($9/month) tracks:

• GitHub Copilot (completions + chat + authentication)
• Cursor (your fallback)
• Cody (alternative)
• 60-second checks
• Instant alerts via email, Slack, Discord

Know about Copilot degradation before your next keystroke fails.

GitHub Copilot Outage History & Patterns

Notable Incidents

November 2025 - 4-hour authentication outage

• Cause: GitHub OAuth service database issue
• Impact: Users couldn't authenticate, suggestions unavailable
• Recovery: Database replica failover, gradual rollout
• Lesson: Copilot depends on GitHub's core auth infrastructure

August 2025 - Slow suggestions (6 hours)

• Cause: Azure OpenAI capacity exceeded during back-to-school spike
• Impact: Suggestions took 15-30 seconds instead of 1-2 seconds
• Recovery: Microsoft scaled Azure OpenAI endpoints
• Lesson: Launch periods (new semester, conferences) stress capacity

May 2025 - Copilot Chat-specific outage (2 hours)

• Cause: Chat API backend deployment bug
• Impact: Chat unavailable, inline suggestions worked fine
• Recovery: Rolled back deployment
• Lesson: Chat and completions are separate services

February 2025 - Enterprise Copilot issues (3 hours)

• Cause: Organization-level policy service degradation
• Impact: Business/Enterprise users couldn't access Copilot
• Recovery: Fixed policy service
• Lesson: Enterprise has additional failure points vs individual

Patterns Observed

Time of day:

• Most issues: US work hours (9 AM - 6 PM PT)
• Least issues: Weekends and late night

Day of week:

• Mondays: Highest usage = highest chance of capacity issues
• Fridays: Fewer users, typically stable

Launch-related:

• New feature announcements drive usage spikes
• Back-to-school periods (August, January) stress capacity
• Major conference announcements (GitHub Universe) increase load

Uptime:

• Overall: ~99.6% (35 hours down per year)
• Authentication: Most common failure point
• Model inference: Occasional slowdowns during peak hours

GitHub Copilot vs Alternatives

When Copilot is Down, What's Comparable?

Tool	Cost	IDE Support	Model	Context	Speed	Offline
GitHub Copilot	$10/mo	VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim, Vim	GPT-4 based	File + open tabs	⭐⭐⭐⭐	❌
Cursor	$20/mo	Built-in (VS Code fork)	GPT-4 + Claude	Entire codebase	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	❌
Cody	Free - $9/mo	VS Code, JetBrains	Claude, GPT-4	Entire repo	⭐⭐⭐⭐	❌
Tabnine	Free - $12/mo	All major IDEs	Custom models	File-level	⭐⭐⭐	✅
Supermaven	Free - $10/mo	VS Code, JetBrains	Custom	300K tokens	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	❌

Best fallback:

• Drop-in replacement: Cody (similar UX, free tier)
• Better than Copilot: Cursor (full codebase awareness)
• Privacy-focused: Tabnine (local models available)
• Speed priority: Supermaven (fastest suggestions)

Quick Switch: Copilot → Cursor

Cursor is easiest migration:

1. Download Cursor from cursor.sh
2. Cursor imports VS Code settings automatically
3. Sign in with OpenAI or Anthropic API key
4. Use Cmd+K (same as Copilot) for completions

Advantage: Cursor analyzes entire codebase, not just open files.

FAQ

Q: Is GitHub Copilot down right now?
A: Check apistatuscheck.com/copilot or githubstatus.com for real-time status.

Q: Why do suggestions take 10+ seconds?
A: Model inference overload during peak hours. Wait for load to decrease or use alternative during high-traffic times.

Q: Can I use Copilot offline?
A: No. GitHub Copilot requires internet connection to GitHub's servers. Use Tabnine or JetBrains' local AI for offline coding.

Q: How long do Copilot outages last?
A: Minor issues: 15-30 minutes. Major outages: 2-4 hours. Longest in 2025: 4 hours (OAuth failure).

Q: Does GitHub have an SLA for Copilot?
A: Not for individual/business plans. Enterprise plans may have custom SLAs. No public SLA commitment.

Q: Why does Copilot work for coworkers but not me?
A: Check your subscription status at github.com/settings/copilot. May be expired or org removed your seat.

Q: Can I get a refund for Copilot downtime?
A: GitHub's terms don't guarantee uptime. Individual users unlikely to get refunds. Enterprise customers can negotiate credits in SLA.

Q: Is Microsoft Copilot the same as GitHub Copilot?
A: No. Different services. Microsoft Copilot = Bing/Office assistant. GitHub Copilot = code completion. Separate infrastructure.

Q: Why does Copilot Chat work but suggestions don't?
A: They're separate services. Chat backend independent from inline completion API.

Q: Can corporate firewalls block Copilot?
A: Yes. Copilot requires copilot-proxy.githubusercontent.com on port 443 with WebSocket support. Ask IT to whitelist.

Q: What's Copilot's actual uptime?
A: Based on 2025 monitoring: ~99.6% (35 hours down/year). Most outages are authentication issues, not model failures.

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Last updated: February 7, 2026
Next review: Monthly

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