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Is GitHub Copilot Down? How to Check Copilot Status Right Now
GitHub Copilot powers millions of developers' coding workflows. When it goes down or stops suggesting, productivity grinds to a halt. Here's how to quickly verify whether Copilot is down globally or just broken on your machine — and what to do either way.
⚡ Quick GitHub Copilot Status Check
GitHub Copilot vs. Microsoft Copilot: Which One is Down?
Important: GitHub Copilot and Microsoft Copilot are completely different products with separate infrastructure and status pages. Make sure you're checking the right one.
GitHub Copilot
- • AI coding assistant in your IDE
- • Works in VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim, CLI
- • Status: githubstatus.com
- • Subscription: github.com/features/copilot
- • Backend: OpenAI GPT-4 Turbo
Microsoft Copilot
- • General AI assistant (chat, search, M365)
- • Works in Edge, Bing, Office apps
- • Status: status.microsoft.com
- • Subscription: Microsoft 365 or free tier
- • Backend: Azure OpenAI
How to Check if GitHub Copilot is Down
1. githubstatus.com (Official)
GitHub's official status page at githubstatus.com shows real-time status for all services including Copilot. During Copilot-specific incidents, look for “API Requests” degradation or a dedicated “GitHub Copilot” component. Subscribe for email/SMS alerts directly from this page.
2. APIStatusCheck
APIStatusCheck monitors GitHub with continuous uptime checks. Faster to load than the official page, with historical incident data and real-time health indicators across all GitHub services.
3. Your IDE Extension Status
In VS Code, check the Copilot icon in the status bar (bottom right). A spinning icon means it's connecting; a warning icon means authentication failed or the service is unreachable. Click the icon for a detailed status popup. In JetBrains, check the Copilot widget in the toolbar.
4. Developer Community Reports
Search “GitHub Copilot down” or “Copilot not working” on Twitter/X or Reddit (r/github, r/vscode). Developers report outages faster than official channels. Also check the GitHub Community Forum for recent threads.
Monitor your dev toolchain — not just GitHub Copilot
When Copilot goes down, your whole CI/CD pipeline may be at risk. Better Stack monitors all your dev dependencies and pages your team instantly via Slack, SMS, or phone.
Try Better Stack Free →GitHub Copilot Down for Everyone or Just You?
Before assuming a global outage, run through this diagnostic to determine if the problem is on GitHub's end or yours:
Check githubstatus.com
If GitHub shows "Degraded Performance" or "Partial Outage" for API Requests or Copilot — it's a global issue. Skip the rest of this list and wait for GitHub to resolve.
Test another network
Connect to a mobile hotspot or different Wi-Fi network. Corporate proxies and VPNs frequently block Copilot's API endpoint (copilot-proxy.githubusercontent.com) on port 443.
Check your subscription
Visit github.com/settings/copilot to verify your subscription is active. A lapsed payment or trial expiry silently disables Copilot without a clear error message in the IDE.
Re-authenticate in your IDE
In VS Code: Cmd+Shift+P → "GitHub Copilot: Sign Out" → Sign back in. Token expiry is a common cause of sudden Copilot failures that aren't global outages.
Update the extension
Outdated Copilot extensions (VS Code, JetBrains) can fail against newer API versions. Check for updates in the Extensions marketplace and install the latest version.
Check conflicting extensions
Other AI coding extensions (Tabnine, Codeium, Amazon CodeWhisperer) can conflict with GitHub Copilot. Try disabling them temporarily to isolate the issue.
Common GitHub Copilot Error Messages Explained
"GitHub Copilot could not connect to server"
Cause: Network issue — proxy, firewall, or VPN blocking copilot-proxy.githubusercontent.com.
Fix: Whitelist the Copilot endpoint or temporarily disable your VPN.
"GitHub Copilot is not enabled for this file type"
Cause: File language not supported or disabled in Copilot settings.
Fix: Check github.com/settings/copilot → Suggestions for "Enabled" status for your language.
"You have reached the Copilot usage limit"
Cause: Monthly completions limit hit on Free/Individual tier.
Fix: Upgrade your plan or wait for the monthly reset.
"GitHub Copilot Chat is not available"
Cause: Copilot Chat requires a paid subscription; may also indicate a temporary backend issue.
Fix: Verify your plan includes Copilot Chat at github.com/settings/copilot.
"Failed to fetch Copilot completions"
Cause: Transient API error, often during GitHub incidents or under heavy load.
Fix: Wait 1-2 minutes and retry. Check githubstatus.com for ongoing incidents.
Get alerted when GitHub Copilot goes down
Stop manually checking githubstatus.com. Better Stack watches GitHub's health endpoints 24/7 and sends your team instant alerts via Slack, PagerDuty, or SMS the moment an incident starts.
Try Better Stack Free →Best Alternatives When GitHub Copilot is Down
Cursor
Best alternativeVS Code fork with built-in Claude/GPT-4. Best drop-in replacement — familiar interface, comparable suggestion quality.
Codeium
Free optionFree AI coding assistant with inline completions for VS Code, JetBrains, and more. 70+ languages supported.
Amazon CodeWhisperer
Enterprise optionAWS's AI coding assistant. Free tier available. Strong for AWS-focused codebases.
Tabnine
Privacy-firstPrivacy-focused with offline model option. Good for teams with strict data policies.
GitHub Copilot Outage History
GitHub Copilot has had several notable incidents that impacted developers worldwide:
Q1 2026
Copilot suggestions degraded for VS Code users
Duration: ~2 hours | Impact: Inline completions delayed or not appearing for some regions
Q4 2025
GitHub API degradation impacting Copilot
Duration: ~4 hours | Impact: Copilot Chat and completions unavailable intermittently
Q3 2025
OpenAI upstream dependency issues
Duration: ~1 hour | Impact: Completions quality degraded globally
For full incident history, see githubstatus.com/history.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check if GitHub Copilot is down right now?
Visit githubstatus.com and look for GitHub Copilot or API Requests status. APIStatusCheck also monitors GitHub continuously. Your VS Code status bar Copilot icon will show a warning if it can't connect.
Why is GitHub Copilot not showing suggestions even though GitHub shows as operational?
GitHub may show "operational" while Copilot specifically is degraded. Also check: subscription status at github.com/settings/copilot, network/proxy settings, extension version, and re-authenticate if token expired.
Is GitHub Copilot the same as Microsoft Copilot?
No — completely separate products. GitHub Copilot is an AI coding assistant for IDEs (VS Code, JetBrains). Microsoft Copilot is a general assistant for Bing/M365/Edge. Different backends, different status pages.
How do I fix GitHub Copilot not working in VS Code?
Try: (1) Check githubstatus.com for incidents, (2) Sign out and back into Copilot in VS Code, (3) Update the Copilot extension, (4) Check for proxy/VPN blocking copilot-proxy.githubusercontent.com, (5) Disable conflicting AI extensions.
What should I use when GitHub Copilot is down?
Best alternatives: Cursor (VS Code fork with Claude/GPT-4), Codeium (free, inline completions), Tabnine (offline-capable), or Amazon CodeWhisperer. Cursor is the closest drop-in replacement.
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🌐 Can't Access GitHub Copilot?
If GitHub Copilot is working for others but not for you, it might be an ISP or regional issue. A VPN can help bypass network-level blocks and routing problems.
Troubleshoot with a VPN
Connect from a different region to test if the issue is local to your network. Also protects your connection on public Wi-Fi.
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