I’m working through a GitHub Copilot tutorial for VS Code and I keep seeing screenshots with a suggestions panel on the right side of the editor. I can’t figure out how to open this panel myself.
I know that Ctrl + I opens the inline chat and Alt + \ triggers suggestions, but these don’t show the dedicated suggestions window. I’ve tried Ctrl + Enter which some people mention online but it doesn’t do anything for me.
Is there a specific keyboard shortcut or menu option to display this suggestions panel? I feel like I’m missing something obvious here.
I had this exact same issue when I first started using Copilot. The panel you’re seeing in those tutorials is probably the suggestions completions view. What worked for me was pressing Ctrl + Shift + I which opens the Copilot suggestions window in a separate panel. Sometimes it also helps to make sure you have the GitHub Copilot extension properly installed and authenticated. Another thing to check is your workspace settings - occasionally the panel visibility gets toggled off. If Ctrl + Shift + I doesn’t work, try going to View menu and look for GitHub Copilot options there. The shortcuts can vary depending on your VS Code version and extension updates, so the menu approach is usually more reliable when keyboard shortcuts fail.
The suggestions panel you’re referring to is likely the GitHub Copilot Chat panel. Try using Ctrl + Shift + P to open the command palette, then type “GitHub Copilot: Open Chat” and select it. This should open the dedicated chat panel on the side. Alternatively, you can access it through the Activity Bar - look for the GitHub Copilot icon (usually looks like a small logo) and click on it. I had the same confusion when starting with Copilot since there are multiple ways to interact with it. The panel might also appear automatically when you have an active suggestion, but opening it manually through the command palette is the most reliable method in my experience.
honestly just look for the copilot icon in the activity bar on the left side - its usually near the bottom. clicking it should open the panel your looking for. if you dont see the icon, the extension might not be installed properly or you need to sign in first.
you can also check if copilot is enabled in your settings. right-click in the editor area and select ‘copilot’ from the context menu. if that doesn’t work, maybe restart vs code and try again.