GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot Not Suggesting Code — How to Fix Missing Inline Suggestions

GitHub Copilot's inline suggestions, also known as ghost text, can suddenly stop appearing during an active coding session in VS Code. This issue affects developers across all experience levels and can be triggered by extension conflicts, authentication lapses, or language-specific settings. If Copilot appears active but no completions show up, this guide walks you through every fix.

Why does this error happen?

GitHub Copilot relies on a combination of a valid authenticated GitHub session, an active extension process, and per-language enablement settings to deliver inline suggestions. When any one of these components breaks down — such as an expired OAuth token, a corrupted extension install, a language explicitly disabled in Copilot's settings, or a network interruption blocking requests to GitHub's suggestion API — the ghost text pipeline is silently interrupted. VS Code does not always surface an obvious error message, which makes it appear as though Copilot is running normally when it has actually stopped processing completion requests in the background.

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How to fix it

Check the Copilot Status Icon in the Status Bar

Look at the bottom status bar in VS Code for the Copilot icon, which resembles a small GitHub logo. If it shows a warning or strikethrough, click it to see the reported status message. An icon indicating 'Copilot is disabled' or a network error here is your fastest diagnostic clue.

Ensure Copilot Is Enabled for the Current Language

Open VS Code Settings and search for 'Copilot enable'. Under the 'GitHub Copilot: Enable' section you will find a list of languages with toggles. Verify that the language you are currently editing — for example, Python, JavaScript, or TypeScript — is set to enabled. If it is toggled off, re-enable it and reload the editor window.

Sign Out and Sign Back Into GitHub in VS Code

Open the Accounts menu in the bottom-left corner of VS Code and sign out of your GitHub account. Once signed out, sign back in and complete the OAuth authorization flow in your browser. An expired or corrupted authentication token is one of the most common silent causes of Copilot suggestions stopping without any visible error.

Reinstall the Copilot Extension

Navigate to the Extensions panel in VS Code, search for 'GitHub Copilot', and uninstall the extension completely. After uninstalling, reload VS Code, then search for and reinstall GitHub Copilot from the Marketplace. This clears any corrupted extension files or misconfigured state that a simple disable and re-enable would not resolve.

Pro tip

Pin a specific stable version of the GitHub Copilot extension and disable auto-updates temporarily after a working install. This prevents a broken extension update from silently disabling suggestions mid-project — you can re-enable auto-updates once a new version is confirmed stable by the community.

Frequently asked questions

Why does GitHub Copilot work in some files but not others?

Copilot applies enablement settings on a per-language basis, so a language that was manually disabled in settings will produce no suggestions even while other file types work normally. Open VS Code Settings, search for 'Copilot enable', and verify the specific language associated with the non-working file is toggled on.

Does GitHub Copilot stop working if I exceed usage limits?

GitHub Copilot Free tier users have a monthly cap on completions, and once that limit is reached suggestions will stop appearing until the cap resets. Upgrading to GitHub Copilot Pro removes these usage restrictions and restores unlimited inline suggestions.

Can other VS Code extensions interfere with Copilot suggestions?

Yes, extensions that aggressively intercept the IntelliSense or autocomplete pipeline — such as some linting or formatting tools — can suppress Copilot ghost text. Try opening a fresh VS Code window with extensions disabled one by one to isolate any conflict.

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