GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio — July update

GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio 2026 introduces a new agent in public preview, built on the Copilot SDK, that reduces back-and-forth and delivers shorter responses. The update also adds built-in .NET and Azure skills authored by Microsoft experts, a code review feature for selected code, and organization-level custom instructions for GitHub Copilot Business or Enterprise users.

GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio — July update July 2026 brought a new agent based on the Copilot SDK, built-in expertise from the .NET and Azure teams, and more ways to tailor GitHub Copilot to how you and your team work. Highlights highlights Here’s what’s new with GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio 2026. Check the Insiders channel for the latest: Try the new agent, now in public preview : Copilot Chat has a new Agent Preview option in the agent picker, built on the same GitHub Copilot SDK that powers the GitHub Copilot CLI. It gets more tasks right the first time with less back-and-forth. Responses are shorter and easier to scan. Select it from the agent picker at the bottom of the Copilot Chat window. Built-in .NET and Azure skills : Visual Studio now includes built-in skills authored by experts from the .NET and Azure teams to help you customize your agentic workflow. Find them in the “Built-in” category of the tool picker when the corresponding workloads are installed. They’re off by default, so you can review and enable only the ones that fit your tasks. Review selected code with Copilot : Sometimes you just want a second opinion on a specific block of code. Select code in the editor, right-click, and select Copilot Actions Review Selection to get inline comments you can act on. Use the sparkle icon on any comment to apply a suggestion or have Copilot generate one, powered by GitHub Copilot code review. Organization-level custom instructions : GitHub organization owners can now add custom instructions that tailor Copilot’s responses across the entire organization, so shared preferences don’t have to be configured per developer. They automatically apply in repositories that belong to your organization and appear in the reference list, and you can disable them under Tools Options GitHub Copilot Copilot Chat . Availability varies by feature. Organization-level custom instructions require GitHub Copilot Business or GitHub Copilot Enterprise. The new agent, built-in skills, and selected-code review features are available in all plans. See GitHub Copilot plans https://docs.github.com/copilot/get-started/plans for details. To learn more about what’s new, check out the Visual Studio blog https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/visual-studio-july-update-meet-the-new-agent-powered-by-copilot-sdk and release notes https://learn.microsoft.com/visualstudio/releases/2026/release-notes . What’s next for Copilot in Visual Studio whats-next-for-copilot-in-visual-studio Stay up to date on the latest Copilot features by following the Visual Studio blog https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio , where you’ll find roadmap updates and opportunities to share feedback.