# GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio — May update > Source: > Published: 2026-06-04 15:35:58+00:00 # GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio — May update May 2026 brought sharper tooling for planning, reviewing, and managing your work with GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio 2026. [Highlights](#highlights) Here’s what’s new for all GitHub Copilot users in Visual Studio 2026. Check the Insiders channel for the latest: **Plan before you build with the Plan agent**: The new** Plan agent**(labeled** Plan**in the agent picker) lets you collaborate with Copilot on an implementation plan before any code is written. Copilot explores your codebase with read-only tools, asks clarifying questions, and drafts a detailed plan saved as a markdown file at`.copilot/plans/plan-{title}.md` . When you’re ready, click**Implement plan** to hand it off to**Agent** mode.**View and manage agent skills**: A new** Skills**panel in the chat window lists every agent skill discovered from your workspace and user profile. You can edit a skill, open its file location, or search across skills by name or keyword, all from a single place.**Multi-file summary diff for Copilot changes**: After Copilot edits multiple files, click** Open change summary view**in the working set to see all changes in one tab. Accept or undo at the all-files, per-file, or per-chunk level, with controls to collapse files or step through diff chunks.**Manage context window usage**: A new ring icon at the top right of the Copilot Chat prompt shows how much of the context window you’ve used. Click to see a detailed breakdown and use**Summarize conversation** to compact earlier turns and free up space.**Add commit to Copilot Chat**: Right-click a commit in** Git History**,** File History**, or the** Annotate (Blame)**view and attach it directly as context in Copilot Chat. Multi-select is supported, so you can attach several commits at once.**Commit message instructions moved**: Commit message custom instructions now live in your repository’s Copilot custom instructions file instead of the old** GitHub > Copilot > Source Control Integration**setting, keeping all Copilot guidance in one place.** Improved optimizations for iterative C++ builds**: When**@BuildPerfCpp** detects a regression in full rebuild analysis, it now reruns a comparable incremental build. This better reflects the day-to-day gains from optimizations such as precompiled headers and header refactoring, which can look slower in rebuilds. [Download Visual Studio 2026](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads) to experience all the new Copilot features today. To learn more about what’s new, check out the [Visual Studio blog](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/visual-studio-may-update-plan-review-refine) 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. For the latest news, release notes, videos, and community conversations, visit the [Visual Studio Hub](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/hub/), your central resource for all things Visual Studio.