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Note
This article applies to Visual Studio 2022 version 17.14 and later, and Visual Studio 2026.
GitHub Copilot includes built-in tools to help you track usage, manage your plan, and understand how model selection affects your monthly usage.
View Copilot usage
To view Copilot usage:
- Select the down arrow next to the Copilot badge in the top-right corner.
- Select Copilot Usage from the menu to view the dialog.
The usage window looks different depending on your plan category.
Individual plans
Individual plans show personal monthly usage details and continuation options.
Business and Enterprise plans
Business and Enterprise plans show organization-managed usage details. In some organizations, no individual monthly limit is set and usage draws from a shared pool.
The usage window shows monthly usage, remaining monthly balance, plan details, and relevant actions you can take to manage billing. Depending on your plan, it might also show information on additional usage.
Select the Copilot badge in the top-right corner of Visual Studio, and then select Copilot Usage.
In older versions, this experience might appear as Copilot Consumptions.
Here, you might view usage details and monthly limit information for your plan.
Note
Labels and fields in the usage window vary by GitHub Copilot plan type and Visual Studio version. GitHub manages billing and subscriptions. For details, visit your GitHub settings.
Monitor usage and manage alerts
Check your usage and set alerts to stay within monthly limits and avoid interruptions.
Set a personal usage warning threshold
Visual Studio warns you when usage reaches 75% of your monthly usage limit by default. You might change this threshold to match your usage needs.
To set a personal usage warning threshold:
- Open Tools > Options > GitHub > Copilot > Copilot Chat.
- Find the Quota warning threshold percentage setting.
- Enter the percentage of your monthly usage limit at which you want to be warned.
- Select OK to save your changes.
Once configured, Copilot Chat displays a warning banner when your usage reaches the threshold percentage you set.
This warning is a notification only. It doesn't stop usage or enforce a spending cap.
Note
This setting applies locally to your Visual Studio installation. Your GitHub Copilot plan tier determines your actual monthly usage limits and any overage policies.
Understand usage limits and alerts
When your monthly usage is near or at your limit, Copilot shows alerts and overage indicators based on your plan.
Copilot usage is measured according to the published rates for each model. In general, larger prompts and longer responses use more credits. For details, see Models and pricing.
Usage limit reached
When you reach the usage limits, your Copilot experience in Visual Studio might be affected as follows:
Usage limit for Completions is reached
User receives IntelliCode suggestions instead of Copilot completions. The Copilot badge might still show an active state while completions are limited.
Usage limit for Chat is reached
User no longer receives chat responses when sending prompts. A notification in chat alerts the user that they have reached their monthly limit.
Individual plans
Copilot might show warnings and limit-reached banners with options to manage overages or plan continuation.
Business and Enterprise plans
Usage is organization-managed. In some organizations, no individual monthly limit is set and usage draws from a shared pool. If you need higher limits or policy changes, contact your organization administrator.
When monthly usage limits are configured, Copilot might display an alert banner with options to manage your usage:
For plan behavior details, see About usage limits.
For chat context usage (separate from billing usage), monitor context window usage and summarize conversation history as needed. Learn more in Manage chat context in Copilot Chat.
Tip
Visit your Copilot settings on GitHub to explore model options and subscription details.
Understand model selection
Copilot supports multiple AI models, and each model may consume usage at different rates.
For most prompts, use Auto. Auto routes you to a model based on model reliability and availability, and is available at a discounted rate. For complex tasks, consider switching to a different model.
Your model choice affects three things:
- Cost: Higher-capability models usually consume more credits per prompt.
- Response quality: Higher-capability models often return more detailed and structured responses.
- Performance: Lower-cost models are often faster for simple tasks, while higher-capability models might take longer for complex reasoning.
To view or change your current model:
- Open the Copilot Chat window.
- Use the Model picker dropdown to select a model.
The model picker shows model cost indicators for each model. Available model options might vary by plan.
To manage model usage for non-chat scenarios, turn off Enhance non-chat requests with premium models in GitHub > Copilot > Editor.
For more information, see Change the chat model, Supported AI models, and Auto model selection.
Tips to optimize usage
- Use Auto in the model picker for most prompts, then switch models for complex tasks.
- To reduce usage for non-chat scenarios, turn off Enhance non-chat requests with premium models in GitHub > Copilot > Editor. For more context, see Understand model selection.
- If you use multiple GitHub accounts in Visual Studio, verify the active account is the account with your expected Copilot plan.
- Use Manage plan from the usage window to verify your current plan tier and overage policy.