Getting code suggestions in your IDE with GitHub Copilot

About GitHub Copilot and JetBrains IDEs

This guide demonstrates how to get coding suggestions from GitHub Copilot in a JetBrains IDE. To see instructions for other popular coding environments, use the tool switcher at the top of the page.

The examples in this guide use Java, however other languages will work similarly. GitHub Copilot provides suggestions for numerous languages and a wide variety of frameworks, but works especially well for Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Ruby, Go, C# and C++. GitHub Copilot can also assist in query generation for databases, generating suggestions for APIs and frameworks, and can help with infrastructure as code development.

Prerequisites

• Subscription to Copilot. To use GitHub Copilot in JetBrains, you must have an active GitHub Copilot subscription. For information about how to get access to Copilot, see "What is GitHub Copilot?."

• Compatible JetBrains IDE. To use GitHub Copilot in JetBrains, you must have a compatible JetBrains IDE installed. GitHub Copilot is compatible with the following IDEs:

  • IntelliJ IDEA (Ultimate, Community, Educational)
  • Android Studio
  • AppCode
  • CLion
  • Code With Me Guest
  • DataGrip
  • DataSpell
  • GoLand
  • JetBrains Client
  • MPS
  • PhpStorm
  • PyCharm (Professional, Community, Educational)
  • Rider
  • RubyMine
  • RustRover
  • WebStorm
  • Writerside

  See the JetBrains IDEs tool finder to download.

• GitHub Copilot plugin. See the GitHub Copilot plugin in the JetBrains Marketplace. For installation instructions, see "Installing the GitHub Copilot extension in your environment."

• Log in to GitHub in your JetBrains IDE. For authentication instructions, see "Installing the GitHub Copilot extension in your environment."

Getting code suggestions

GitHub Copilot offers coding suggestions as you type. For example, in a Java file, create a class by typing class Test.

GitHub Copilot will automatically suggest a class body in grayed text. To accept the suggestion, press Tab.

You can also describe something you want to do using natural language within a comment, and Copilot will suggest the code to accomplish your goal. For example, type this comment in a Java file:

// find all images without alternate text
// and give them a red border
void process () {

// find all images without alternate text
// and give them a red border
void process () {

GitHub Copilot will automatically suggest code. To accept the suggestion, press Tab.

GitHub Copilot will attempt to match the context and style of your code. You can always edit the suggested code.

Showing alternative suggestions

For any given input, GitHub Copilot may offer multiple suggestions. You can select which suggestion to use, or reject all suggestions.

For example, type the following line in a Java file, and press Enter:

private int calculateDaysBetweenDates(Date date1,

private int calculateDaysBetweenDates(Date date1,

GitHub Copilot will show you a suggestion.

Now hover over the suggestion to show the GitHub Copilot control for choosing suggestions. To display next or previous suggestions, click the forward or back arrow button in the control.

You can also use keyboard shortcuts to show alternative suggestions:

To accept a suggestion, click "Accept" in the Copilot command palette, or press Tab. To reject all suggestions, press Esc.

Showing multiple suggestions in a new tab

If you don't want to use any of the initial suggestions GitHub Copilot offers, you can show multiple suggestions in a new tab.

For example, type the following line in a Java file:

private int calculateDaysBetweenDates(Date date1,

private int calculateDaysBetweenDates(Date date1,

GitHub Copilot will show you a suggestion.

To open a new tab with multiple additional suggestions, use the following keyboard shortcut, then click Open GitHub Copilot:

To accept a suggestion, below the suggestion, click Accept suggestion NUMBER. To reject all suggestions, close the tab.

Accepting partial suggestions

If you don't want to accept an entire suggestion from GitHub Copilot, you can accept the next word or the next line of a suggestion.

For example, type the following line in a Java file:

private int calculateDaysBetweenDates(Date date1,

private int calculateDaysBetweenDates(Date date1,

GitHub Copilot will show a suggestion in grayed text. The exact suggestion may vary.

Now hover over the suggestion to show the GitHub Copilot control for choosing suggestions. To accept only the next word of the suggestion, click Accept Word in the control.

Alternatively, you can use a keyboard shortcut to accept the next word of a suggestion:

If you want to accept the next line of a suggestion, you will need to set a custom keyboard shortcut for the command editor.action.inlineSuggest.acceptNextLine. For more information on setting custom keyboard shortcuts, see "Configuring GitHub Copilot in your environment."