To turn off GitHub Copilot’s built-in AI features in one VS Code workspace, set chat.disableAIFeatures to true at Workspace scope. This is the documented workspace control; simply hiding inline suggestions does not accomplish the same thing.
If the project is confidential, configure and verify the restriction before using AI with its contents. A local editor setting should support your organization’s policy, not replace it.
1. Choose the correct setting and scope
VS Code documents chat.disableAIFeatures as disabling and hiding built-in chat and inline suggestions, and disabling the Copilot extensions. It can be set for one workspace or for the user. See the Copilot setup guide.
By contrast, github.copilot.enable is a language-keyed map controlling inline suggestions. The old example "github.copilot.enable": false is not the documented setting shape and should not be used as an all-feature switch. The AI settings reference lists the distinction.
Before editing, confirm which folder or saved workspace is open. A different checkout of the same repository is a different local context to verify.
2. Disable AI in the workspace settings
- Save ongoing work. Open the Command Palette with Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS.
- Run Preferences: Open Workspace Settings (JSON), not the User Settings command.
- Add or update the property below in the settings object: at the root of a single-folder
settings.json, or inside the existingsettingsobject in a multi-root.code-workspacefile. Preserve other settings and add a comma where needed. Do not replace the whole file. - Save, check for JSON errors, and confirm the setting’s effective value in the Workspace tab of Settings. Follow a reload prompt if VS Code displays one.
{
"chat.disableAIFeatures": true
}This example shows an otherwise empty single-folder settings file; in a multi-root workspace, place the property inside settings instead. In a normal single-folder workspace, settings live in .vscode/settings.json. A saved multi-root workspace stores workspace-level settings in its .code-workspace file. Use the command to reach the correct location rather than creating a second settings file by guesswork. See settings scopes and multi-root workspaces.
3. Verify the boundary you actually configured
Check that the built-in chat and Copilot suggestion features are disabled in the target window, then reopen that same workspace and check again. Do not submit sensitive content as a test. A harmless test file can help distinguish Copilot behavior from ordinary IntelliSense, which is a separate editor feature.
If AI remains available, inspect the effective setting, active workspace and any administrator-managed policy. VS Code policy settings override ordinary settings. Do not remove organization protections or clear credentials to troubleshoot this.
Open an unrelated workspace only if permitted, and confirm its effective value has not changed. If all projects were affected accidentally, review the User setting you changed and restore only that accidental change; leave intentional global restrictions intact.
4. Keep the limitation clear for shared projects
A shared workspace file can communicate the team’s intended configuration, but it is editable. It does not prove that contributors cannot use a separate editor, browser, command-line assistant, remote session or third-party AI extension. Review those channels with the responsible administrator when a project forbids AI processing.
Opening an individual folder instead of its saved multi-root workspace can also change which settings apply. Record the expected opening method in the project’s existing setup instructions if that distinction matters.
To restore AI later, remove or change this workspace override only when permitted and verify the resulting effective value. Removing it may reveal an existing User or policy restriction; it does not necessarily enable AI. Keep the decision scoped to the workspace you intended to change.
Official documentation checked October 14, 2026.