GitHub Copilot generates code suggestions by analyzing your editor context. To improve the model and diagnose issues, Copilot collects telemetry data about how you use the tool. This data includes snippets of your code, editor actions like accepting or dismissing suggestions, and diagnostic information. Many enterprise administrators and developers want to know exactly what is sent to Microsoft before enabling or configuring the feature. This article explains each telemetry category, how to review the data being collected, and how to adjust the settings in Visual Studio Code and JetBrains IDEs.
Key Takeaways: GitHub Copilot Telemetry Data
- VS Code > Settings > Extensions > GitHub Copilot > Telemetry: Controls whether usage data and code snippets are sent to Microsoft for product improvement.
- JetBrains Settings > Tools > GitHub Copilot > Telemetry: Provides the same opt-in or opt-out control for JetBrains IDEs.
- GitHub Copilot Telemetry Policy: Code snippets sent for suggestion quality analysis are not stored long-term and are not used to train models on your private code.
What Telemetry Data GitHub Copilot Collects
GitHub Copilot collects three categories of telemetry: usage events, diagnostic data, and code context snippets. Usage events record when you accept, reject, or manually trigger a suggestion. Diagnostic data includes error logs, performance metrics, and IDE version information. Code context snippets are short excerpts from the file you are editing and from related open files. These snippets are sent to Microsoft servers to generate the next suggestion and to evaluate suggestion quality. The telemetry does not include your entire codebase, credentials, or personal access tokens. GitHub Copilot filters out strings that look like secrets before sending context data.
Usage Events
Each time Copilot offers a suggestion, it logs whether you pressed Tab to accept, pressed Escape to dismiss, or continued typing to ignore. It also logs when you open the Copilot completions panel or cycle through alternative suggestions. These events are sent with a unique anonymous identifier tied to your Copilot session. GitHub uses this data to measure how often suggestions are useful and to identify patterns where the model underperforms.
Diagnostic Data
Diagnostic telemetry includes the IDE name and version, the operating system, the Copilot extension version, and any error messages generated by the extension. This data helps Microsoft troubleshoot crashes, slow performance, and compatibility problems. Diagnostic data does not contain your source code or project names.
Code Context Snippets
When you type in a file, Copilot sends the current file content around your cursor position and snippets from other open files that are relevant to the suggestion. The exact number of lines sent depends on the file size and the complexity of the code. Microsoft states that these snippets are processed in memory only to generate the suggestion and are not stored in logs. The snippets are also used for offline quality evaluation, but they are anonymized and aggregated before any model training occurs.
How to Review and Change Telemetry Settings
You can review what data Copilot is sending and disable telemetry entirely through your IDE settings. The steps differ slightly between Visual Studio Code and JetBrains IDEs.
Visual Studio Code
- Open Settings
Press Ctrl + , to open the Settings editor. Alternatively, click the gear icon in the lower-left corner and select Settings. - Navigate to Extensions > GitHub Copilot
In the left sidebar, click Extensions, then click GitHub Copilot. This shows all Copilot-related settings. - Locate Telemetry Setting
Scroll to the Telemetry section. You will see a checkbox labeled GitHub Copilot: Telemetry. When checked, Copilot sends usage data and code context snippets. Uncheck this box to disable telemetry. - Confirm the Change
Close the Settings tab. The change takes effect immediately. No restart is required.
JetBrains IDEs
- Open Settings
Press Ctrl + Alt + S on Windows or Cmd + , on macOS. Alternatively, click File > Settings or IntelliJ IDEA > Settings. - Navigate to Tools > GitHub Copilot
In the left panel, expand the Tools section and click GitHub Copilot. - Change Telemetry Setting
Uncheck the box labeled Enable telemetry. This stops Copilot from sending usage events and code context snippets to Microsoft. - Apply the Setting
Click Apply or OK. The change is effective immediately.
Common Misconceptions About Copilot Telemetry
Does Copilot Send My Entire Project to Microsoft?
No. Copilot sends only the code context needed to generate a suggestion. This is typically the current file around the cursor and a few lines from recently opened files. It does not send your entire project directory, solution files, or configuration files that do not contain code.
Is My Private Code Used to Train Future Models?
Microsoft states that code snippets sent for suggestion generation are not used to train public models. Telemetry data used for quality evaluation is aggregated and anonymized. If you have a business agreement with GitHub, your code may be used to improve Copilot for your organization, but you can opt out of this use through your enterprise settings.
Can I See Exactly What Data Was Sent?
Visual Studio Code and JetBrains IDEs do not provide a built-in log viewer for telemetry payloads. You can use a network monitoring tool like Fiddler or Wireshark to inspect HTTPS requests to copilot-telemetry.githubusercontent.com and all subdomains. Microsoft also publishes a telemetry transparency report in the GitHub Copilot documentation that lists the data fields collected.
GitHub Copilot Telemetry Settings: Enabled vs Disabled
| Item | Telemetry Enabled | Telemetry Disabled |
|---|---|---|
| Usage events | Sent to Microsoft | Not sent |
| Diagnostic data | Sent to Microsoft | Not sent |
| Code context snippets | Sent for suggestion generation | Not sent |
| Suggestions generated | Yes | Yes |
| Impact on suggestion quality | Microsoft uses data to improve model | No impact on local suggestions |
| Network traffic | Higher (snippets sent per keystroke) | Lower (only for authentication token) |
GitHub Copilot continues to generate code suggestions even when telemetry is disabled. The only difference is that no usage data or code context is sent to Microsoft for analysis. The core functionality of the tool remains intact. If you are concerned about data privacy, disabling telemetry is a straightforward change that does not affect your daily workflow.
To verify that telemetry is off, open the Copilot output panel in VS Code by clicking View > Output and selecting GitHub Copilot from the drop-down. You will see a message confirming that telemetry is disabled. In JetBrains IDEs, the same confirmation appears in the Copilot tool window when you change the setting.