Configure your lab environment for GitHub Copilot exercises

Your lab environment must be configured for C# development using Visual Studio Code and GitHub Copilot. Access to a GitHub account with GitHub Copilot enabled is required.

Complete the following steps to verify that your lab environment is configured correctly:

Verify that Git version 2.48 or later is installed in your lab environment.

Run the following command in a terminal window to check the installed version of Git:
```
 git --version
```
If you’re running Windows and you want to update Git, you can use the following command:
```
 git update-git-for-windows
```
If necessary, you can download Git using the following URL: Download Git.
Verify that the latest LTS or STS version of the .NET SDK is installed in your lab environment.

Run the following command in a terminal window to check the installed version of the .NET SDK:
```
 dotnet --version
```
If necessary, you can download the .NET SDK using the following URL: Download .NET SDK.
Verify that Visual Studio Code and the C# Dev Kit extension are installed in your lab environment.

If necessary, you can download Visual Studio Code using the following URL: Download Visual Studio Code

You can install the C# Dev Kit extension using the Extensions view in Visual Studio Code.
Verify that you have access to a GitHub account and GitHub Copilot subscription.

You can log in to your GitHub account using the following URL: GitHub login.

If you don’t have a GitHub account, you can create an individual account from the GitHub login page. On the login page, select Create an account.

Open the settings/profile page of your GitHub account and verify that you have access to a GitHub Copilot subscription. If you have an active subscription for GitHub Copilot Pro, GitHub Copilot Pro+, GitHub Copilot Business, or GitHub Copilot Enterprise that you can use for training, you can use your existing GitHub Copilot subscription to complete the GitHub Copilot exercises.

If you have an individual GitHub account, but you don’t have a GitHub Copilot subscription, you can set up a GitHub Copilot Free plan either from the GitHub settings page or Visual Studio Code during a training exercise.

IMPORTANT: GitHub Copilot Free is a limited version of GitHub Copilot intended for learning and evaluation purposes. It includes up to 2,000 code completions per month and limited access to Copilot Chat and other AI-powered features. If you use GitHub Copilot Free outside of the training exercises, you may reach its usage limits before completing the course. GitHub Copilot billing and usage limits changed on June 1, 2026, and are now based on usage rather than Premium Requests. Usage limits and included capabilities may vary by plan and can change over time.