Is Copilot image upload (Vision) GA in VS Code / Visual Studio?

[danlaw]

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All public documentation I can find still labels image upload (Vision) in VS Code and Visual Studio as Public Preview (e.g., March–April 2025 changelogs). However, it appears widely enabled now.
Can someone from the Copilot team confirm whether Vision/image upload in IDEs is:

still officially in Public Preview, or
has reached GA without a formal announcement?

A link to the official status doc would be appreciated.

[pratikrath126]

Yes, Copilot image upload (Vision) in VS Code and Visual Studio is generally available (GA). You can attach images directly in Copilot Chat to get context-aware help. For official docs, see: https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/using-github-copilot/chatting-with-github-copilot?platform=vscode#using-images

[danlaw]

Thanks for your reply - that's great to hear! But I regret the link you shared does not work for me. Is this link the same as the one you are referring to?: https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/chat-with-copilot/chat-in-ide#using-images-in-copilot-chat

This particular page does note that one must enable Editor preview features for this feature to work, which sounds like it is still in preview vs. GA.

[Farhxn-15]

Yeah, the confusion is understandable. Copilot image upload and vision features have been evolving quickly, and the documentation and changelogs have not always been updated at the same pace.

As of now, image upload and vision capabilities inside VS Code and Visual Studio are not fully General Availability features. They are still in a staged rollout phase.

Here is what is happening behind the scenes:

Current status

The feature is generally considered Public Preview / gradual rollout, even though the “preview” label is not always visible in the UI anymore.

GitHub sometimes removes preview badges once a feature stabilizes, while still rolling it out progressively.

Why some users have it and others do not

Availability depends on several factors:

• Copilot plan and feature entitlements
• IDE version and Copilot extension version
• region and staged rollout waves
• enterprise policy controls

Because of this, two users on the same version may see different capabilities.

Why there has been no GA announcement

GitHub typically announces GA when:

• rollout is complete
• enterprise controls are finalized
• performance and privacy reviews are finished

Vision features involve additional privacy, security, and processing considerations, so rollout tends to be gradual.

How to check if you have access

Make sure:

• VS Code and the Copilot extension are fully updated
• Copilot Chat is enabled
• no enterprise policy is restricting experimental features

If the feature is available to your account, the upload option appears directly in Copilot Chat.

Practical takeaway

Right now it is best to think of Copilot Vision in IDEs as stable preview with progressive rollout, rather than fully GA.

That explains why documentation still references preview while the UI looks finalized.

[danlaw]

Thank you for clarifying!