Microsoft Opens Early Access to Advanced C++ Editing Features for GitHub Copilot

Microsoft has begun rolling out a public preview of new C++ code editing capabilities for GitHub Copilot, giving developers early access through the Visual Studio 2026 Insiders program. The preview introduces deeper project awareness for Copilot, enabling the AI assistant to handle more sophisticated C++ refactoring tasks that span multiple files and components.

The announcement was made on December 16, alongside documentation explaining how developers can enable and test the new functionality. Prior to this release, the tools were only available to a limited audience through a private preview that started in mid-November.

According to Microsoft, the new tooling significantly expands Copilot’s understanding of C++ projects. Rather than operating on isolated files, Copilot can now analyze symbols across an entire codebase. This includes tracking where symbols are defined and referenced, interpreting metadata such as scope and type information, mapping class inheritance structures, and following chains of function calls. These insights allow Copilot’s agent mode to make coordinated changes with greater precision and efficiency.

By giving the AI assistant a more complete view of project structure and relationships, Microsoft aims to improve the reliability of complex edits that would otherwise be difficult to automate in large or legacy C++ systems.

Looking ahead, Microsoft plans to bring these C++ editing enhancements to additional GitHub Copilot environments, including Visual Studio Code, extending agent-driven workflows beyond Visual Studio. The company is also actively collecting developer feedback during the preview period. Users can submit bug reports or feature suggestions directly through the built-in Visual Studio feedback tool, helping shape the future direction of Copilot’s C++ support.