Visual Studio Code unveils Copilot code editing suggestions

A just-released update of Visual Studio Code, version 1.97, introduces a preview of Copilot Next Edit Suggestions, an AI-powered feature that predicts the next edit the user wants to make. The new VS Code release also includes a movable Command Palette and the ability to quickly debug Python scripts without setup.

Visual Studio Code 1.97, also known as the January 2025 release, was introduced February 6. It can be downloaded for Windows, Mac, or Linux.

With Copilot Next Edit Suggestions (Copilot NES), VS Code 1.97 adds a feature for predicting the location of the next edit to make and what the edit should be. Copilot NES suggests future changes based on previous edits. Developers simply press tab to navigate and accept suggestions. Copilot NES can be enabled via the VS Code setting github.copilot.nextEditSuggestions.enabled.

Visual Studio Code 1.97 also makes the Copilot Edits feature generally available. Copilot Edits, which allows users to make code changes across multiple files in their workspace directly from chat, was previewed in VS Code 1.95. Also with VS Code 1.97, the model picker now includes OpenAI o3-mini and Gemini 2.0 Flash.

For Python, VS Code users now can debug a Python script or module directly from the terminal, without setup, thanks to a new no-config debug feature.

Other new features in VS Code 1.97:

Developers now can move the Command Palette and other Quick Inputs to a new position, rather than having it fixed at the top of the window.

When installing an extension from a publisher for the first time, developers will now see a dialog to help assess the trustworthiness of the extension publisher. When a user updates to VS Code 1.97, the publishers of currently installed extensions are automatically trusted.

Contents of the Output panel now can be filtered, which can improve management and analysis of logs, particularly when dealing with large volumes of log data.

The notebook editor now supports showing inline values after cell execution, via the setting notebook.inlineValues.

In the JavaScript debugger, scripts now can be “pretty printed” by using the “Debug: Pretty print for debugging” command from the command palette or editor actions, even if they are not the source the debugger is currently paused in.

The TypeScript 5.7.3 recovery release, a minor update that fixes a few import bugs and regressions, is included.

Visual Studio Code 1.97 arrives after the December release of VS Code 1.96 featuring an overtype mode and followed by four point release updates for fixes.