Microsoft has rolled out the October 2025 update for Visual Studio 2022 (v17.14), bringing several enhancements to GitHub Copilot within the IDE. Among the most notable additions are the Claude Sonnet 4.5 and Claude Haiku 4.5 coding models, which are now available in the Copilot chat window. These models aim to improve AI-assisted coding workflows, allowing developers to leverage advanced coding capabilities directly in their projects. The update also introduces Copilot memories, enabling the AI assistant to remember project-specific preferences and maintain consistency across sessions.
Copilot memories work by intelligently detecting coding standards and project practices as developers interact with Copilot in the chat. These preferences are stored in familiar project files such as .editorconfig for coding rules, CONTRIBUTING.md for team guidelines, and README.md for high-level project information. According to Microsoft, this makes Copilot more project-aware, helping it provide suggestions that align with existing coding standards and team workflows, reducing repetitive manual guidance.
Another significant improvement is the introduction of instruction files, which allow developers to target specific instructions to particular folders or files within a repository. Combined with built-in planning for multi-step tasks, Copilot can now automatically create a markdown plan file detailing a task list, the files to edit, and contextual information when developers pose complex queries. These plans are dynamically updated as tasks progress, adapting to blockers while keeping the workflow transparent and trackable.
The October update also adds two new chat management commands: /clear and /clearAll. The /clear command lets developers reset an individual Copilot chat thread if issues arise, while /clearAll removes all outdated or unnecessary threads, keeping the workspace organized. With these updates, Microsoft aims to make GitHub Copilot a more intelligent, project-aware assistant that simplifies multi-step coding tasks and improves overall productivity for developers using Visual Studio 2022.