Microsoft has launched a public preview of GitHub Copilot app modernization for C++. The company had previewed C++ code editing tools for GitHub Copilot in December. Both previews are available via the Visual Studio 2026 Insiders channel.
GitHub Copilot app modernization for C++ helps developers upgrade C++ projects to newer MSVC Build Tools versions. The public preview was announced January 27. App modernization for C++ previously became available in a private preview in November, with the launch of the Visual Studio 2026 IDE. After receiving feedback from private preview participants, Microsoft has added support for CMake projects, reduced hallucinations, removed several critical failures, and improved Copilot’s behavior when encountering an internal compiler error. Microsoft also reinforced Copilot’s understanding of when project files need to be modified to do the upgrade.
With app modernization for C++, GitHub Copilot can reduce toil incurred when adopting newer versions of MSVC, Microsoft said. GitHub Copilot will first examine a project to determine whether it can update its settings to use the latest MSVC version. Microsoft described a three-step process of assessment, planning, and execution that GitHub Copilot follows for app modernization. After updating the project settings, Copilot will do an initial build to assess if there are any issues blocking the upgrade. After confirming the accuracy of the assessment with the user, Copilot will propose solutions to any issues that need to be addressed. Once the user approves the plan, the agent completes a sequence of tasks and validates that its changes resolved the identified problems. If there remains work to be done, the agent continues iterating until the problems are resolved or the conversation is discontinued.
