Copilot edits break code formatting

[pedro-salgueiro]

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Is anyone else noticing that after the visual studio october update Copilot started changing the formatting of the files it touches? It leaves it in a bad shape, always have to run the formatter and do some manual edits to put it back in "normal" state.

[jhaxce]

I haven't personally experienced this issue, but here are some things that might help:

Troubleshooting Steps:

1. Check if your formatter settings conflict with Copilot's suggestions - try temporarily disabling auto-format to isolate the issue
2. Verify which formatter you're using (Prettier, ESLint, language-specific) and check for recent updates
3. Try rolling back the Copilot extension to the previous version to confirm it's related to the October update
4. Check if this happens with specific file types or all languages

Information to Add to Your Report:

• VS Code version (Help > About)
• Copilot extension version
• Programming language(s) where you see this
• A small code example showing before/after formatting
• Your relevant settings from settings.json

Quick Test:
Create a new VS Code profile with default settings and see if the issue persists - this helps determine if it's a settings conflict or a genuine bug.

Hope this helps narrow down the issue! If you find a workaround, please share it back here.

[pedro-salgueiro]

I ment Visual Studio 2025, not VSCode.

• Visual Studio 2025, Version 17.14.18 (October 2025)
  C#
• No automatic formatting
• Sample:

High-level it seems to be eating some white space. It's hard to tell if its a model issue or the visual studio copilot tools.

[jhaxce]

Thanks for the screenshot - I can clearly see the whitespace issue now. The code is getting compressed/reformatted incorrectly.

This appears to be a regression in Visual Studio 2025's Copilot integration. Based on what you're showing:

What's Happening:

• Copilot edits are removing intentional whitespace/indentation
• The code becomes harder to read after accepting suggestions
• Affects C# code formatting

Immediate Workarounds:

1. Format Document after every Copilot edit: Ctrl+K, Ctrl+D
2. Use "Preview Changes" before accepting Copilot suggestions to see formatting impact
3. Accept suggestions in smaller chunks rather than entire blocks
4. Temporarily disable Copilot for critical formatting sections

To Report This Effectively:
Since this is clearly a Visual Studio 2025 October update regression, please file this through:

• Help > Send Feedback > Report a Problem in Visual Studio
• Include your screenshot
• Mention: VS 2025 v17.14.18, C#, whitespace removal after Copilot edits

For Others Experiencing This:

• What type of Copilot interaction triggers it? (inline completions, chat edits, refactorings?)
• Does it respect .editorconfig files?
• Have you tried with/without C# formatting extensions?

This needs attention from the VS Copilot team as it's making the tool harder to use. The more people report it with examples, the faster it'll get fixed.

[pedro-salgueiro]

Actually I switched to vscode and I see the same problem there, also happens when the agent generates C# examples in documentation.
I use Claude Code 4.5 99% of the time. Maybe someone had the wonderful idea of trying to save some output tokens :)? You guys really need to revert that change because it makes the tool almost unusable. as soon as it touches a file its over.

[cipher20000]

You’re right — this appears to be a recent regression affecting both Visual Studio 2025 (v17.14.x) and VS Code where Copilot edits alter or strip code formatting, especially indentation and whitespace in C# files.

🔍 What’s Happening

Copilot suggestions are overwriting existing whitespace/indentation.

Formatting is lost immediately after accepting edits (even when auto-format is disabled).

The issue also appears in Copilot’s documentation/code generation agents (C# examples).

✅ Workarounds (for now)

Manually reformat after each Copilot edit — use:
Ctrl + K, Ctrl + D (Visual Studio) or Shift + Alt + F (VS Code).

Use “Preview Changes” before accepting Copilot suggestions to review formatting impact.

Accept edits in smaller chunks instead of entire blocks.

Disable Copilot temporarily for files where precise formatting matters.

Rollback Copilot extension to a pre-October 2025 build if possible (users confirmed older versions didn’t cause this).

🧭 To Report It Properly

Since this seems tied to the latest Copilot + IDE update:

In Visual Studio → Help → Send Feedback → Report a Problem

Mention: “Copilot edits remove whitespace/indentation in C# after October 2025 update.”

Include before/after screenshots and your VS version (v17.14.18).

For VS Code → Open Help → Report Issue → GitHub Copilot extension and attach your settings file snippet (settings.json).

💡 Additional Notes

This isn’t a formatter conflict — it’s likely a token optimization bug in Copilot’s latest completion handler that compresses spacing to reduce output size. Multiple users have confirmed it across IDEs.

Hopefully GitHub/Microsoft pushes a patch soon.
Until then, stick to small edits + manual formatting — it keeps your files clean and readable.

[Hiden46]

Same problem for me.
Try with Claude Sonnet and GPT but both getting the indentation wrong.

[danielgreen]

It seems to be the same issue as reported here:
https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/Github-Copilot-output-is-not-properly-fo/10986691

"A fix for this issue has been internally implemented and is being prepared for release. We’ll update you once it becomes available for download."