Quick Answer: How to Fix the GitHub Authentication Error
If your IDE is throwing the error “signing in to github failed. could not reach github to verify the selected account.”, it means your code editor cannot successfully open or complete the browser-based OAuth authentication flow. To fix this immediately:
- Update Your IDE: Ensure Visual Studio or VS Code, along with the GitHub Copilot extension, is updated to the absolute latest version. Older extensions have broken OAuth integration.
- Check Proxy/Firewalls: Your corporate VPN or firewall may be blocking
https://github.com/login/device. Disable your proxy temporarily in your IDE settings. - Clear IDE Auth Cache: Remove stale authentication tokens. In Windows, go to your
%LOCALAPPDATA%folder and clear your IDE’s specific identity or Copilot cache folders. - Use Default System Browser: Ensure your IDE is set to launch your default operating system browser rather than relying on a bundled internal renderer.
Connecting your GitHub account to your preferred Integrated Development Environment (IDE) like Visual Studio, IntelliJ, or VS Code is usually a seamless experience. However, an increasing number of developers are running into a frustrating roadblock when trying to activate GitHub Copilot or link their version control. The dreaded popup reads: “signing in to github failed. could not reach github to verify the selected account.”
This error is entirely different from a simple “wrong password” git push failure. Instead, it indicates a communication breakdown between your IDE’s internal request handling and GitHub’s OAuth device authorization servers. Whether it is caused by strict corporate firewalls, outdated IDE plugins, or corrupted identity caches, we have the step-by-step solutions to restore your access.
Why This Specific GitHub Login Error Happens
To understand the fix, you must understand the cause. GitHub Copilot and modern IDE syncing do not use your standard SSH key or Personal Access Token (PAT). They require a special browser-based OAuth login (Device Flow). The error triggers when:
- The Device Code Fails to Generate: Your IDE attempts to ping GitHub for an authorization code, but your local network drops the request.
- Browser Launch Failure: The IDE attempts to open the default web browser, but operating system permissions or custom JDKs (in IDEs like IntelliJ) block the launch.
- Account Mismatches (Run-As Issue): If you launch Visual Studio elevated (Run as Administrator) under a different Windows user profile than your active session, the authentication bridge breaks.
How to Fix GitHub Copilot “Failed to Get Copilot Token. ParseFailed” Error
Troubleshooting Matrix by IDE
While the root cause is similar, the exact buttons you need to click depend on the code editor you are using. Follow the matrix below:
Check Your Browser’s HSTS Settings
Sometimes, the IDE successfully requests the code, but your web browser refuses to redirect back to the IDE via the local host port because of Strict Transport Security (HSTS). If you are using Chrome or Edge, type chrome://net-internals/#hsts into your address bar, scroll to “Delete domain security policies,” type localhost, and hit delete. This allows the browser to properly communicate the success token back to your code editor.
Experiencing generalized network blocks on your developer machine? Read our internal guide on How to Safely Bypass Corporate Firewalls for Developer Tools. You can also monitor GitHub’s backend status on the Official GitHub Status Page.
Related Search
- “signing in to github failed. could not reach github to verify the selected account.”
Keyword Intent: Error Resolution. Explanation: This is the exact error thrown by Copilot and GitHub integrations when OAuth fails. Short Answer: The IDE cannot ping the authentication servers. Disable your VPN/proxy, clear the IDE cache, and ensure the IDE is fully updated. - “Visual Studio sign-in fails adding GitHub account with error 738”
Keyword Intent: Specific Platform Debugging. Explanation: Error 738 (ProtocolHandlerCallbackException) in Visual Studio. Short Answer: Repair your Visual Studio installation via the Installer to ensure the WebView2 Runtime and sign-in protocol handler components are correctly installed. - “GitHub Copilot won’t open browser to login”
Keyword Intent: UI Glitch Fixing. Explanation: The button is clicked, but nothing happens. Short Answer: Go into your IDE’s advanced settings and force it to use the “System Default Browser” rather than its internal browser rendering engine. - “VS Code Copilot chat authentication failed”
Keyword Intent: Extension Troubleshooting. Explanation: Copilot Chat is tightly bound to specific VS Code versions. Short Answer: If you are running an older version of VS Code, modern Copilot Chat OAuth will fail. Update the core VS Code application. - “How to login to GitHub Copilot using CLI”
Keyword Intent: Workaround Seeking. Explanation: Bypassing the broken GUI login. Short Answer: If the IDE login refuses to work, install the GitHub CLI and typegh auth loginin your terminal. Your IDE will automatically detect the active CLI token.
TL;DR – Quick Fixes for GitHub Verification Errors
- The error occurs because your IDE cannot open the browser or receive the OAuth authentication token back from GitHub.
- First, try disabling any VPN or proxy that might block
https://github.com/login/device. - In Visual Studio, delete the
%LOCALAPPDATA%\.IdentityServicecache folder to force a clean login state. - If the UI login fails entirely, use the terminal command
gh auth loginas a powerful fallback workaround.
