From pro account to free. I can't access free models anymore

[t3hduck]

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Hi guys.
I had github copilot pro that I used with plugin on IntelliJ and VSCode.
I ended my subscription two days ago because I was elegible of Educational plan, and I'm waiting the 72 hours to have all the features avaiable.

Meanwhile I thought to use the free plan, but on Vscode/IntelliJ I can access only premium models.

Just to be sure, is this the common behavior? I can't use "ask" agent for free anymore with free plan? Or there is something I have to do with my account?

Thanks a lot

[P-r-e-m-i-u-m]

Yeah, this is super common and annoying. Since you just cancelled Pro, the system is likely still treating you as an "expired" Pro user rather than a "new" Free user.

The "Why": GitHub doesn't always flip the switch to the Free plan automatically. Your IDE is still trying to find a valid Pro license that doesn't exist anymore.

The Quick Fix:

Manual Opt-in: Go to your GitHub Copilot Settings. You often have to manually click a "Start using Copilot Free" button to bridge the gap while waiting for your Edu verification.

Refresh Auth: Log out of GitHub in both VS Code and IntelliJ, then log back in. This forces the IDE to pull your new (Free) permissions.

Once your Education plan is approved (usually 2–3 days), it’ll automatically bump you back up to the full experience.

[t3hduck]

Thank you I hope you are right.

Manual Opt-in: Go to your GitHub Copilot Settings. You often have to manually click a "Start using Copilot Free" button to bridge the gap while waiting for your Edu verification.

I see no button like that, and If I go to pricing page and click on copilot free I just see the chat page with the models you can see in the screenshot.

Refresh Auth: Log out of GitHub in both VS Code and IntelliJ, then log back in. This forces the IDE to pull your new (Free) permissions.
I tried to log out, delete extension but it's the same.
Actually...I also tried to make a new account and the result it's the same, maybe it's just like that and there are no 0x models?

thanks you so much btw I hope this will solved in a way or another

[pratikrath126]

When you downgrade from a Pro account to a Free plan, your access to certain 'Pro' features, including some models or higher usage limits, is restricted. However, GitHub does offer a free tier for Copilot with limited models.

1. Make sure you have correctly set up the Free plan in your GitHub Settings > Copilot.
2. In VS Code, try signing out and signing back into your GitHub account to refresh your subscription status.
3. Check the Copilot chat panel in VS Code to see which models are available to you; some might be grayed out or missing if they are exclusive to the Pro plan.