Compare Commits to Your Code, Resolve Conflicts in Bulk, Keep Coding (5 minute read)

# Visual Studio October Update – Compare Commits to Your Code, Resolve Conflicts in Bulk, Keep Coding - Visual Studio Blog Source: [https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/visual-studio-october-update-compare-commits-to-your-code-resolve-conflicts-in-bulk-keep-coding/](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/visual-studio-october-update-compare-commits-to-your-code-resolve-conflicts-in-bulk-keep-coding/) October 27th, 2026 1 reaction  Principal Product Manager The October Visual Studio update gives you a clearer view of how your code has changed and more control over resolving merge conflicts\. Compare an earlier commit directly with your current working tree, including edits still in progress, and apply the same conflict resolution across multiple files at once\. There’s more to try beyond Git: a new Copilot chat experience, Hot Exit for unfinished work, keyboard shortcuts for organizing tabs, and a refreshed**Fonts and Colors**page\. Update to the[Visual Studio 2026 Stable Channel](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads)to get started\. ### Compare a Commit to Your Working Tree Need to see how your current code differs from an earlier commit? You can now[compare that commit directly with your working tree](https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/content/idea/370956/allow-compare-working-copy-to-historical-version-v.html)across your repository, including committed changes and edits still in progress\. Use it to review a refactor across several commits or investigate what’s changed since a known\-good version\. From commit history or the branch list in the[**Git Repository**window](https://learn.microsoft.com/visualstudio/version-control/git-browse-repository?view=visualstudio), right\-click a commit and select**Compare with Working Tree**\. The compare view lets you browse changed files and inspect their diffs against the code you have today\.   ### Bulk Resolve Merge Conflicts When you already know which side to keep across several conflicted files, you shouldn’t have to repeat that choice for every file\. You can now[resolve conflicts across a group of files at once](https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/When-resolving-merge-conflicts-allow-us/1470684)\. In**Git Changes**, right\-click multiple selected files, a folder, or the repository root under**Unmerged Changes**and select**Keep All Current**or**Take All Incoming**\. The selected resolution applies to all selected files, or all conflicted files within the selected folder or repository\.  ### Try the New Copilot Chat Experience The new[GitHub Copilot Chat](https://learn.microsoft.com/visualstudio/ide/visual-studio-github-copilot-chat?view=visualstudio)experience builds on the Copilot SDK foundation introduced with**Agent \(Preview\)**\. That foundation now extends to**Ask**mode,**Agent**mode, and the underlying chat infrastructure, sharing the SDK used by the Copilot CLI and GitHub Copilot app\. It brings more capable end\-to\-end agent workflows with less back\-and\-forth, longer\-running sessions with more effective prompt caching, and consistent behavior across Copilot experiences\. To try it, open**Tools \> Options \> GitHub \> Copilot \> Copilot Chat**, select**Use new Copilot chat experience**, then restart Visual Studio\.  Enable it for your next coding session and let us know how it handles the work\. If something is missing or isn’t working, use**Help \> Send Feedback \> Report a Problem**to tell us\. ### Keep Unsaved Work with Hot Exit Closing Visual Studio doesn’t have to mean deciding where to save every unfinished file\.[Hot Exit preserves your unsaved work between sessions](https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/Add-ability-for-Visual-Studio-to-automat/10989739), including new files you haven’t saved and edits to existing files\. When you reopen Visual Studio, it restores those documents and changes, along with your tab and window layout\. It also preserves undo functionality for saved files, including`Ctrl\+Z`\. Hot Exit is off by default; to enable it, open**Tools \> Options**, expand**All Settings \> Projects and Solutions \> General**, and select**Reopen unsaved documents**on solution load or empty environment\. [https://devblogs\.microsoft\.com/visualstudio/wp\-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/10/vs18\.11\_HotExit\.mp4](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2026/10/vs18.11_HotExit.mp4) ### Move Documents with the Keyboard You can now[reorder tabs without reaching for the mouse](https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/Keyboard-shortcut-for-moving-tabs/1337230)\. Press`Ctrl\+Shift\+PgUp`to move the active tab left or`Ctrl\+Shift\+PgDn`to move it right\. With vertical tabs, the same shortcuts move it up or down\. They work for documents and tool windows hosted in the document well\. Pinned and unpinned tabs stay separate\. Vertical tabs stay within their project group, and manual reordering isn’t available when alphabetical sorting is enabled\. Preview tabs can’t be moved\. You can remap`Window\.MoveTabLeft`and`Window\.MoveTabRight`in**Tools \> Options \> Environment \> Keyboard**\. The defaults replace the previous Text Editor bindings for`Edit\.ViewTopExtend`and`Edit\.ViewBottomExtend`; those commands remain available if you want to assign them different shortcuts\. ### Personalize Fonts and Colors Finding the right editor customization is easier with the refreshed[**Fonts and Colors**](https://learn.microsoft.com/visualstudio/ide/fonts-and-colors-environment-options-dialog-box?view=visualstudio)experience, now built on Unified Settings\. Category\-based navigation and[integrated search help you find the settings you want](https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/Add-a-search-box-in-Environment-Fonts/458349), while inline previews let you see colors and font styles alongside each item\.  Foreground colors, background colors, font styles, and previews are all displayed in the settings grid, so you can review and update multiple items without repeatedly selecting each one\. Changes also stay synchronized with`settings\.json`, giving you a way to inspect, edit, share, or revert your customizations directly in the file\. --- From our entire team, thank you for choosing Visual Studio\! For the latest updates, resources, and news, check out the[Visual Studio Hub](https://aka.ms/vshub)and stay in touch\. **Happy coding\!***The Visual Studio team* ### Category ### Topics ## Author  Principal Product Manager Mark Downie is a software engineer and currently serves as a Principal Product Manager at Microsoft, where he focuses on removing friction from developer tools\. With more than 20 years of hands\-on experience, Mark has engineered solutions across the financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors\.