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The right way to report a Windows bug depends on ownership. Send general Windows feedback through Feedback Hub; send a defect in a named Microsoft open-source component to that project’s issue tracker; and send a suspected security vulnerability through Microsoft’s security channel, never a public issue. Before filing, search existing issues, capture the exact environment and failure, write clean numbered reproduction steps, and check whether the project accepts pull requests. A public repository does not automatically mean that a project can accept your fix.

Choose the reporting route before you write anything

A Windows symptom can belong to the operating system generally, to a specific Microsoft component, or to a security process. The destination determines the template, evidence, privacy rules and whether a code contribution is possible.

What you found Where to report it What to check first Can you assume a pull request is accepted?
General Windows behavior or feedback with no clearly identified public component Windows Feedback Hub Describe the scenario, reproduction steps and any requested traces. Feedback Hub routes the report to the team responsible for the technology. No. Feedback Hub is a feedback route, not a promise that the underlying code is open or accepts contributions.
A defect in a named Microsoft open-source project That project’s public repository, using its current issue template and scope Search open and closed issues, read contribution instructions, and verify that the component is in scope. No. Policies differ. The Windows Dev Performance repository currently describes itself as issues-only and not accepting pull requests, while the Windows Advanced Settings project invites contributions.
A suspected security vulnerability The Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC), or the security channel named by the project Follow the security channel’s instructions for logs, dumps, traces and proof-of-concept material. Do not use a public issue to disclose it. Public disclosure can expose users before a fix is available.
A request or problem outside a repository’s stated scope Feedback Hub or another route named by the owning team Read the repository’s scope statement instead of forcing an unrelated report into its tracker. No. Scope and contribution status are separate decisions.

Repository policies change. Re-read the target project’s current README, issue forms and contributor documentation immediately before filing or opening a pull request.

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How do I report a Windows bug?

Use Feedback Hub for general Windows feedback

When you cannot identify a specific public repository, use Windows Feedback Hub. Open Feedback Hub from the Start menu, choose the option to report a problem, and describe one failure in the form. Select the closest category and subcategory, then add your reproduction steps and supporting evidence. The service is intended to collect scenario-specific steps and traces and route the feedback to the responsible Windows team.

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Keep the report about one behavior. If two failures have different triggers or expected results, file separate reports and cross-reference them only when the relationship matters. A concise title should identify the action and the failure, such as “Settings closes when opening Advanced network options,” rather than “Windows is broken.”

Feedback Hub is appropriate for an operating-system experience that does not map cleanly to an open-source repository. It is not a substitute for the security process, and it does not turn a closed Windows component into a contribution target.

Use the component repository for a named open-source project

If the failure clearly belongs to a Microsoft open-source project, go to that project’s repository and read its scope and issue form. Search both open and closed issues before creating anything. Closed issues may contain a workaround, a duplicate that was fixed in a newer version, or the exact diagnostic request a maintainer will make again.

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Use the repository’s issue template rather than pasting a generic Windows complaint. The available Microsoft MXC guidance, for example, asks for platform and architecture, version, exact reproduction steps, expected and actual behavior, and relevant logs. A different repository may require a trace, a minimal sample, a particular build, or a different support boundary.

State whether you intend to work on a fix. The Windows Advanced Settings contributor guidance specifically asks reporters to make that intention explicit. Without it, maintainers may assume they own the implementation or label the item as help wanted.

Send security reports privately

Do not put a suspected vulnerability, exploit demonstration, crash dump containing sensitive data, or other security-sensitive material in a public GitHub issue. Microsoft repository security guidance directs reporters to MSRC. Use the instructions in that channel, including its rules for attaching logs, traces and proof-of-concept files. If a repository names a different private security contact, follow that contact instead.

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A bug can look like an ordinary crash and still have security implications. If it permits privilege escalation, information disclosure, code execution, authentication bypass or an unexpected boundary crossing, stop public discussion and use the security route.

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Search and scope the problem before filing

Search open and closed issues

Search distinctive error text, the affected feature, the Windows build, and the apparent component. Read comments, not just titles: a duplicate may have been closed because it was fixed, redirected, or determined to be by design. Record the issue number if your report is related, then explain what is different about your environment or trigger.

Confirm the affected component and version

Identify the product or feature that actually fails. “Windows” is usually too broad. Note the Windows edition and build, platform and architecture, device model, relevant drivers or peripherals, and the application or tool involved. Include whether the behavior occurs on a clean installation, after an update, only with a particular account, or only under a particular configuration.

Do not present a sample build number shown in contributor instructions as a statistic or as proof that your system is supported. Report the build installed on the affected device and say how you obtained it.

Decide whether you are reporting or contributing

Reporting a defect and submitting a fix are related but separate decisions. First establish that the issue is in scope and reproducible. Then inspect the contribution instructions and current repository status. A project may publish source code while accepting issues only; the Windows Dev Performance repository currently gives that exact warning. Conversely, the Windows Advanced Settings guide invites contributions. Never infer acceptance from the mere presence of source code or a “Pull requests” tab.

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What makes a Windows bug report reproducible?

Maintainers should be able to follow your report without guessing what you saw. Include the following elements in the order they need them.

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1. A precise title and one-sentence summary

Name the component, trigger and observable failure. Put the most useful error text in the title only when it is short and distinctive. In the opening sentence, state who is affected and under what condition. Avoid conclusions such as “memory leak” unless you have evidence that the project accepts as proof; describe the observed behavior instead.

2. The complete environment

  • Windows edition and exact version or build.
  • Platform and architecture, such as the relevant processor platform.
  • Device model and hardware that can affect the feature.
  • Drivers, peripherals, virtual machines or security software involved in the trigger.
  • The application, tool or repository version used to reproduce it.
  • Account type, permissions and configuration settings that are necessary.
  • Whether the problem began after an update, installation or configuration change.

Include only details that help distinguish working from failing environments, but do not omit a prerequisite simply because it seems obvious to you.

3. A clean starting state

Define the state from which the steps begin: for example, a newly opened application, a restarted device, a newly created test file or a particular settings page. Say what must be installed, connected or enabled before step one. If the failure requires a previous action, include that action rather than calling it “normal setup.”

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4. Exact numbered steps

  1. Start from the state you defined.
  2. Perform one visible action per step, including the exact menu, control, command, configuration or input.
  3. Identify the file, account, device or value used when it affects the result.
  4. Continue until the failure appears, without combining several decisions into “configure it as usual.”
  5. State how often the failure occurs and whether a restart or second attempt changes it.

A maintainer should be able to hand the list to another person and obtain the same result. If a step is conditional, write the condition and both branches.

5. Separate expected and actual behavior

Use two explicit labels. Under Expected, state the result that should occur and why. Under Actual, state exactly what occurred, including the screen, exit status, lost data, delay or limitation. Copy the complete error text when available; do not paraphrase a code or message that can be searched.

Use a screenshot when the failure is visual or when text cannot convey the layout, missing control or rendering defect. For a textual error, paste the text as well as, or instead of, an image so it can be searched and copied.

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6. Logs, traces and a small reproducer

Attach logs or traces only when the project requests them and only through an approved channel. The Windows Dev Performance repository says traces are required for its issues and points reporters to Feedback Hub or Windows Performance Recorder as collection options. That requirement is not universal Windows policy; another project may need different evidence or may reject large attachments.

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When configuration or code is central, provide the smallest reproducer that still fails. Remove secrets, tokens, personal files and unrelated data. Preserve the original error text and record the time, build and configuration associated with each trace so a maintainer can correlate evidence with the steps.

7. Your contribution intent

End the report with a direct statement such as “I intend to investigate and submit a fix” or “I am reporting this for triage.” This prevents maintainers from guessing whether to assign implementation work, request a patch or provide troubleshooting help.

A practical report template

Adapt the repository’s own issue form first. If it has no form, the following structure keeps the evidence together:

Title: <component> <trigger> causes <observable failure>

Environment
- Windows edition and build:
- Platform and architecture:
- Device and relevant hardware:
- Application, tool or component version:
- Configuration, account or permissions required:

Prerequisites
- <software, device, file or setting required before step 1>

Steps to reproduce
1. <exact action>
2. <exact action>
3. <exact action>

Expected
<what should happen>

Actual
<what happens, including exact error text>

Frequency
<always, intermittent, and the conditions observed>

Evidence
<approved logs, traces, screenshots or minimal reproducer>

Contribution intent
<whether you intend to work on a fix>

The Windows Advanced Settings Contributor’s Guide captures the maintainer’s central test in one question: “What steps do we need to take to reproduce the issue?” Build the report so that question has an unambiguous answer.

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How do I submit a reproducible Windows fix?

1. Establish that the repository can accept the work

Read the contribution guide, code of conduct, build instructions, issue labels and current maintainer notes. Confirm that the component is in scope and that pull requests are currently accepted. The Windows Dev Performance repository is an important counterexample: its current guidance says it is issues-only and is not taking pull requests. Do not spend time preparing a patch for a destination that cannot merge it.

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2. Open or find the issue before changing code

Use an existing issue when it already describes the same defect and add your environment or reproducer there. Otherwise file a focused issue and wait for scope confirmation when the project asks contributors to do so. The Windows Advanced Settings guide recommends filing an issue before beginning a fix. That discussion can reveal that the behavior is intentional, already fixed, assigned to another change, or outside the repository.

3. Choose a tractable contribution

If you are new to the codebase, look for work labeled good first issue or help wanted, provided the label still matches the current issue. Read related code and tests before editing. Keep the patch limited to the reported behavior; unrelated formatting or refactoring makes review and regression analysis harder.

4. Reproduce locally before editing

Follow the issue’s steps on the supported environment and save the failing result. Identify the narrowest layer that can explain it. Add or update a regression test when the project’s test architecture allows one. If the failure depends on a Windows setting, hardware combination or trace rather than a deterministic unit test, document that limitation and preserve the smallest repeatable scenario.

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5. Follow the project’s build and validation rules

Use the commands, SDK versions, analyzers and test targets named by the repository, not a substitute workflow copied from another project. Run the required checks and record what you ran. A fix is reproducible only when another contributor can obtain the source, apply the change and observe the expected result under the documented prerequisites.

6. Open the pull request with evidence

Describe the original failure, its cause at the level supported by your evidence, the change made and the validation performed. Link the issue, include before-and-after behavior, and identify any tests or traces. Explain known limitations, supported architectures and conditions you could not test. Follow the project’s branch, review and sign-off requirements exactly.

Do not claim that a pull request fixes every Windows installation when you tested only one build or architecture. Carry the tested version, platform and configuration beside the result so reviewers can judge its scope.

Responding to maintainers and avoiding automatic closure

Watch notifications after filing. Maintainers may request a newer build, a trace, a smaller reproducer, confirmation that the issue still occurs, or clarification of the expected result. Reply in the issue with the requested material, keeping secrets out of public comments. The Windows Advanced Settings guidance warns that unanswered requests can lead to automatic closure.

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If the issue is closed as a duplicate, read the linked report and move your additional evidence there when appropriate. If it is closed as out of scope, use the route named by the maintainer rather than reopening the same report with a broader title. If a newer release changes the result, add the version and outcome so the record remains useful.

Common reporting mistakes and how to correct them

Mistake Why it blocks progress Correction
Posting a general complaint in a component repository The repository may not own the failing technology and cannot route the report effectively. Use Feedback Hub for general Windows feedback or identify the owning component first.
Opening a duplicate without reading closed issues You lose prior diagnosis, workarounds and requested evidence. Search open and closed issues using error text, feature and build; add new information to the relevant report.
Writing “it crashes” without steps No one can tell which action, state or configuration triggers the failure. Define a clean starting state and provide numbered actions through the failure.
Mixing expected and actual results Reviewers cannot determine whether the behavior is a bug or a misunderstanding of the feature. Use separate Expected and Actual sections and paste exact error text.
Attaching every available log Noise, privacy exposure and unapproved data can obscure the useful evidence. Attach only requested logs or traces through the approved route and remove secrets.
Assuming every public repository accepts patches Some projects are issues-only or have paused contributions. Check current contribution policy before preparing a branch or pull request.
Publishing a suspected vulnerability A public issue can expose users and sensitive diagnostic material. Use MSRC or the project’s private security channel.
Failing to say who will do the work Maintainers may assign the wrong next step or leave the report waiting. State whether you intend to investigate and submit a fix.

Final pre-submission checklist

  • I selected Feedback Hub, the component repository or the private security channel based on ownership.
  • I searched current open and closed issues and recorded any related report.
  • I confirmed the component is in scope and checked its current contribution policy.
  • I recorded Windows edition and build, platform and architecture, device and relevant software.
  • I defined prerequisites and a clean starting state.
  • I wrote numbered steps that another person can follow without guessing.
  • I separated expected behavior from actual behavior and preserved exact error text.
  • I attached only the logs, traces, screenshots or reproducer the project requests, using its approved route.
  • I stated whether I intend to work on a fix.
  • If I prepared a patch, I reproduced the failure first, followed the repository’s build and test instructions, and documented the validation scope.
  • I will monitor notifications and answer maintainer questions before the issue can be closed for inactivity.

The most effective Windows report is not the longest one. It is the one that reaches the owner, proves what happened on a defined system, and gives maintainers a safe next action—triage, request evidence, accept a contribution, or redirect the report.

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