The right place to report a Windows bug depends on what failed. Send general Windows feedback through Feedback Hub; report a defect in a named open-source component in that project’s repository, following its scope and issue template. Suspected security vulnerabilities must go through Microsoft’s Security Response Center (MSRC), never a public issue tracker.
A report becomes useful when another person can reproduce it without guessing: identify the exact environment, provide numbered steps from a clean starting state, separate expected and actual behavior, preserve the exact error text, and attach only the logs or traces the project requests. If you want to fix the problem, say so in the issue and verify that the repository accepts pull requests before writing code.
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Choose the correct reporting route first
Windows is a collection of components maintained by different teams. A report sent to the wrong queue can be delayed, closed as out of scope, or miss the evidence that the responsible engineers need. Use this decision table before writing anything.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minute| What failed? | Where to report it | What to check first |
|---|---|---|
| General Windows behavior, or a component without a public issue tracker | Windows Feedback Hub | Describe the scenario and reproduction steps; add traces when the receiving team requests them. |
| A named Microsoft open-source project | That project’s public repository | Read its scope, search open and closed issues, and use the current issue template. |
| A suspected security vulnerability | MSRC or the security channel named by the project | Do not publish the vulnerability, exploit code, dumps, or sensitive logs in a public issue. |
General Windows feedback: use Feedback Hub
Microsoft’s Windows Dev Performance guidance directs feedback outside that repository’s scope to Windows Feedback Hub. Feedback Hub is intended to collect scenario-specific reproduction steps and traces and route the report to the team responsible for the technology. Use it when you cannot identify a public repository that owns the failing component, or when the behavior is part of Windows as a whole rather than a standalone open-source project.
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A named open-source component: use its repository
If the failure belongs to a project with a public repository, the repository’s rules take precedence over generic Windows advice. The Windows Advanced Settings contributor guide, for example, asks contributors to file an issue before beginning a fix. Other projects may accept issue reports but not code changes. The Windows Dev Performance repository currently describes itself as issues-only and not accepting pull requests, so a public source tree does not by itself mean that outside patches are welcome.
Security: keep the report private
A bug that could permit unauthorized access, privilege escalation, data exposure, code execution, or a bypass of a security control is a vulnerability until the responsible team says otherwise. Do not put details in a public GitHub issue. Follow MSRC’s private reporting process or the target project’s stated security route, and submit logs, crash dumps, and proof-of-concept material only as that channel instructs.
Search before opening an issue
Search both open and closed issues using the component name, the exact error text, and distinctive symptoms. A closed issue may contain a workaround, a build in which the problem was fixed, or a request for additional diagnostics. Read comments as well as the title: maintainers often clarify the supported configuration or mark a report as belonging to another component.
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Collect the environment a maintainer needs
Write down the environment before changing drivers, reinstalling an application, or applying a workaround. A fix can depend on a particular Windows build, architecture, platform, device, or tool version.
- Windows identity: edition, version, and full build number, not just “Windows 11” or “Windows 10.”
- Platform and architecture: for example, physical or virtual machine, x64 or ARM64, and whether the failure occurs on a specific device family.
- Hardware: model, relevant peripherals, graphics or storage controller, firmware level when it affects the symptom, and whether the machine is managed by an organization.
- Software involved: the application, driver, SDK, command-line tool, or Windows feature that triggers the problem, including versions and installation source where relevant.
- State and configuration: clean installation or upgrade, enabled policies, feature flags, language or regional settings, network conditions, and steps already tried.
- Frequency: every attempt, intermittent, only after sleep or reboot, or limited to a particular account or file.
Use the version information displayed by Windows tools such as winver or the system information page, and copy the complete value into the report. Do not transcribe a build number from memory. The example build output shown in contributor instructions is illustrative command output, not a published statistic.
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How do I reproduce a Windows bug?
Answer the question posed by the Windows Advanced Settings Contributor’s Guide: “What steps do we need to take to reproduce the issue?” The answer should let a maintainer start from a known state and reach the failure using the same inputs.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsStart from a defined state
Describe the starting point in one or two sentences: a fresh boot, a new user profile, a newly installed build, a specific project checkout, or an existing file with a stated format and size. Say whether a restart, sign-in, network connection, or elevated privileges are required. If a clean state is not practical, identify the state that is required and how to create it.
Use numbered, atomic steps
- List the exact setup action, including the version or configuration to select.
- Open the named application, Windows feature, repository, or command prompt.
- Enter the command, path, value, or input exactly as used.
- Perform one observable action per step, such as selecting a menu item, connecting a device, or restarting a service.
- Identify the step at which the behavior first diverges from the expected result.
Include commands in a code block and preserve punctuation, capitalization, quotation marks, and paths. Replace private usernames, tokens, keys, and customer data with clearly labeled safe values, then explain any substitution that could affect reproduction.
Separate expected and actual behavior
Use distinct labels rather than combining both outcomes in one paragraph.
- Expected: the behavior documented or logically required after the final step.
- Actual: what Windows did instead, including timing, frequency, affected files, and whether recovery was possible.
- Exact error: copy the complete message, error code, event text, or console output. Do not paraphrase it when the original text is available.
Attach a screenshot only when text cannot capture the failure, such as a rendering defect or a visual layout problem. A screenshot should support, not replace, the written steps and error text.
Attach logs and traces safely
Evidence is useful only when it is collected in the way the project can interpret. Follow the repository’s template and diagnostic instructions instead of attaching every file on the machine.
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When traces are required
The Windows Dev Performance repository states that traces are required for its issues and identifies Feedback Hub or Windows Performance Recorder as collection options. If you are reporting there, collect the requested trace during a reproduction and include the capture conditions: Windows build, action that started the recording, action that triggered the failure, and action that stopped it.
Review before uploading
- Remove passwords, access tokens, private keys, personal documents, customer identifiers, and unrelated data.
- Check paths, usernames, hostnames, IP addresses, and account names for information you cannot disclose.
- Keep the original file unchanged locally in case maintainers request a second capture, but upload only through the approved issue attachment or private security channel.
- Explain which attachment corresponds to which reproduction attempt and note the capture time and build.
If a project has not asked for a dump or trace, ask in the issue what format and collection method it prefers. Large, unrelated attachments make triage harder and can expose information without improving diagnosis.
Use the repository template and state your intent
Issue templates are operational requirements, not optional decoration. Fill every required field or explain why a field does not apply. A focused report normally contains:
- Component and version.
- Platform, architecture, hardware, and Windows build.
- Prerequisites and exact numbered reproduction steps.
- Expected behavior, actual behavior, and exact error text.
- Relevant logs or traces collected with the requested tool.
- Workarounds tried and whether they changed the result.
- Whether the problem is new, regressed, or present in earlier builds you tested.
Say explicitly whether you intend to work on a fix. The Windows Advanced Settings guide asks contributors to do this; without that statement, maintainers may assume they should solve the issue or label it help wanted. A clear declaration also prevents two people from unknowingly implementing competing fixes.
Keep one underlying problem per issue. If two symptoms share a single minimal reproducer, explain the relationship; otherwise file separate reports and cross-reference them.
Move from a report to a reproducible fix
Confirm that a contribution is allowed
Read the contribution guide, licensing terms, code-of-conduct requirements, build instructions, and pull-request policy before changing code. Check the repository again immediately before opening a pull request because policies and maintainership can change. Look for labels such as good first issue or help wanted when you are new to the codebase, but treat labels as guidance rather than a guarantee that the issue is still available.
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Do not assume that a public source tree accepts outside patches. The Windows Dev Performance repository’s current guidance says it is issues-only and not accepting pull requests, while the Windows Advanced Settings guide invites contributions. If the project does not accept pull requests, provide the high-quality reproduction and any analysis requested by maintainers instead of submitting an unsolicited patch.
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Create the smallest reproducer that still fails. Remove unrelated modules, files, devices, and configuration changes one at a time. Record each reduction so a maintainer can recreate it. A minimal reproducer is often a short configuration, a small input file, or a few commands rather than an entire application.
Test the smallest useful matrix: a known-good build versus the failing build, the affected architecture versus another supported architecture, or the suspected configuration enabled and disabled. Report what you actually tested; do not present sample build output as a benchmark or population statistic.
Make the fix narrow and testable
Read the surrounding code and existing tests before editing. Identify the condition that produces the observed failure, then make the smallest change that corrects it without silently changing unrelated behavior. Add or update a regression test when the project’s conventions permit it. Your test should fail before the fix and pass afterward, using the same input that appears in the issue.
Run the repository’s documented build, formatting, static-analysis, and test commands. Record the commands and results in the pull request, including any checks you could not run and why. Never claim a test passed when it was skipped or executed against a different build.
Open the pull request with a complete explanation
Link the pull request to the issue according to the repository’s convention. Summarize the root cause, describe the change, identify tests, and call out compatibility or performance risks. Include reproduction instructions that a reviewer can run without opening the original issue. Keep unrelated refactoring out of the patch; a small reviewable change is easier to validate and backport.
Respond to review comments with new evidence, not just agreement. If maintainers request a different trace, build, or reproduction, perform that request and update the issue or pull request with the exact conditions. The Windows Advanced Settings guide warns that unanswered requests can lead to automatic closure, so monitor notifications until the report is resolved or explicitly withdrawn.
Troubleshoot a report that is not progressing
The issue is closed as a duplicate
Read the linked issue and compare its build, hardware, trigger, and expected result with yours. If it matches, add your environment and reproduction evidence there. If it does not, comment briefly on the material difference and ask whether a separate issue is appropriate.
The maintainer cannot reproduce it
Provide a fresh run from the stated starting state, verify every version number, and remove assumptions such as “standard settings.” Include the exact input and timing. If the failure is intermittent, report the number of attempts and successful reproductions rather than describing it as deterministic.
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The report is redirected
Follow the new component’s template instead of copying the old issue unchanged. Preserve the original issue number, explain the redirect, and attach only evidence relevant to the new owner. A redirect usually means the first route was wrong, not that the behavior is invalid.
You discover a security angle after filing
Stop adding technical details publicly. Notify the maintainer using the project’s security instructions or MSRC, explain that a public issue exists, and follow directions for removing or restricting sensitive material. Do not publish a proof of concept while waiting for a response.
A practical report template
You can adapt this structure to the repository’s required fields:
Component and version: [name and version]
Windows edition/version/build: [complete value]
Platform and architecture: [hardware or VM, x64/ARM64]
Prerequisites:
1. [starting state]
2. [required configuration or input]
Steps to reproduce:
1. [exact action or command]
2. [exact action or command]
3. [triggering action]
Expected behavior:
[what should happen]
Actual behavior:
[what happens, frequency, and recovery]
Exact error text:
[copied message or code]
Evidence:
[trace/log name, collection method, and sensitive-data review]
Workaround tested:
[result]
Contribution intent:
[I plan to work on a fix / I am reporting only]Final checklist before you submit
- Is this the correct channel for the component and the sensitivity of the issue?
- Did you search open and closed issues using the exact error and symptom?
- Can someone reproduce the failure from your numbered steps and starting state?
- Are the Windows build, architecture, hardware, tools, and versions complete?
- Are expected and actual behavior clearly separated?
- Did you copy exact error text and include only useful, approved evidence?
- Did you state whether you intend to fix the issue?
- Does the repository currently accept pull requests, and did you follow its contribution guide?
- Have you removed secrets and personal data from every attachment?
Bottom line
Report general Windows problems through Feedback Hub, use the owning open-source repository for component-specific bugs, and reserve MSRC or another private security channel for vulnerabilities. A reproducible report is precise about the environment, starts from a defined state, uses numbered actions, distinguishes expected from actual behavior, preserves exact errors, and supplies the traces the project requests. Only after the project confirms that contributions are welcome should you reduce the failure, add a regression test, and submit a focused fix.
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