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By Thirteenfold Systems · Updated

Write a Windows issue report: template and example

Download a Windows issue-report template and follow a filled example. Record symptoms, reproduction steps, environment, frequency, and reviewed evidence.

What belongs in a Windows issue report?

A useful Windows issue report records one observable problem: expected and actual behavior, the smallest known steps, app and Windows versions, time and time zone, frequency, and reviewed evidence. Write “not recorded” for missing facts instead of guessing.

Download text template

Step 1

Start with the symptom

Write what happened, when it happened, the application and version, and the impact. Distinguish what you observed from what you suspect caused it. Use one report for one observable problem. If an app hangs twice in five attempts, include the three successful attempts too; “intermittent” describes the observation, not its cause.

  • Expected: the app opens the selected file.
  • Observed: the app stops responding after selecting Open.
  • Frequency: twice in five attempts; the other three worked.

Step 2

Describe the smallest reproducible sequence

List the few actions that lead to the issue. Include a working comparison if you have one. Do not repeat actions that risk data loss just to reproduce a failure.

  • Record the time and time zone so log excerpts can be matched.
  • Note relevant recent changes without treating timing as proof of causation.
  • State whether the result is repeatable or intermittent.

Step 3

Add relevant environment details

Open Settings → System → About to find the Windows edition, version, and OS build. Include only hardware or driver details relevant to the problem. A full System Information export is rarely the first thing a reviewer needs.

  • Include the affected app version.
  • Omit device IDs, product IDs, serial numbers, and unrelated account details.
  • Ask which extra evidence is needed before collecting broad exports.

Step 4

Review the exact material you will send

Work on a copy. Check screenshots, paths, account names, and surrounding log lines. Describe what you removed so the reviewer understands the evidence’s limits.

  • Keep the original private.
  • State the source application and selected time window for each excerpt.
  • Send through the receiving team’s agreed channel.

Copyable template

Windows issue-report template

Select and copy the template below into your report. Fill only the fields relevant to the issue, and write “not recorded” when a detail is unavailable. Review the completed text and attachments before sharing.

TITLE
[Application] — [specific symptom] when [action]

APPLICATION AND ENVIRONMENT
Application and version:
Windows edition, version, and OS build:
Relevant hardware or driver version, if needed:

WHAT HAPPENED
Expected behavior:
Observed behavior:
Exact error code/message, with sensitive values removed:
Impact on the task:

WHEN AND HOW OFTEN
Observed time and time zone:
Frequency: [for example, 2 of 5 attempts / not recorded]
First noticed:
Relevant recent changes: [observation, not a proven cause]

SMALLEST KNOWN REPRODUCTION
Starting conditions:
1.
2.
3.
Result:
Working comparison, if known:

CHECKS ALREADY ATTEMPTED
Check:
Observed result:

EVIDENCE INCLUDED
Reviewed log excerpt or screenshot:
Attachment name, source application, and selected time window:
Information removed or replaced:

WHAT REMAINS UNKNOWN
Questions this report cannot answer:
Additional evidence the receiving team has requested:

Fictional example

A filled report with an explicit evidence gap

This invented scenario demonstrates the format. It is not a Trace result or a reproduced Windows defect.

Application: Example Editor 1.2 (fictional)
Windows edition/version/build: not recorded
Time: 2026-09-06 14:32 UTC
Starting conditions: app open; a local test document selected
Steps: choose File → Open, select the document, confirm Open
Expected: document appears in the editor
Observed: window stops responding for about 20 seconds
Frequency: 2 of 5 attempts; the other 3 worked
Impact: opening the document is unreliable
Error message: none recorded
Checks already attempted: no further checks recorded
Evidence: reviewed application excerpt, 14:31–14:33 UTC
Removed: user and project names from paths
Unknown: whether another document triggers the same symptom
Next question: which additional evidence does the reviewer need?
  • The report includes successful attempts as well as failures.
  • Missing environment details remain visible. The report does not invent a driver version or diagnose a cause.