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Manual TestingPublished: 8 min read

How to Write a Great Bug Report (2026) — Template & Examples

The 8-part bug report template used by senior QA engineers. Real before/after examples, severity vs priority, and a free AI Bug Report Writer.

Avinash Kamble
Founder & QA Engineer at SoftwareTestPilot
Reviewed by Priyanka G.
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2026-07-17 · By Avinash Kamble, reviewed by Priyanka G.

Developers reject vague bug reports and QA loses hours re-triaging. The fix is a rigid 8-part template — every field required, no exceptions.

The 8-part template

  1. Title — action + result + context. "Checkout: 3DS challenge closes silently on Firefox 128 mobile".
  2. Environment — build, OS, browser, device, user role.
  3. Preconditions — logged-in user, feature flag X on, cart with 2 items.
  4. Steps to reproduce — numbered, minimal, no ambiguity.
  5. Expected result — the exact behaviour per spec.
  6. Actual result — what happened; include screenshots/HAR.
  7. Severity — impact on the user (Critical / High / Med / Low).
  8. Priority — urgency for the business (P0–P3).

Before / after

BEFORE
"Checkout broken, please fix"

AFTER
Title: Checkout — 3DS iframe closes after 5s on Firefox 128 mobile
Env: v2026.7.2, Firefox 128, iPhone 15 iOS 18.2
Steps: 1) Add SKU-42, 2) checkout, 3) Visa 4000-0000-0000-3220
Expected: 3DS challenge stays until submission
Actual: iframe closes after 5s, order fails with "PSP_TIMEOUT"
Severity: High (blocks checkout for 12% users)
Priority: P1

One-click drafting

Describe the bug in plain English in the AI Bug Report Writer and it fills the template, suggests severity, and emits Jira-ready markdown.

Frequently asked questions

1.Should I attach a HAR file for API bugs?
Yes — HAR + response body cuts developer investigation time in half.
2.How do I choose severity?
Ask 'does this block money / data / users?' Critical if yes; High if it blocks a workflow; Med if it degrades UX; Low if cosmetic.
3.What about video?
Great for intermittent bugs. Keep under 30s and highlight the moment of failure.
4.Do I need to reproduce every bug?
Try 3 times. If not reproducible, file with 'reproducibility: intermittent' and full logs; don't drop it.
Keep going

Practice these questions

Run a live QA mock interview tailored to this topic and get per-skill scoring in minutes.

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