Bug reports in Jira

How to report a bug in Jira so it arrives ready to fix

The six steps to create a good bug report in Jira, a copy-paste template, a worked example, and how to stop writing them by hand: a report button on your site that files the Jira issue with the screenshot, console errors, and browser context already attached.

Start FreeCompare your options

How to create a bug report in Jira

Works the same in Jira Software and Jira Service Management. Atlassian now calls issues “work items”, so you may see either label.

  1. 1

    Open the project and click Create

    Pick the project the bug belongs to. If you are reporting into Jira Service Management, use the portal or the agent view; the fields below are the same.

  2. 2

    Choose the Bug work type

    Bugs get their own workflow, priorities, and reports in Jira. Filing defects as Tasks or Stories hides them from every bug-tracking view your team relies on.

  3. 3

    Write a one-line summary that names the failure and the place

    Where it breaks plus what breaks, in under twelve words: “Checkout: Pay now button does nothing on Safari”. Avoid “bug”, “issue”, or “broken” on their own; the summary is what people scan in the backlog.

  4. 4

    Fill the description with steps, expected, and actual

    Numbered steps from a known starting point, the result you expected, and the result you got. Two lines each is enough. This is the part most reports skip and the reason most reports bounce back.

  5. 5

    Add the environment and the evidence

    Browser and version, operating system, device or viewport, the exact URL, and the account or data involved. Attach a screenshot or recording, and paste any red lines from the browser console. Without these, the first reply is always “which browser?”.

  6. 6

    Set priority, component, and labels, then create

    Priority says how urgent; component routes it to the right owner; labels group it for reporting. Leave assignee blank unless you own the triage; the workflow will route it.

Jira bug report template

Paste this into the Description field, or set it as the field’s default text in your project so every Bug starts with the headings in place.

Summary
<where>: <what breaks> (<browser/device if specific>)

Steps to reproduce
1. Go to <URL>
2. <action>
3. <action>

Expected result
<what should happen>

Actual result
<what happens instead, including any error text>

Environment
Browser/version: <e.g. Safari 18.4>
OS/device: <e.g. macOS 15, iPhone 16>
URL: <full URL>
Account/data: <test user, order id, etc.>

Evidence
Screenshot/recording: <attached>
Console errors: <paste>
Failed requests: <method, URL, status>

Severity
<blocker / major / minor / cosmetic> — <who is affected and how often>

Example bug report in Jira

The same template filled in. Notice that a developer can start on this without asking a single follow-up question.

Summary
Checkout: “Pay now” button does nothing on Safari when a discount code is applied
Steps to reproduce
1. Add any item to the basket at /shop 2. Apply discount code SPRING10 at /checkout 3. Fill in card details and click “Pay now”
Expected result
Payment is submitted and the order confirmation page loads.
Actual result
The button shows the loading spinner for about a second, then returns to “Pay now”. No error is shown. The order is not created. Removing the discount code makes payment succeed.
Environment
Safari 18.4 on macOS 15.5, 1440×900. Also reproduced on iPhone 16 (iOS 18.5). Works in Chrome 130. Test account qa-checkout@example.com.
Evidence
Screenshot attached with the spinner state circled. Console: TypeError: undefined is not an object (evaluating "discount.percentOff") at checkout.js:412 Failed request: POST /api/orders → 500
Severity
Blocker for Safari users with a discount code, roughly 9% of checkouts this week.

Bug tracking in Jira: what you get out of the box

The Bug work type

Its own icon, fields, and workflow. Filters like “type = Bug AND status != Done” are the backbone of every bug-tracking board and release checklist.

Priority and severity

Highest to Lowest out of the box; add a Severity field if you want impact and urgency tracked separately. Both drive the default dashboards.

Components and labels

Components route bugs to an owning team or area and can auto-assign. Labels are free-form and good for cross-cutting themes like “safari” or “checkout”.

Workflow and resolution

To Do → In Progress → Done by default, with resolutions like Fixed, Won’t Do, Duplicate, and Cannot Reproduce. Resolution is what your “bugs fixed this sprint” reports actually count.

Jira tracks bugs well; the manual part is getting reports in from users, clients, or testers. Atlassian’s own answer is the Jira Issue Collector; the three options below cover it and the alternatives.

Your three options for Jira bug reporting

Three ways to do it, including when IssueCapture isn't the right fit.

Atlassian’s built-in collector

The work item collector (ex Issue Collector) — free, embeddable form.

  • Free, first-party
  • Company-managed projects only
  • No screenshots, console, or network capture
Full breakdown →

Internal QA capture tools

Browser extensions your team installs (e.g. Jam) — great for dev/QA handoff.

  • Rich recordings for internal testing
  • Only people with the extension can report
  • Users and clients stay unreachable
vs Jam →

Widget-based reporting

A button on your site anyone can use — this is IssueCapture’s category.

  • Users, clients, testers — no accounts
  • Screenshot + console + network attached
  • Team-managed + JSM supported
Compare widget tools →

Five-minute setup, any stack

One ES-module script tag. Platform-specific guides:

ReactNext.jsVueAngularGoogle Tag ManagerWebflowWordPressShopify

Jira bug reporting: FAQ

What is the best way to collect bug reports into Jira?›

It depends on who reports. For internal QA doing structured testing, test-management tools fit. For bug reports from users, clients, or stakeholders on a website or web app, a widget-based tool is the standard: one script tag adds a report button, and each submission becomes a Jira issue with a screenshot and technical context attached — no Jira accounts needed for reporters.

Does Jira have built-in bug reporting from websites?›

Yes — the work item collector (formerly the Issue Collector), an embeddable feedback form. It still works but has real limits: company-managed projects only (not team-managed), text-first submissions, and no screenshots, console logs, or network capture. Widget tools exist mainly to close those gaps.

What context should a Jira bug report include?›

Enough to reproduce without a follow-up email: an annotated screenshot, the page URL, browser/OS/viewport, the JavaScript console output, and any failed network requests. Tools that capture these automatically eliminate the "which browser? can you send a screenshot?" round-trips.

Can bug reports go into Jira team-managed projects and JSM?›

Atlassian’s own collector cannot — it is company-managed only. IssueCapture creates issues in team-managed projects and Jira Service Management via OAuth; if you evaluate other tools, verify team-managed support explicitly, since many integrations predate the project type.

What should a Jira bug report template include?›

Summary (one line, what breaks and where), steps to reproduce, expected result, actual result, environment (browser, OS, device, URL), severity or priority, and evidence: a screenshot or recording plus any console errors. If the template lives in Jira, keep it in the Description field default so every Bug starts with the headings filled in.

Is Jira a bug tracker?›

Yes. Jira started as a bug tracker and the Bug work type (issue type), priorities, components, and a configurable workflow (To Do → In Progress → Done, or your own) are still its core. What Jira does not do on its own is collect bugs from people outside your team; that is where the work item collector or a widget tool comes in.

Do reporters need Jira accounts or licenses?›

Not with widget-based tools — reporters click the button on your site and submit; only your team works in Jira. That also means client and end-user reports don’t consume Jira licenses.

Add a report button to your site

Free plan, 10 issues/month, no credit card. Jira connects with one OAuth click — team-managed projects and JSM included.

Start FreeSee Pricing
  • Works with your existing Jira
  • Reporters need no accounts
  • AI triage on every report