---
layout: doc
title: Reporting Bugs
permalink: /doc/reporting-bugs/
redirect_from:
- /en/doc/reporting-bugs/
- /doc/BugReportingGuide/
- /wiki/BugReportingGuide/
- /reporting-bugs/
- /bug/
- /bugs/
- /bug-report/
- /bug-reports/
---

Reporting Bugs
==============

One of the most important ways in which you can [contribute to the Qubes OS
Project] is by reporting any bugs you have found. Please note that there is a
separate process for [reporting security issues](/security/).


Before you submit a report
--------------------------

Before you submit a bug report, please take a moment to check whether your issue
has already been reported and to determine which venue is most approriate for
it.

 * Read the [documentation] to see whether what you've found is really a bug.

 * Search through the existing [Qubes issues] by typing your key words in the
   **Filters** box. Make sure to check both currently open issues, as well as
   issues that are already closed. If you find an issue that seems to be similar
   to yours, read through it. If this issue is the same as yours, you can
   comment with additional information to help the maintainer debug it. Adding a
   comment will subscribe you to email notifications, which can be helpful in
   getting important updates regarding the issue. If you don't have anything to
   add but still want to receive email updates, you can click the "watch" button
   at the bottom of the comments.

 * Search through our [mailing list] archives by visiting the Google Groups web
   interfaces for both [qubes-users] and [qubes-devel].


Where to submit your report
---------------------------

Our [GitHub issues][qubes-issues] tracker is not intended for personal,
localized troubleshooting questions, such as problems that affect only a
specific laptop model. Those questions are more likely to be answered in
[qubes-users], which receives much more traffic. Instead, GitHub issues are
meant to track more general bugs and enhancements that affect a broad range of
Qubes users.


How to submit a report on the mailing lists
-------------------------------------------

Please see the [mailing list guidelines][mailing list].


How to submit a report on GitHub
--------------------------------

We track all bugs in the [qubes-issues] tracker on GitHub.

When you file a new issue, you should be sure to include the version of Qubes
your'e using, as well as versions of related software packages. If your issue is
related to hardware, provide as many details as possible about the hardware,
which could include using command-line tools such as `lspci`.

Project maintainers really appreciate thorough explanations. It usually
helps them address the problem more quickly, so everyone wins!

Improving the Code
------------------

Please see our guidelines on [how to contribute code].


[contribute to the Qubes OS Project]: /doc/contributing/
[documentation]: /doc/
[qubes-issues]: https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues
[mailing lists]: https://www.qubes-os.org/mailing-lists/
[qubes-users]: https://groups.google.com/group/qubes-users
[qubes-devel]: https://groups.google.com/group/qubes-devel
[how to contribute code]: /doc/contributing/#contributing-code