Bugs are problems that occur in software. If you come across a bug, you can help to fix it by reporting it to the people that produce the software.

You can use Launchpad to report a bug if:

• you found it whilst using a Linux distribution that manages bugs in Launchpad, such as one of the Ubuntu family
• or the software's website tells you that it uses Launchpad to manage bug reports.

Confirming the bug exists

Before you report a bug, it's important to confirm that it wasn't a one-off.

Think about what you were doing before the bug happened, then repeat the same steps. If the problem happens again, you should report the bug.

Reporting the bug to the right people

How you use Launchpad to report a bug varies slightly, depending on where you found it:

• If the bug happened while you were using one of the Ubuntu family, read our guide ReportingABugInUbuntu.
• For bugs in other software that manages its bugs using Launchpad, read our guide ReportingABugToASoftwareProject.