Bugback

Guides

How to attach a screen recording to a Jira ticket.

A short video is often the clearest bug report. Here is how to record one on a Mac, trim it, and put it on a Jira ticket so a developer can act on it.

1. Record it

macOS can record the screen without any extra app. Press Shift, Command and 5, choose to record the whole screen or a selected part, and press Record. Press the stop button in the menu bar when you are done. The file is saved to your Desktop by default.

2. Keep it short

Cut the start and the end so the bug is the first thing a developer sees. In QuickTime Player, open the file and choose Edit, then Trim. Keep the minute that matters, not the whole session.

3. Attach it to the ticket

Open the Jira work item and drag the video onto it, or use the attach button. You can also drop the file into a comment. According to Atlassian's documentation, Jira Cloud's default limit is 1 GB per file, and an administrator can raise it to 2 GB. A short recording is normally well under that, but a long Retina recording can be large, so trim first.

4. Say what the video cannot

A video shows the bug. It does not show everything a developer needs. Write down:

  • The steps you took, one per line.
  • What you expected to happen, and what happened instead.
  • The macOS version, the version of the app or site you were using, and which account or data you used.

A faster way

Bugback, the app this site is for, keeps the last few minutes of your screen in memory, so you can save the bug after you have seen it. In its review window you trim the clip, add notes, and send it to Jira as a new ticket or onto an existing one, with the video and your Mac's details attached. Sending to Jira is part of Pro, and every new install starts with 14 days of Pro, with no card.

Download Bugback for macOS, or see pricing.