What does won't fix mean in software engineering?

Won't fix is a status assigned to a bug report or feature request indicating that the development team has decided not to address this issue in the current or near-future release cycle. It communicates a deliberate choice to deprioritize the work rather than an inability to fix it.

How do you use won't fix in a sentence at work?

You use it as a status label: We marked this as won't fix, or This issue has a won't fix status. You typically say mark, label, or set to before won't fix. For example: Please mark that minor UI glitch as won't fix and move it to the backlog.

Is won't fix formal or informal?

Won't fix is neutral in formality. It is the standard technical term used in both informal team discussions and formal bug tracking systems, making it appropriate in all professional contexts.

Why do teams use the won't fix status?

Teams use won't fix to manage priorities, set expectations with users, and communicate why certain issues are not being addressed. It prevents issues from remaining in an ambiguous open state and provides transparency about development decisions.

Can a won't fix issue be reopened later?

Yes, an issue marked as won't fix can be reopened if priorities change, new information emerges, or the impact of the issue increases. However, won't fix generally indicates the decision is final unless circumstances change significantly.

won't fix meaning in tech — Speak Tech English

Commonness	4/5
Versatility	4/5
Formality	CasualFormalNeutral
Spoken ↔ Written	SpokenWrittenBoth
Directness ↔ Diplomatic	DirectDiplomaticDirect
Region	US and UK

Say it like this

✓We are marking this as won't fix

✓This issue is won't fix

✓That feature request has been won't fixed

Real examples

in a standup

"We decided to mark that memory leak as won't fix because it only happens in development environments."

in a code review

"This typo in the error message is minor, so we can probably won't fix it for this release."

in a team meeting

"The product manager labeled three old feature requests as won't fix to focus on higher-impact work."

Don't say this

Handle with care. Do not use as a decision to ignore all bugs; it specifically means a low-priority issue will not be fixed in the current or near-future release cycle.

✕We will won't fix this bug tomorrow.

✓We will mark this bug as won't fix.— won't fix is a status label, not an action verb; you mark something as won't fix rather than perform the action of won't fixing

✕This issue is completely won't fixed.

✓This issue has a won't fix status.— won't fix does not conjugate with -ed; it remains unchanged as a status label

✕We should won't fix all the old bugs.

✓We should mark all the old bugs as won't fix.— won't fix is not used as the main action; you must use mark, set, or label before it

Other forms

noun phrase

won't fix

"The won't fix status indicates low priority."

adjective (attributive)

won't-fix (hyphenated when used before noun)

"All won't-fix issues will be reviewed next quarter."

Often used with

mark as won't fixThe standard verb phrase used to assign this status to an issue

label as won't fixAlternative phrasing; commonly used in issue tracking systems

set to won't fixUsed when changing an issue status in tracking software

won't fix listA collection or report of all issues assigned this status

won't fix statusThe formal designation given to an issue in the tracking system

Similar words

wontfixSingle-word variant sometimes used, particularly in older bug tracking systems

deferredImplies the fix may happen later; won't fix is more final

low priorityRelated but not identical; an issue can be low priority and still scheduled for fixing

closed as not a bugUsed when something reported is not actually a defect but expected behavior

Opposites

fixedresolvedin progressopen

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Practice

Try it

4 quick exercises

Pick the most natural phrasing

1. Your team decides not to fix a minor visual glitch. How do you phrase this?

We will won't fix this issue.We are marking this issue as won't fix.This issue is won't fixed now.We should won't fix that bug.

Complete the sentence

2. The dashboard performance issue has been _______ because it only affects enterprise accounts with millions of records.

Spot the mistake

3. Which sentence uses won't fix incorrectly?

We marked the old API endpoint as won't fix.That feature request is on our won't fix list.We will won't fix this tomorrow.The won't fix status means we will not address this issue soon.

Rewrite naturally

4. Rewrite this in natural tech English using won't fix: The team decided they are not going to repair the typo in the older documentation because nobody reads it anymore.

Questions

Quick poll

Have you said "won't fix" in a standup this week?

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