Release notes template, examples and generator
Paste your list of changes, commit messages or ticket titles. The generator turns them into release notes your customers can read.
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Release notes templates and examples
Copy a template and replace the parts in [brackets]. The examples use made-up products to show the style. 11 templates in 2 groups.
Release notes templates
Standard release notes (New, Improved, Fixed)
# [Product name] [version]: [short theme, such as "Faster reports"] Released [date] [One or two sentences: the change most customers will notice, and why it helps them.] ## New - **[Feature name]:** you can now [what the user can do]. [Link to the help article.] - **[Feature name]:** [what the user can do]. ## Improved - [Existing thing] now [what is better for the user]. - [Existing thing] [change]. ## Fixed - [What used to go wrong] no longer happens. (It happened when [condition].) - Fixed [bug, described as the user saw it]. Questions or feedback? [Contact link]
Changelog template (one entry per version)
## [version] - [YYYY-MM-DD] ### Added - [New capability, one line each.] ### Changed - [Behavior that works differently now. Say what the user must do, if anything.] ### Deprecated - [Thing that still works but will be removed, with the date.] ### Removed - [Thing that no longer exists, and what to use instead.] ### Fixed - [Bug, as the user saw it.] ### Security - [Fix the user should know about, and whether they need to act.]
Short in-app "What's new" note
What's new in [product name] - [New thing in under 15 words.] [Try it link] - [Improvement in under 15 words.] - Fixed: [bug in under 15 words.] [See all changes link]
Release announcement email
Subject: New in [product name]: [main change] Hi [customer name], This month we added [main new thing], so you can [benefit in the customer's words]. Here is what else changed. New - [Feature]: [what you can do now]. [Link] Improved - [Change], so [benefit]. Fixed - [Bug as the customer saw it]. You don't need to do anything to get these changes. If you have questions, reply to this email or visit [help center link]. [Your name] [Product name] team
Major release (with breaking changes)
# [Product name] [major version] is here Release date: [date] ## The short version [Two sentences: what is new, and whether customers must do anything.] ## Before you update - **Action needed:** [what changes for existing users and what they must do by when]. - [Old behavior] is replaced by [new behavior]. [Migration guide link] ## New - [Feature]: [what the user can do]. ## Improved - [Change and benefit]. ## Fixed - [Bug as the user saw it]. ## Removed - [Removed thing]. Use [replacement] instead. Need help with the update? [Contact link]
Hotfix or patch note
# [Product name] [version] (fix) Released [date] ## Fixed - [Problem the user saw], which started on [date or version]. It affected [who or which plan]. ## Do you need to do anything? [No, the fix is applied for everyone.] or [Yes: steps to take, such as updating the app.] We're sorry for the trouble. If you still see the problem, contact [support link] and mention [version].
Release notes examples
Example: monthly release for a web app
(Example for a made-up invoicing app. Replace every detail with your own.) # Ledgerly, November update: recurring invoices Released November 3 You can now send the same invoice every month without copying it by hand. ## New - **Recurring invoices:** set an invoice to repeat weekly, monthly or yearly. Ledgerly creates and sends each one on the date you pick. - **Payment reminders:** choose when clients get a reminder before and after the due date. ## Improved - The invoice list loads faster when you have many clients. - PDF invoices now show your logo at full size. ## Fixed - Totals no longer round down by one cent on invoices with many lines. - The "Mark as paid" button works again in the mobile browser.
Example: app store "What's new" text
(Example for a made-up habit tracking app.) What's new in version 4.2 - Pick your own reminder sound for each habit. - Streaks now count days you marked as rest days. - Fixed: widgets on the home screen did not update after midnight. Thanks for the reviews. Tell us what to build next from Settings > Feedback.
Example: developer changelog for an API
(Example for a made-up shipping API.) ## 2026-11-03 ### Added - `GET /v2/labels/{id}/events` returns the tracking events for a label. - The `rates` response has a new `delivery_days` field. ### Changed - `POST /v2/labels` now returns `422` instead of `400` when the address cannot be validated. Update error handling that checks the status code. ### Deprecated - `/v1/track` stops working on 2027-03-01. Use `GET /v2/labels/{id}/events`. ### Fixed - Webhook retries no longer send the same event twice after a timeout.
Example: fix note after a customer-facing bug
(Example for a made-up booking tool.) # Fixed: some confirmation emails were not sent Between October 28 and October 30, some customers who booked from the mobile site did not get a confirmation email. Their bookings were saved and are in your calendar. What we did: we fixed the problem on October 30 and sent the missing confirmations the same day. What you need to do: nothing. If a customer tells you they still have no confirmation, you can resend it from the booking page.
Example: feature retirement notice
(Example for a made-up project tool.) # Classic boards are being retired on March 1 On March 1, classic boards become read-only. Your cards, comments and files stay in place. Why: fewer than one in ten projects still use classic boards, and keeping two board types slowed every other change. What to do: open a classic board and select "Switch to new board". It takes a few seconds and keeps everything. Our guide shows what looks different: [link]. Questions? Reply to this message and our team will help you move.
Short answer
Release notes tell customers what changed in a new version and what it means for them. Group the changes under New, Improved and Fixed, write each one as what the user can now do, and leave out internal work such as refactoring. Copy a template or example below, or paste your changes into the generator.
How to use the release notes generator
- Paste your changes. One per line works well: commit messages, ticket titles or notes from the team, up to 4,000 characters. Rough wording is fine.
- Pick the format and the readers. A release notes page or changelog, an announcement email, or a short in-app "What's new" note. For developers, the generator keeps endpoint and field names exactly as you wrote them.
- Add the product name, version and date if you want them. They are optional. If you leave one empty, the notes leave it out; the generator never makes up a version number or a date.
- Check the result. The generator groups each change under New, Improved or Fixed and drops internal work such as refactoring or test changes. Make sure nothing customers care about was dropped, and add links to the help articles.
Used today's 5 free runs? Copy a template or one of the examples above and fill it in by hand.
The structure of good release notes
| Section | What goes in it | Example line |
|---|---|---|
| Title and date | Version or date, and the main theme | November update: recurring invoices |
| Summary | One or two sentences on the change most people notice | You can now repeat an invoice every month. |
| New | Things users could not do before | Export any report as a CSV file. |
| Improved | Existing things that work better | Search results load faster on large accounts. |
| Fixed | Bugs, described as the user saw them | The sign-in page no longer loops in Safari. |
| Action needed | Only when users must do something | Update the app to keep syncing after March 1. |
How to write each item
- Say what the user can do. "You can now export reports as CSV" beats "Added CSV export functionality".
- Describe bugs the way users saw them. "Totals no longer round down by one cent" is clearer than "Fixed rounding in invoice service".
- One change per bullet. If a change needs more than two sentences, link to a help article.
- Skip internal work. Refactoring, tests and dependency updates do not belong in customer notes, unless users must act on them, as with some security fixes.
- Put breaking changes first. If users must change anything, say so before the list of new features, with the date and a link to the migration guide.
Release notes vs a changelog
A changelog is the full record: every version, every change, with dates, often in a file in the code repository or on a developer page. The common format groups changes as Added, Changed, Deprecated, Removed, Fixed and Security. Release notes are the customer version: they pick the changes people will notice and explain why they matter. The changelog template above follows the full format; the other templates follow New, Improved and Fixed.
Many teams keep both. Developers read the changelog to check if an update breaks their integration; customers read release notes or the in-app note to learn what is new.
What the examples show
The five examples above use made-up products, so you can see the style without copying anyone's real notes: a monthly update for a web app, an app store "What's new" text, a developer changelog with a deprecation, a fix note after a bug that affected customers, and a notice that a feature is being retired. Each one leads with what changed for the reader and says clearly whether they need to do anything.
Where to publish release notes
- A release notes or changelog page on your site or docs, newest first, so customers and search engines can find every change.
- In the product, as a short note or a badge on a "What's new" menu.
- By email for monthly summaries and any change that needs action.
- In your help center, by updating the articles the change affects on the same day.
That last point matters more than it looks. After a release, customers ask about the new behavior, and support agents and chatbots answer from the help pages. If the pages still describe the old version, the answers are wrong. Update the docs in the same release, and a support chatbot that answers from those pages gives the new answer from the first day.
Related tools
Write the help article for a new feature with the documentation template, and send the announcement to customers with the customer email templates.
Frequently asked questions
What should release notes include?
The version or date, a one-line summary of the main change, then the changes grouped as New, Improved and Fixed. Each item says what the user can do now or what no longer goes wrong. Add a link to the help article for anything that needs more than one sentence.
What is the difference between release notes and a changelog?
A changelog is a complete, dated list of every change, often for developers, kept in one file or page. Release notes are written for customers, pick the changes they will notice and explain why they matter. Many teams keep both: the changelog for the record, release notes for the announcement.
Which changes should I leave out of release notes?
Changes users cannot notice: refactoring, tests, build and dependency updates, and internal tools. Keep a security fix or a dependency update in when users must act on it. If a change only matters to developers, put it in the developer changelog.
How often should we publish release notes?
Match how customers notice change. Teams that ship every day often publish a weekly or monthly summary, and add a separate note for a major or breaking change. A fix for a bug many customers reported deserves its own short note.
Will the generator add features I did not list?
It is told not to. The generator uses only the changes you paste, keeps names, numbers and endpoint paths as written, and does not add a version or a date unless you enter one. Read the result before you publish it.
Is the release notes generator free?
Yes. You get 5 free AI runs a day without an account, shared by all our AI tools. Your list of changes is sent to our AI model to write the notes and is not stored. The templates and examples on this page are free to copy.
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