How to Execute Test Cases in Azure DevOps: Manual Testing Guide

Executing test cases in Azure DevOps is done through the Test Runner — a guided interface that walks you through each test step, records your pass/fail decisions, and lets you create bugs directly from failures. This guide covers the complete execution workflow.

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Starting a test run

Option 1: Run from Test Plans (recommended)

1. Go to Test Plans → [Your plan] → [Suite]
2. Select one or more test cases
3. Click Run → Run for web application

This opens the Test Runner in a floating panel alongside your browser. The application you're testing should be in a separate window or tab.

Option 2: Run with options

For more control:

1. Click Run → Run with options
2. Configure:
   • Runner: Web application, Desktop application, Remote machine
   • Data: Choose a specific parameter row (for parameterised test cases)
   • Build: Link this run to a specific build number

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The Test Runner interface

The Test Runner shows:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TC-201: Add product to wishlist         [✕] │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Step 1 of 4:                                │
│ Action: Navigate to /products/laptop-pro-x  │
│ Expected: Product page displayed            │
│ ──────────────────────────────────          │
│ [📷 Add screenshot]  [📝 Add comment]       │
│ [✓ Pass]  [✗ Fail]                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 1 ✓  2 ○  3 ○  4 ○    Progress: 1/4        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Work through each step, marking Pass or Fail. The runner advances automatically to the next step when you mark Pass.

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Marking failures and creating bugs

When a step fails:

1. Click ✗ Fail on the failed step
2. Add a screenshot (strongly recommended — captures evidence)
3. Add a comment explaining the actual behaviour
4. Click Create bug

The bug creation dialog pre-populates:

• Title: based on the test case title
• Repro steps: the failed test step
• System info: browser, OS (if using the browser extension)

Add:

• Actual result: what actually happened
• Priority and Severity
• Environment: staging URL, build number
• Assigned to: developer

The bug is linked to the test case and the test run automatically.

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Pausing and resuming a test run

If you can't complete a test case in one session:

1. Click Pause in the Test Runner
2. The partial results are saved
3. Later, go to Test Plans → [Suite] → [Test case]
4. Click Resume to continue from where you stopped

Important: pausing a test case marks it as In Progress, not completed. The test plan statistics show it separately from Not Started and Completed cases.

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Running tests on different configurations

If your team tests across multiple browsers or devices:

1. Create test configurations: Test Plans → Configurations

   Config 1: Chrome / Windows 11
   Config 2: Safari / macOS 14
   Config 3: Chrome / Android 14
   

2. Assign configurations to your test suite

3. When running tests, choose the configuration: Run with options → Select configuration

The test plan now shows separate pass/fail results for each configuration:

TC-201: Add to wishlist
  Chrome/Windows:  ✓ Passed
  Safari/macOS:    ✓ Passed
  Chrome/Android:  ✗ Failed → Bug #892

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Bulk execution

For regression runs with many test cases:

1. Select all test cases in the suite (checkbox in header)
2. Click Run → Run for web application
3. The Test Runner shows test cases in order — navigate with Next test after completing each

This creates a single test run containing all selected test cases, making the run report cleaner.

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Viewing test run history

After execution, results are permanently stored:

1. Go to Test Plans → Runs
2. All test runs are listed with: date, runner name, build number, pass/fail counts

Click any run to see:

• Test case results (pass/fail per case and per step)
• Bugs created during the run
• Duration
• Attachments (screenshots)

This history is invaluable for comparing quality across sprints and identifying consistently failing tests.

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Common errors and fixes

Error: Test Runner opens but steps are missing Fix: The test case has no steps defined. Open the test case and add action/expected result pairs in the Steps tab.

Error: Screenshots can't be attached in Test Runner Fix: Use the browser extension for richer screenshot support. The web version has limited attachment capabilities in some browsers due to security policies.

Error: "Create Bug" button is greyed out Fix: You need permission to create work items in the project. Check your project access level in Project Settings → Permissions.

Error: Test run results don't appear in the test plan progress Fix: You must complete (pass or fail) the test case in the Test Runner and click Save and Close. Runs that are paused or abandoned don't count toward the progress report.

Error: Can't find the paused test run to resume Fix: Go to Test Plans → Runs → filter by "In Progress" state. Your paused run will appear there. Click it and click Resume.