Adding custom fields | Administering Jira applications Data Center and Server 9.6 (2023)

You can create a custom field to collect information that isn’t available in the default system fields. Before you start, read our tips on creating custom fields, so your Jira instance isn’t cluttered with too many fields.

Custom fields are always optional fields. This means that you can create a new custom field without making changes to existing issues. The existing issues will contain no value for the new custom field, even if a default value is defined for it.

For all of the following procedures, you must be logged in as a user with theJira administratorsglobal permission.

Tips for creating custom fields

Here are some tips on creating and managing custom fields:

Limit the number of custom fields

Pay attention to how many custom fields you define in Jira. A thousand or more is a large number and may affect Jira's performance. Check out more about the issue in

  • Analyzing the usage of custom fields

  • Managing custom fields in Jira effectively

  • Performance and scaling

Combine field content

If you just want to make sure that a user remembers to enter some information into the field, consider a multi-line custom text field with a text template as a default value. The Atlassian Marketplace has apps that provide such functionality.

Avoid duplicating fields’ names

You shouldn’t create new custom fields with the same names as the existing custom fields. Always check to see whether a custom field with the same name already exists before you create it.

If you create custom fields with the same names, it’ll be confusing for users to choose the correct field in JQL searches.

Also, don't create custom fields with the same name as the default Jira fields. For example, having two "Status" fields (a default and a custom one) will cause inconveniences in search or issue management.

Make names as generic as possible

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Give custom fields non-specific names that can be reused in other places later. For example, instead of naming a field "Marketing Objective", name the field "Objective", and write a description in the field configuration that lists the Jira projects where the field is used.

Custom field types

When creating a new custom field, you should first set a type of this field. The type indicates how your custom field will display and function, as well as what values it can accept.

The following table lists a wide array of custom field types that Jira provides to cover various use cases of what information must be present in issues and how.

By default, you’re offered to select from standard field types when adding a new custom field. To open the full list of the custom field types, select All in the dialog window.

Custom field typeDescription

JIRA CORE custom field types

CheckboxesSTANDARD

Allows selecting multiple values from the list.

Checkboxes is one of the custom field types for which you should create options. Tell me how

Date picker STANDARD

Allows selecting a date

Date time picker STANDARD

Allows selecting a date and time

Labels STANDARD

Allows adding labels to issues to facilitate issue categorization and search

Number field STANDARD

Stores and validates a floating point number

Radio buttons STANDARD

Allows selecting on value from the list.

Radio buttons is one of the custom field types for which you should create options. Tell me how

Select list (cascading) STANDARD

Allows selecting values based on their parent-child relation.

Select list (cascading) is one of the custom field types for which you should create options. Tell me how

Select list (multiple choices) STANDARD

Allows selecting multiple values from the list.

Select list (multiple choices) is one of the custom field types for which you should create options. Tell me how

Select list (single choice) STANDARD

Allows selecting one value from the list

Text field (multi-line) STANDARD

Creates an unlimited text area where a user can enter a long text with many lines

Text field (single line) STANDARD

Creates a text box where a user can enter a one-line text, no longer than 255 characters including spaces

URL field STANDARD

Allows entering one URL

User picker (single user) STANDARD

Allows selecting one user

Group picker (multiple groups) ADVANCED

Allows selecting multiple user groups

Group picker (single group) ADVANCED

Allows selecting one user group

Project picker (single project) ADVANCED

Allows selecting one project that the user can view in Jira

Text field (read only) ADVANCED

Creates a read-only text label for setting values programmatically. A value can contain no more than 255 characters, including spaces.

User picker (multiple users) ADVANCED

Allows selecting multiple users

Version picker (multiple versions) ADVANCED

Allows selecting multiple versions

Version picker (single version) ADVANCED

Allows selecting one version

JIRA SOFTWARE ONLY custom field types

Global rank ADVANCED

Jira Softwareautomatically creates the Rank custom field of this type. The Rank field allows you to assess the importance or urgency of your issues and prioritize them, move them across sprints, or group sub-tasks under particular parent issues. Learn more about ranking

Hidden job switch ADVANCED

Sets a hidden switch programmatically to choose whether or not to create a Perforce job.

Jira released version history ADVANCED

Allows setting a custom release version

Job checkbox ADVANCED

Creates a checkbox to choose whether or not to create a Perforce job.

Original story points ADVANCED

Stores the original number of story points assigned to an issue before the work on it is started

Creating a new custom field

To create a custom field:

  1. In the upper-right corner of the screen, selectAdministration Adding custom fields | Administering Jira applications Data Center and Server 9.6 (1)>Issues.


    Adding custom fields | Administering Jira applications Data Center and Server 9.6 (2)
  2. Under Fields (the left-side panel),select Custom fields.

  3. Select Add custom field.
    Adding custom fields | Administering Jira applications Data Center and Server 9.6 (3)

  4. In the Select a field type modal dialog, select All to make sure you can see all available field types.

  5. Select the field type and select Next. For example, let’s select the Checkboxes field type.

  6. Configure the field by entering its name, description, and options if required. Select Next.
    Adding custom fields | Administering Jira applications Data Center and Server 9.6 (4)
    You’ll see the Name as the custom field's title when entering and retrieving information on issues. You’ll see the Description beneath the field when creating new issues and editing existing issues, but not when browsing issues.

  7. Configure the context for the field.

    What are contexts?

    Custom field contexts are different configurations of the same field. By configuring multiple contexts, you can use different default values and options for different projects or make the field applicable only to chosen issue types or projects. It’s generally a performance-wise idea to limit the application of a custom field to the projects that will actually use it. You can configure the context later.

    Learn how to do it in Configuring custom field contexts.

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  8. Select projects where the custom field must be applied.

  9. Select Create.

Now, you can associate the new custom field with issue screens and then add the field to your issues. Learn more

Associating a custom field with an issue screen

After you create a custom field, you’ll be brought to the Screens page. Learn more about screens

Here, you can choose on which issue screens your custom fields should be displayed. For example, on the Default screen or Resolve issue screen.

To associate the field with the screens, select the checkboxes next to the desired screens and select Update.

Adding custom fields | Administering Jira applications Data Center and Server 9.6 (5)

The custom field will be available on all issue screens for which you’ve enabled it. If you don’t select any screen here, you won’t see the custom field when creating or editing an issue.

Editing existing associations

You can always edit the associations between the custom field and selected screens. To do this:

  1. In the upper-right corner of the screen, selectAdministration Adding custom fields | Administering Jira applications Data Center and Server 9.6 (6)>Issues.

  2. Under Fields (the left-side panel), select Field configurations.

  3. Select the field configuration.

  4. Find your custom field in the list and select Screens.
    Adding custom fields | Administering Jira applications Data Center and Server 9.6 (7)

  5. Change the associations and select Update.

You can also add custom fields into existing issues regardless of the associations with screens.

Adding a custom field directly to an issue

Even if your custom field isn’t associated with an issue screen, you can still add this field to existing issues of a particular type. Before doing this, ensure you’ve enabled the field for the desired issue type.

To add a field to an issue:

  1. Open an issue.

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  2. Select Admin > Add field. In the dropdown, select the field you want to see in the issue view.
    Adding custom fields | Administering Jira applications Data Center and Server 9.6 (8)

  3. Select Edit field to set a value for the field immediately.
    Adding custom fields | Administering Jira applications Data Center and Server 9.6 (9)
  4. Select Submit.

For all of the following procedures, you must be logged in as a user with theJira administratorsglobal permission.

You’ll see the custom field either in the Details block or in the Edit issue screen. If the field isn’t editable, learn how to change that.

The association with the corresponding issue screens will be generated automatically.

The field will become available in all issues of all types for which you’ve enabled it. For example, your field is enabled only for bugs. So, as soon as you add it to one bug, the field will appear in all bugs either of specific projects or across your instance, depending on the context you’ve configured for the field.

Enabling the field in the board or backlog view

You can add the field from the Jira administration menu. SeeConfiguring a screen's tabs and fieldsfor instructions.

Alternatively, you can do this directly from the issue. As an example, let’s enable the “Issue labels” custom field that we added in the previous section:

  1. Go to the board or backlog view and edit any existing issue.

  2. In the upper-right corner, selectConfigure fields>Where is my field?to open the field helper.
    Adding custom fields | Administering Jira applications Data Center and Server 9.6 (10)

  3. Enter the name of your custom field. In this case, “Issue label”.

  4. You’ll see the field’s status and details on why your field isn’t displayed and how to update the field’s configuration.
    Adding custom fields | Administering Jira applications Data Center and Server 9.6 (11)

  5. Update the field’s configuration for the Project and issue type scope from theIssue label configurationpage.Check outConfiguring custom field contextsfor details.

  6. Update Field Screen configuration from theOP: Scrum Bug Screen Screen configurationpage. SeeMaking the added field editablein the issue viewsection fromConfiguring the issue viewfor details.

Changing issue types where custom fields are added

You can always change the issue types for which you’ve added custom fields. For example, the field can be added only to bugs, but you want to add it to issues of all types.

To change issue types:

  1. In the upper-right corner of the screen, selectAdministration Adding custom fields | Administering Jira applications Data Center and Server 9.6 (12)>Issues.

  2. Under Fields (the left-side panel), selectCustom fields.

  3. Find the field in the list and select Configure in Actions.

  4. On the page with configurations, select Edit configuration.
    Adding custom fields | Administering Jira applications Data Center and Server 9.6 (13)

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  5. Go to Choose applicable issue types and select Any issue type
    Adding custom fields | Administering Jira applications Data Center and Server 9.6 (14)

Learn more about how to edit custom fields

You can add the field to issues of all types. The association with the corresponding issue screens will be generated automatically.

Next steps

If you want to change the field’s context, see Configuring a custom field.

You can also find more custom fields from apps on the Atlassian Marketplace (for example, the Jira Toolkit).

To build your own custom field types, see this tutorial from the Jira Developer Documentation.

To discover more opportunities of using custom fields in Jira, try one of the apps from the Atlassian Marketplace:

  • Projectrak – Project Tracking for Jira: add, manage, and customize Jira project fields according to each project's needs.

  • Power Custom Fields: use formulas, scripts, calculated fields, and custom messages inside a custom field.

  • Elements Connect – external data fields: create custom fields that can be populated with any data source.

  • Dynamic Forms for Jira: use dynamic forms to build clear, relevant, and easy-to-navigate issue screens.

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