Bulk edit work items on a Jira board

Bulk edit Jira work items from search results

Use All work search when the selection spans boards or spaces, or when a saved filter or JQL query is the easiest way to find the work. This route uses the bulk-change wizard and requires Make bulk changes plus the relevant permissions in every selected space.

1. Find and check the work items

   Open All work search and apply your filters. For example, project = DEMO AND assignee = currentUser() ORDER BY updated DESC finds your assigned work in an example space with key DEMO. Replace DEMO with your space key and check the results before selecting anything.

2. Open Bulk change

   Select More actions (•••) → Bulk change work items. Choose the work items to update and select Next. Split selections above 1,000 into batches.

3. Choose Edit work items and the field

   Select Edit work items, then choose the fields and values. To change workflow status, choose the separate Transition work items operation; transitions must be grouped by workflow.

4. Review and confirm

   Check the selection, values, and notification option. Confirm the changes and wait for Jira to finish before acknowledging completion.

Bulk edit Jira fields from a list or backlog

Jira also provides a bulk-edit sidebar for lists and software backlogs. Use it to update fields shared by the selected work items. Available fields and actions depend on your selection and permissions; the board walkthrough above describes the separate wizard route.

1. Select the work items

   Use the checkboxes, ⌘ (Mac) / Ctrl (Windows), or Shift to select the work you want to change in the list or backlog.

2. Open the editing sidebar

   In a list, select Edit from the selection toolbar. In a software backlog, select Edit → Fields.

3. Choose fields and the kind of edit

   Edit a shared field directly or search for another field. Depending on the field, choices include Keep as is, Add new, Find and remove, Replace all, and Remove all.

4. Review before applying

   Select Next, check the confirmation screen, and select Confirm to save the edits.

Bulk-edit examples

Good to know

Before you start a bulk edit, check these limits and field conditions:

• 1,000 work items per operation. This is a hard cap in Jira Cloud. Larger jobs need to be split.
• Field availability depends on the selection. Components and Fix versions require work items from one space, the field to be visible, and edit permission. Due Date also requires Schedule work item permission. A custom field must be global or shared by all selected work items through its work type or space scope.
• No undo. There is no native rollback in either space type. If you change the wrong field on 500 work items, you'll have to bulk-change them back, which requires remembering the original values.
• Some fields can't be bulk-edited. Summary, Description, Attachments, Environment, and Space are excluded. To move work items between spaces, use Bulk move instead of Bulk edit.
• Different workflows can't be transitioned together. If your selection spans work items with different workflows, you'll have to transition them in separate groups.
• Closed and completed sprints are excluded when bulk-editing the Sprint field. Only active and future sprints accept changes.
• Check notifications before confirming. A bulk edit on 500 work items can notify their assignees and watchers. If available, clear the send-mail option when those updates do not need an email. Some roles cannot disable notifications.
• Cross-space permissions must all pass. If the selection spans multiple spaces, you need the relevant permission (Edit Work items, Assign Work items, etc.) in every space. A missing permission in one space fails the whole batch.