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Search Jira with JQL

By Jens Schumacher, former Head of Product for Jira

JQL looks more technical than it is. Start with a field, an operator, and a value, then add one condition at a time. These ten patterns answer the questions teams ask every day and work across Jira Cloud space types.

Company and team-managed spaces

JQL is site-wide in Jira Cloud: use it to search every work item you can access, then save a filter for the views you return to. The steps are the same in company and team-managed spaces.

  1. Open Advanced search

    Select Filters → Search work items, then switch from Basic to JQL or Advanced search.

  2. Start with one of the useful patterns below

    Paste a query, replace space keys or status names where needed, and run it. Jira suggests fields and values as you type.

  3. Save the query you will reuse

    Select Save as, name the filter clearly, and star it. Keep it private unless the result is useful and safe for others to run.

Good to know

Ten JQL patterns worth keeping in a note:

  • My open work: assignee = currentUser() AND statusCategory != Done ORDER BY updated DESC
  • High-priority bugs: project = APP AND type = Bug AND priority in (High, Highest) AND statusCategory != Done
  • Work due this week: duedate >= startOfWeek() AND duedate <= endOfWeek() AND statusCategory != Done
  • Overdue work: duedate < now() AND statusCategory != Done
  • Unassigned work: project = APP AND assignee IS EMPTY AND statusCategory != Done
  • Recently created work: created >= startOfWeek()
  • Stale work: status = "In progress" AND updated <= -14d
  • Work in the current sprint: Sprint in openSprints()
  • Work with a label: labels = customer-request
  • Find by words: text ~ "login error"

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FAQ

What does currentUser() mean in JQL?
It resolves to whoever runs the filter. Use it instead of typing your name when a saved query should remain useful if ownership changes.
Why does my JQL query return nothing?
Check spelling and quotation marks, then remove conditions one at a time. You only see work items you have permission to browse.
Can I save a JQL query in Jira?
Yes. Run it in Advanced search, select Save as, name the filter, then star it or share it if appropriate.