Create, edit, or remove a user
Users in Jira applications can be managed manually or via External User Management. This page helps you manage these users manually, and references external user management systems where required.In order for a user to log in and access a Jira application, they must have application access. Application access is obtained by being a member of a group assigned to an application. Membership to these groups can be changed at any time on a per user basis.
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Before you begin
You must have the Jira Administrator or Jira System Administrator global permission to be able to manage users in Jira applications.
Create users
There are several ways to create a user in Jira. Read on to learn which method is right for your team.
If you're adding users to a Jira Service Desk project, check out Setting up service desk users.
Create a user in Jira
Create a user directly in Jira if you have a small team. Consider external user management (LDAP or Active Directory) if you have a lot of hands on deck. Maintaining permissions for individual user ID's can be messy if you have too many users, so there are other options for your large staff.
Invite users to Jira
You can invite users to Jira through email. When the users accept the invite and they are created in Jira, they will be given access to the applications set as default.
Note, Jira's SMTP mail server must be configured to send notifications before you can invite users via email.
Use a mail handler, connect to an internal directory, or enable public signup
There are a few other ways to create a user in Jira. These methods are more specialized and can fill a specific need of your team.
Select default applications for new users
If you have more than one Jira application, it's possible to select which applications new users will automatically be assigned to. If you manually create a user, the applications you select as defaults will be preselected. However it's possible to change this while creating the user. If you allow users to sign up via email, via public signup, or through a mail handler, they will be given access to the applications you select:
Edit a user
Modifying user information, such as name, email, address, and password, is easy with the Jira internal directory. If you are using an external authentication method such as LDAP or Active Directory, you'll have to make changes in that system rather than in Jira.
Edit a username, full name, or email address
These three attributes can be modified together, in a few simple clicks, if you're using the Jira internal directory to manage users. When updating a username, it's important to note that:
- Jira cannot update external usernames - for example, users that are coming from an LDAP server or Crowd instance. However, Jira can update Jira users stored in an "Internal Directory with LDAP Authentication."
- If you are using your Jira instance as a Jira User Server for other applications, (e.g., Confluence), you will not be able to use this feature. If you aren't sure about this, check under User Management > Jira User Server to confirm that no external applications have been configured to use Jira as a Crowd Server.
Change a password
Administrators can change user passwords directly in Jira when using the internal directory. A password cannot be changed if users are managed from an LDAP server or Crowd instance.
Add a property to a user
A Property is an extra piece of information about a user that you can store in Jira. A Property consists of a Key of your choice, like 'Phone number' or 'Location', plus a corresponding Value (eg. '987 654 3210', 'Level Three'). User Properties do not have an effect in the project apart from adding additional information about the user. Apps, however, can frequently use this data.
Remove a user
Have a user that no longer needs access to JIRA? Read about the different ways to remove access. Rather than deleting a user, we recommend that you deactivate their account. Deactivating a user's account will prevent the account from being used, but it will preserve that user's history of activity.
Deactivate a user
Jira administrators can deactivate a Jira user, which disables that user's access to Jira. This avoids the need for a Jira administrator to delete the user's account from the system.
This feature is useful when a Jira user leaves the organization or changes departments because their history of Jira activity is preserved in the system. If a user with a deactivated Jira account needs access again at some point in the future, their Jira user account can be easily reactivated.
When you deactivate a user, that user:
- Will no longer be able to log in to Jira.
- Will not count towards your Jira user license limit.
- Can't be assigned issues or added as a watcher to issues whenever issues are created or edited. However:
- A user who was assigned, was watching, or had reported any issues in Jira before their account is deactivated, will still appear as the respective assignee, watcher, or reporter of those issues. This situation remains until another user is specified as the assignee or reporter, the deactivated user is removed as a watcher from them, or the account is reactivated.
- A user who voted on any issues in Jira before their account is deactivated will continue to appear as a voter on these issues.
- Will continue to appear on the Jira user interface with '(Inactive)' displayed after their name.
- Can still be used to filter issues in a Jira search query.
- Will not receive any email notifications from Jira, even if they continue to remain the assignee, reporter, or watcher of issues.
Delete a user
We recommend you think carefully before deleting a Jira user. Consider deactivating instead and see the section above for more information.
Before you delete, note that:
- You cannot delete a user from within Jira if you are using External User Management (However, you can deactivate the user. See instructions above).
- You cannot delete a user from Jira if they have:
- reported or been assigned to any issues.
- commented on any issues.
- The filters and dashboards of a user will be deleted when the user is deleted, even if the filters or dashboards are shared with other users.
- All issues that have been reported by or assigned to the user you are attempting to delete, are respectively hyperlinked to a list of the individual issues in the Issue Navigator.