Using Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts provide a quick and easy way of navigating though JIRA and performing fundamental actions on issues without having to take your fingers off the keyboard.
You may not have permission to perform all the keyboard shortcut actions described on this page. This depends on how your JIRA administrator(s) have configured permissions for your user account.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Global Shortcuts
These shortcuts are available from any JIRA screen.
Operation | Keyboard Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
Go to Dashboard | g then d | Directs you to the Dashboard screen. |
Browse to a Project | g then p | Directs you to your current project browser screen. |
Find Issues | g then i | Opens the Issue Navigator, where you can search for issues using either the Simple Search or Advanced Search features. |
Quick Search | / | Directs your cursor to the Quick Search text field in the top right-hand corner. |
Create an Issue | c | Opens the Create Issue dialog box for creating an issue. |
Open shortcut help | ? | Opens the keyboard shortcuts dialog box (described below). To close this dialog box, press the 'Esc' key or click 'Close' in the lower-right of the box. |
Dashboards drop-down menu | Modifier key(s) + d | Opens the 'Dashboards' drop-down menu in the top navigation bar. You can then use the arrow keys to navigate to an item, then press 'Enter' to select it. |
Projects drop-down menu | Modifier key(s) + p | Opens the 'Projects' drop-down menu in the top navigation bar. You can then use the arrow keys to navigate to an item, then press 'Enter' to select it. |
Issues drop-down menu | Modifier key(s) + i | Opens the 'Issues' drop-down menu in the top navigation bar. You can then use the arrow keys to navigate to an item, then press 'Enter' to select it. |
Administration Search dialog box | g then g | Opens the Administration Search dialog box.
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Keyboard shortcuts are not available on JIRA's Workflow Designer page.
'View Issue' and 'Issue Navigator' Shortcuts
These shortcuts are available from JIRA's View Issue and Issue Navigator screens only.
Operation | Keyboard Shortcut | Description | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
View selected Issue | o or Enter | Opens the currently selected issue on the Issue Navigator. | |
Next Issue | j | Navigates to the next issue. This keyboard shortcut only applies to a View Issue screen if you got there via the Issue Navigator. | |
Previous Issue | k | Navigates to the previous issue. This keyboard shortcut only applies to a View Issue screen if you got there via the Issue Navigator. | |
Back to the Navigator | u | Returns to the Issue Navigator from the View Issue screen. This keyboard shortcut only applies to a View Issue screen if you got there via the Issue Navigator. | |
Hide/Show Left Section | [ (left square bracket) | Hides or shows the left section on the Issue Navigator. | |
Next Activity | n | Navigates to the next item in the activity section of the View Issue screen. | |
Previous Activity | p | Navigates to the previous item in the activity section of the View Issue screen. | |
Focus search field | f | Focuses the cursor in the Advanced Search text field or the Simple Search's Query text field. | |
Escape field | Esc | Escapes the cursor out of the current text field so that you can use more keyboard shortcuts. Pressing the 'Esc' key can also be used to Close or Cancel JIRA's dialog boxes. | |
Edit Issue | e | Opens the Edit Issue dialog box (if you have appropriate permission), where you can edit the issue. | |
Assign Issue | a | Opens the Assign dialog box (if you have appropriate permission), where you can assign the issue to another JIRA user. | |
Comment on Issue | m | On the View Issue screen, this opens the comment panel at the top of the page and focuses on the comment text box. | |
Edit Issue Labels | l (lower-case 'L') | Opens the Labels dialog box, where you can edit the labels associated with the issue. | |
| Share Issue | s | Opens the Share bubble, which allows you to send a link to an issue or search result (with an optional note) to the email address of any JIRA user, or any arbitrary email address. See Sharing an Issue or Sharing a Search Result for details. | View Issue and Issue Navigator |
Operations dialog box | . (full-stop/period) | Opens the Operations dialog box, from which you can perform any permitted issue operation on the current JIRA issue by doing either of the following:
 The list of issue operations available in the drop-down menu are split into the following categories:
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Form Shortcuts
These shortcuts are available on JIRA forms, including those involved in editing an issue's fields, such as the Create Issue or Edit Issue forms and JIRA login forms.
Operation | Keyboard Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
Form Submit | Modifier key(s) + s | Submits any currently open form in JIRA. The keyboard shortcuts dialog box will show which modifier key (or keys) are required for your combination of web browser and operating system. |
Cancel Form | Modifier key(s) + ` (backquote) | Cancels any currently open form in JIRA. |
Escape Field | Esc | Escapes the cursor out of any field on the currently open form, so that you can use more keyboard shortcuts. Pressing the 'Esc' key can also be used to Close or Cancel JIRA's dialog boxes. |
Back | u | Returns to the View Issue screen from any form that results from an action performed on that issue. You must have escaped out of all fields on the form (by pressing 'Esc') before using this keyboard shortcut. |
'Remember my login' check box | Modifier key(s) + r | Automatically selects the 'Remember my login on this computer' check box. This shortcut only applies to JIRA's login forms. |
Modifier Keys
If a keyboard shortcut requires modifier keys, one or two of these modifier keys (for example, 'Shift', 'Alt' or 'Ctrl') must be pressed simultaneously, along with a single 'action' key. In the shortcuts dialog box, these keystrokes are indicated as 'modifier (+ modifier) + x', where 'x' is an action key, with the exception of a 'Shift + x' key combination.
Modifier keys differ depending on your combination of operating system and web browser. For example, when running Firefox on Mac OS X, you will need to press 'Ctrl' + 'S' to submit a form, while on Windows, you will need to press 'Alt' + 'S'. The following table identifies the modifier keys for the various combinations of supported web browsers and operating systems:
Web Browser | Mac OS X | Windows | Linux/Solaris |
|---|---|---|---|
Firefox | Ctrl | Alt + Shift | Alt + Shift |
Internet Explorer |
| Alt |
|
Safari | Ctrl + Alt/Option | Ctrl |
|
| Chrome | Ctrl + Alt/Option | Alt + Shift | Alt + Shift |
Please note:
- Modifier key shortcuts differ from two-key shortcuts. For the latter, one discrete keystroke follows another (without the keys being pressed simultaneously). In the shortcuts dialog box, two-key shortcuts are indicated as 'x then y', where 'x' is the first keystroke and 'y' is the second.
- In Internet Explorer, typing a 'Modifier key shortcut' that leads to a link results in the link being highlighted only. Hence, after typing a modifier key shortcut, you will then need to press the 'Enter' key to complete the action - for example, to open a link's drop-down menu. The actions of modifier key shortcuts that lead to buttons, however, are fully completed.
- In Firefox, it is possible to customize 'Modifier key shortcuts'. Please read Mozilla's Ui.key.contentAccess documentation for more information.
Accessing the Keyboard Shortcuts Dialog Box
The keyboard shortcuts dialog box shows an overview of JIRA actions that are available as keyboard shortcuts and the combination of keystrokes required to perform them.
To open the keyboard shortcuts dialog box:
Choose 
> Keyboard Shortcuts.
You can also open this dialog by pressing ? (Shift + /) on your keyboard. Note, your cursor must not be focused in a JIRA text field for ? to work.
If you have JIRA plugins installed, you may have additional keyboard shortcuts available. For example, if you have JIRA Agile installed, you will see a series of Agile keyboard shortcuts in the lower-right of this dialog box (and some additional Global keyboard shortcuts specific to JIRA Agile in the upper-left section). However, the keyboard shortcuts in the Agile Shortcuts section only function in JIRA Agile and not in a JIRA context.
Please Note:
- Be aware that when you press '?', the keyboard shortcuts dialog box will not appear if your cursor is already focused inside any JIRA text entry field. Press 'Esc' first to escape from a field.
- If you have JIRA Agile 6.7 installed, you will see a series of Agile keyboard shortcuts in the lower-right of this dialog box (and some additional Global keyboard shortcuts specific to JIRA Agile in the upper-left section). However, the keyboard shortcuts in the Agile Shortcuts section only function in JIRA Agile and not in a JIRA context.
Disabling and Re-enabling Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts are enabled by default. However, you can disable them on a per-user basis via the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box.
To disable or re-enable keyboard shortcuts:
- Ensure you are logged in to JIRA and open the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box (described above).
- At the bottom of the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box, click 'Disable Keyboard Shortcuts' or 'Enable Keyboard Shortcuts' to respectively disable or re-enable keyboard shortcuts for the currently logged in user. Alternatively, you can disable or re-enable keyboard shortcuts by editing the Preferences section of the Summary Tab of your User Profile.