"Invalid character, please rename" error when uploading attachments to Jira
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Note that this knowledge base article was created for the Data Center version of the product. Data Center knowledge base articles for non-Data Center-specific features may also work for Server versions of the product, however they have not been tested. Support for Server* products ended on February 15th 2024. If you are running a Server product, you can visit the Atlassian Server end of support announcement to review your migration options.
*Except Fisheye and Crucible
Summary
Jira refuses to accept images with names containing colons or other special characters when attaching a file.
The following appears in the atlassian-jira.log:
Screenshot ABC:1:2:3.jpg contains the invalid character ":". Please rename and try againEnvironment
Jira Data Center on any version.
Resolution
Jira does not support the usage of certain special characters as stated in the official documentation:
File names cannot contain any of these characters: '\', '/','\"', '%', ':', '$', '?', '*'.- Rename the affected file ensuring it does not contain any of the characters mentioned
- Try to upload the file again
Additional context and resources
- JRASERVER-36515 - Unable to upload attachment if the file name has special characters
- JRASERVER-71250 - Jira behaviour is inconsistent when the attachment name contains curly brackets
- JRASERVER-65739 - Add support for special characters used in attachment field when importing attachment using CSV