On this page:

About Issue Linking

Issue Linking allows you to create an association between issues. For instance, an issue may duplicate another, or its resolution may depend on another's. New installations of JIRA come with four default types of links:

• "relates to" / "relates to"
• "duplicates" / "is duplicated by"
• "blocks" / "is blocked by"
• "clones" / "is cloned by" (this is used when issues are cloned)

You can add, edit or delete link types to suit your organisation, as described below.

Note:

• Your users must have the Link Issues permission before they can link issues.
• Issue linking is enabled by default. If your organisation does not require the ability to link issues, you can disable it globally for all users as described below.

Adding a Link Type

1. Log in as a user with the 'JIRA Administrators' global permission.
2. Bring up the administration page by clicking either the 'Administration' link on the top bar or the title of the Administration box on the dashboard.
3. In the panel on the left, under the title 'Global Settings', click 'Issue Linking'.
4. The 'Issue Linking' page will be displayed (see screenshot below). At the bottom of the page is a form titled 'Add New Link Type'.
5. To create a new link type, e.g. "Causes":
   • enter "Causes" in the 'Name' text field
   • enter "causes" in the 'Outward Link Description' text field
   • enter "is caused by" in the 'Inward Link Description' text field
6. Click the 'Add' button.
7. This returns to the 'Issue Linking' page, with a new section listing the "Causes" link type.

Screenshot: the "Issue Linking" administration page

Editing or Deleting a Link Type

It is recommended that you do not edit or delete the 'Clones' link type, as this is used to automatically link issues when they are cloned.

1. Log in as a user with the 'JIRA Administrators' global permission.
2. Bring up the administration page by clicking either the 'Administration' link on the top bar or the title of the Administration box on the dashboard.
3. In the panel on the left, under the title 'Global Settings', click 'Issue Linking'.
4. The 'Issue Linking' page will be displayed (see screenshot above). Locate the link type you wish to edit or delete, and click the word 'Edit'/'Delete' in the 'Operations' column.

Disabling Issue Linking

To disable issue linking for your entire JIRA site, for all users:

1. Log in as a user with the 'JIRA Administrators' global permission.
2. Bring up the administration page by clicking either the 'Administration' link on the top bar or the title of the Administration box on the dashboard.
3. In the panel on the left, under the title 'Global Settings', click 'Issue Linking'.
4. The 'Issue Linking' page will be displayed (see screenshot above). A status message indicates whether linking is enabled. If it is, click the 'Deactivate' button.
5. You will be shown the 'Issue Linking' page again, this time stating that linking is disabled.