Create a custom field
Tips for creating custom fields
Limit the number of custom fields — Be careful how many custom fields you define in Jira. More than a thousand is a large number and may affect Jira's performance. For more information, see Scaling Jira.
Use fields for reporting — Consider what reports are needed from Jira and only create fields that support those fields. Custom field types, such as select and multi-select are great for reporting. On the other hand, text fields are not as useful, since people don't always enter data as expected by the report's query.
Combine field content — If just want to make sure that someone remembers to enter some information, then consider a multi-line custom text field with a text template as a default value. You may also want to try using a "table grid" custom field which lets you enter data in a searchable table. The Atlassian Marketplace has add-ons that provide this kind of functionality.
Don't duplicate names — Don't create new custom fields with the same name as other existing custom fields. Always check to see whether a custom field with the same name already exists before you create it. If you do, then choosing the correct field in JQL searches can become confusing for users. Also, don't create custom fields with the same name as the standard Jira fields. For example, having two "Status" fields is particularly confusing.
Make names as generic as possible — Give custom fields non-specific names that can be reused in other places later on. For example, instead of naming a field "Marketing Objective", name the field "Objective", and provide a description in the field configuration that states the Jira projects where that field is used.
Create a new custom field
- Select
> Issues. - Under FIELDS, select Custom fields.
- Click Create custom field. Make sure to select All to view the available field options.
- Select the type of field you want to create and click Next. See a list and descriptions for the available custom field types in company-managed projects.
Add the details for your field.
The name you select appears as the custom field's title wherever the field appears. The description appears below the field when creating and editing issues, but not when browsing issues.
When you have entered the field details, select Create.
- Add the new custom field to one or multiple screens by ticking the corresponding box and click Update.
To configure the layout of the new Jira issue view—which fields appear and the order they appear in—open an issue and choose Configure at the bottom-right. To find out more about configuring the issue layout, check out Configure field layout in the issue view.