Jira keyboard shortcuts: the official list, plus Mac-native ones

In Jira Cloud, press C to create a work item and O to open the selected one. Press I to assign it to yourself, M to comment, and ? to see the full dialog for the screen you are on. The keys Atlassian documents publicly are listed below. The in-app dialog adds a few more for the specific app you are using.

The official Jira Cloud keyboard shortcuts

Atlassian's support page lists a short set of keys and sorts the in-app dialog into four groups: Global, Navigating work items, Work item actions, and App-specific. Source: Atlassian — Use keyboard shortcuts

One naming note before the table. Atlassian renamed "issues" to "work items" in Jira Cloud, so the dialog now says "work item" where older guides say "issue". The keys did not change.

Global

Navigating work items

Work item actions

These are single letters, with no modifier key. You press C on its own, not ⌘C.

Why the list is short

Nine keys plus the ? dialog look thin for a tool this large. Two things explain it.

First, the public page is a summary. The dialog under ? is the real reference, and it changes with context. A board shows board keys, a backlog shows backlog keys, and Jira Service Management or Jira Product Discovery add their own under "App-specific". So the answer to "what are all the Jira shortcuts" depends on the screen you are standing on. Open the dialog there.

Second, Jira runs in a browser tab, and a browser tab has rules. A single-letter shortcut only fires when the page has keyboard focus and no text field is active. That produces the two most common complaints:

• You are typing in a field. Click into a summary box, a comment box or a search field and every letter goes into the text. Press Esc or click empty space on the page first.
• The tab is not focused. If you just came from another app, another tab or a dialog, click once on the board background to give the page focus.

There is also a limit no setting can lift. Jira's keys only work while the Jira tab is in front. Once you switch to your editor, your terminal or Slack, there is no key that takes you back to a Jira work item. The browser owns the shortcut, not the operating system.

Moving around a board with J, K, N and P

The four navigation keys are the ones worth muscle memory, because together they let you work a sprint board without touching the trackpad.

1. Click once on the board background so the page has focus.
2. Press J and K to move down and up inside a column.
3. Press N and P to move to the next or previous column.
4. Press O to open the selected work item.
5. Press I to assign it to yourself, or M to comment.

The pattern comes from Vim and from Gmail, so it will feel familiar if you use either. Note that N and P move between columns, not between work items — a detail that trips people up on their first try.

Starlie shortcuts on macOS

Starlie is a native Mac app for Jira Cloud, so its shortcuts are ordinary macOS shortcuts. They use ⌘, they appear in the menu bar, and they work when the app is in front, with no browser tab to worry about. Starlie’s menus still say “issue”; it is the same object Jira now calls a work item.

Three worth learning first

• ⌘K to open anything. Type a few letters of an issue key, a board or a project and press Return. It is the Spotlight habit applied to Jira, and it replaces most sidebar clicking.
• ⌘⇧C to copy the issue key. The key is what you paste into a branch name, a commit message or a chat thread.
• ⌘1 and ⌘2 to switch views. ⌘1 shows the sprint as a list for scanning and sorting. ⌘2 shows the same sprint as a board for dragging cards between columns.

If subtasks are part of your day, ⌘⇧S opens the Structure window and shows epics, stories and subtasks as one tree. The web equivalent takes several clicks — see how to create a subtask in Jira.

Shortcuts in a browser versus shortcuts on a Mac

The difference is scope, not speed. Browser shortcuts live inside one tab. Mac shortcuts live inside an app that has its own window, its own menu bar and its own place in ⌘Tab.

Atlassian does not ship a desktop app for Mac today. The Jira Cloud for Mac app was sunset in February 2022, and the open request for a desktop app is still marked "Gathering Interest". Source: JRACLOUD-78044 That leaves third-party clients, which we compare in Jira desktop app: the options. If you are weighing a move away from Jira instead, read Linear vs Jira.

Frequently asked questions