Yes, it is possible to delete tickets on Jira. Jira is a project management and issue tracking tool developed by Atlassian that allows teams to plan, track, and release software. With Jira, users can create tickets to represent tasks, bugs, stories, requirements, or other work items. Sometimes there may be a need to delete a ticket entirely from Jira. There are a few ways to delete tickets in Jira depending on the permissions you have and the type of project.
Reasons for deleting a Jira ticket
There are several reasons why you may need to delete a Jira ticket:
- The ticket was created incorrectly or duplicated another ticket
- The issue the ticket was tracking is no longer relevant or has been resolved another way
- The project the ticket is associated with has been cancelled
- The ticket contains sensitive information that should not remain in Jira
- The ticket is very old and should be archived instead of taking up active space
Deleting irrelevant or obsolete tickets can help keep your Jira project tidy and focused. It also removes outdated information that should not remain easily accessible.
Considerations before deleting a Jira ticket
Before deleting a Jira ticket, there are some important considerations:
- Will deleting this ticket result in vital information being lost? If the ticket contains important details, comments, attachments or workflow history, these will be removed when the ticket is deleted. Important details should be documented elsewhere before deleting the ticket.
- Are there links to the ticket from other sources? Other tickets, documentation or links may reference the ticket you want to delete. These relationships should be updated if possible.
- Is the ticket linked to a build, release, commit or deployment? Linked relationships may need to be preserved before deleting.
- Do you need to maintain an audit trail? In regulated or compliance-focused organizations, there may be audit requirements to maintain records.
- Who has permissions to delete this ticket? You need the appropriate permissions for the project and issue type to delete tickets.
If the ticket contains no critical information and relationships, then deletion may be appropriate. But extra care should be taken for tickets linked to key events or with extensive comments.
How to delete a Jira ticket
If you determine a Jira ticket can be safely deleted, here are the steps to delete it:
Delete a ticket you created
If you created the ticket, you can delete it:
- Navigate to the issue by searching for the ticket key or browsing to the ticket.
- Click on the “More” menu in the upper right corner of the ticket.
- Select “Delete”.
- In the confirmation dialog, click “Confirm” to permanently delete the ticket.
This will completely remove the ticket from Jira.
Delete as a project admin
If you are a project admin, you can delete any ticket within that project:
- Navigate to the issue you want to delete.
- Click the “More” menu in the top right corner.
- Choose “Delete”.
- In the confirmation prompt, click “Confirm”.
This will delete the ticket, regardless of who created it originally.
Bulk delete multiple tickets
Project admins can bulk delete multiple tickets at once:
- Select “Issues” from the project menu.
- Choose which tickets to delete by checking the box beside each issue.
- Click the “Delete” button at the top of the list.
- Confirm the deletion in the prompt.
This will delete all selected tickets at once. Use caution when bulk deleting tickets.
Delete a ticket by issue key
You can also programatically delete tickets by issue key using Jira’s REST API:
“`
DELETE /rest/api/2/issue/{issueIdOrKey}
“`
For example:
“`
DELETE https://mycompany.atlassian.net/rest/api/2/issue/JIRA-123
“`
This allows ticket deletion to be scripted if desired. The user must have permission to delete issues.
What happens when a ticket is deleted
When a Jira ticket is permanently deleted:
- The ticket is removed from all screens and searches in Jira.
- All details, comments, attachments, changelog history are deleted.
- Any links or references to the ticket from other issues will have the issue key displayed, but the link will be broken.
- If integrated with Git, branches associated with the ticket remain but lose their relationship.
- Work logs are retained for deleted tickets.
- Deleted tickets cannot be restored without a database recovery.
So be absolutely certain the ticket should be deleted before confirming.
Alternatives to deleting Jira tickets
Deleting tickets permanently removes all traces of that ticket. In some cases, there are better alternatives than deletion:
Resolve the ticket
If the issue or task is completed and can be closed, simply resolve the ticket rather than delete it. This preserves the record while removing it from your active issues.
Deactivate the project
If an entire project is cancelled or ended, consider deactivating the project. This will prevent any new issues from being created but preserves existing records.
Archive tickets
Tickets can be archived to move old or irrelevant tickets out of active filters and searches without deleting. Archived tickets can still be accessed or restored if needed.
Anonymize tickets
If deleting a ticket with sensitive details, you may be able to anonymize or obfuscate ticket details before resolving and closing it. This preserves the record without personal information.
Recovering a deleted Jira ticket
If a ticket was deleted in error before you realized it contained important information, it may be possible to recover it:
- Jira database backup – If your Jira administrator has database backups enabled, they may be able to restore the database to a point before the delete.
- Jira audit log – If the audit log was enabled, you may be able to search it for the issue deletion event and see the issue key, allowing an admin to restore it.
- External backup – If you have an external data backup, you may be able to recover the ticket details from the backup point.
Preventing the accidental deletion of important tickets is ideal. But these options may help recover lost ticket details if needed.
Conclusion
Deleting Jira tickets permanently removes them from your Jira instance. Be cautious when deleting tickets, and consider alternatives like resolving or archiving tickets if possible. But when necessary, tickets can be deleted by issue creators, project admins or using the REST API. Be sure to consider any lost information or broken ticket relationships before deleting issues. With care and proper permission, deleting Jira tickets allows you to maintain a clean project workflow.