How to Edit Workflows in Jira

Quick summary

Editing a Jira workflow on a company-managed project requires a workaround because Jira restricts direct edits to active workflows. This guide walks you through publishing a draft, creating a backup workflow, editing its transitions, and associating it with your project via Workflow Schemes.

Steps

1. Go to Project settings in the left sidebar.
2. Find Workflows in the left sidebar and click Edit workflow.
3. Note that Jira doesn't allow direct edits here — you will use a workaround.
4. Click Publish Draft to publish the current draft workflow.
5. Select Yes for the backup option and name the workflow with a Backup~ prefix.
6. Once published, right-click Workflows in the left sidebar and open it in a new tab.
7. Go to the Inactive Workflow tab and locate the backup workflow you just created.
8. Click the three dots menu and select Edit.
9. Edit the transitions as needed — for example, remove "All" tags to restrict card movement directions.
10. Name your transitions and click Add.
11. Note that your workflow is updated but not yet active.
12. Go back to the previous tab and click Workflow Schemes.
13. Click Edit on the earlier workflow scheme.
14. Click Add Workflows and select Add Existing.
15. Select the Backup workflow you created and click Next.
16. Select all Issue types you want associated with this workflow and click Finish.
17. Click Publish to make the workflow live.
18. Associate the published workflow with your project.
19. Confirm the success prompt to complete the process.