How to delete an issue from Jira?

[#1]

• How to delete an issue/task from Jira?
• How to find deleted issues?

If you’ve ever asked those questions, this article will be handy. Let’s try to find answers and solutions that will help you to optimize your decisions in Jira.

Deleting issues from Jira

Some users find they can’t delete issues in Jira. That’s because they don’t have access to the process of deleting. If you want to remove some ticket/issue, you need special project permission.

Think responsively before granting permissions for deleting issues to some users or user groups. Usually, it is only given to administrators.

How to delete Jira’s issue?

Configuration depends on the type of project your team uses. Company-managed projects use permission schemes, giving you detailed control over who can delete issues.

Steps:

1. Go to Jira Settings > Issues > Permission Schemes.

2. Find the permission scheme used by your project and click Permissions.

3. Scroll to Issue Permissions > Look for Delete Issues.

   • If it's already there, click Edit to change who has access.

   • If it’s missing, click Add Permission:

     • Select Delete Issues.

     • Choose the appropriate role, group, or user (e.g., Project Role: Administrators).

Team-managed projects don’t use permission schemes. Permissions are managed more simply.

Default Rule:

Only Project Admins can delete issues, and this cannot be customized.

To make someone a project admin:

1. Go to your Project > Project settings > Access.

2. Find the user or invite them.

3. Set their role to Administrator.

❗ There’s no way to assign just delete rights to others, only admins can delete.

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If you have the right permissions, you can open an issue and find the Delete option under the three-dots menu.

After you delete the issue in Jira – it is not possible to restore it, you can only determine who has destroyed an issue and when.

How to find deleted issues?

To find deleted issues in Jira, head to Jira Settings > System > Audit Log. The audit log tracks important system events, including when issues are deleted. You can filter by date, project, or keyword like “issue deleted” to narrow down the results. The log will show who deleted the issue when it happened, and the issue key, though the issue content itself won’t be recoverable.

If you need more detailed tracking or visibility into past changes, apps from the Atlassian Marketplace, like Issue History for Jira, can help fill in the gaps and provide an extra layer of accountability. You will be able to access all the field information that was deleted and restore issues.

Read more:

Jira Cloud: How to restore deleted issue?