How to search by keywords in Jira

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When working on multiple projects, tracking down the right information in Jira can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. Whether you’re trying to locate an important comment, monitor a status change, or verify an assignee update, keyword searches can save you time and effort.

Here, we will overview three options:

• The Jira search bar – to quickly find keywords in issues’ comments and descriptions using a basic search.

• JQL – to find keywords in the summary, description, or comments.

• Issue history search – to search for keywords in all updated fields with Issue History for Jira app.

Using the Jira search bar to find keywords 

The Jira search bar is your go-to tool for quickly locating issues and descriptions containing specific keywords. Whether you need to review a reported bug, track feature requests, or monitor team discussions, Jira’s search functionality helps you filter results efficiently. It works for text fields like summary and description.

➤ Click on the search bar at the top of the screen.

Example. Search for “error” to locate issues mentioning errors in the summary or description.

➤ Use basic search to apply relevant filters and get more refined results.

➤ Switch to JQL for advanced keyword searches.

For more control over your search, switch to Jira Query Language (JQL) by clicking “Switch to JQL” in the search panel. JQL allows you to craft custom queries and search for keywords within specific fields.

Common JQL examples:

• summary ~ "bug" – Search for issues with “bug” in the summary.

• description ~ "database error" – Find issues mentioning “database error” in the description.

• comment ~ "review" – Locate comments containing “review.”

• summary ~ "UI" AND status = "In Progress" – Search for issues related to the UI that are still in progress.

Keyword search in Jira is helpful for quickly finding tasks by summary, description, or comments. However, it lacks the ability to search through all fields and doesn’t include changes in the issue history. This limitation makes it difficult to track updates like status changes, assignee modifications, or priority adjustments.

Searching by keywords in history

What if you’re searching for a specific keyword but can’t find the issue because the content was changed? Issue History for Jira solves this problem by allowing you to search through all past values of issue fields, not just the current ones.

How it helps:

✅ Search through all fields. Not limited to the summary or description – you can search across any field, including status, assignee, etc. Whether the value of the field was changed or not – you will get the result.

✅ Highlights results. Matching content is highlighted in yellow, making it easy to spot relevant changes.

Example 1: The task was initially called: “Error in Payment Processing”. Then, someone updated it to: “Issues with Payment”.

If you search for “error” using Jira’s regular search, the task won’t appear. But with Issue History for Jira, the original title, along with changes in status, assignee, or any other field, is still searchable. Simply enter the keyword in the search bar, and you’ll quickly find the task with all relevant changes highlighted. 

Example 2: Search by assignee

Enter the name and filter by the assignee field:

Example 3: Search by status

Enter the keyword and filter by the status field:

To wrap up

Keyword searching in Jira is essential for staying organized across multiple projects. The Jira search bar is great for quick searches in summaries and descriptions, while JQL allows for more refined, field-specific queries. However, Issue History for Jira stands out by enabling searches across all fields, including those that have been updated, so that you can track changes over time. By using these tools together, you can efficiently find the information you need, even if it’s been modified.