Edit Issues in Excel for Jira

Jira Cloud app

Edit Jira issues in Excel and bulk update them.

Update existing Jira issues from a spreadsheet without admin rights. Export a search to a workbook, edit it in Excel, and upload it again. You review every change, and every conflict with edits made in Jira meanwhile, before it is applied as you, with your Jira permissions.

Get it on Atlassian MarketplaceRead the user guide

Free for Jira sites with up to 10 users.

Review screen listing six changes with each issue’s exported value and new value, a summary of one conflict, one error and one ignored read-only edit, and an Apply 6 changes to 6 issues button.
The review before anything is saved, shown with sample issues.
01 / NO ADMIN NEEDED

Bulk updates for everyone.

Jira’s CSV import can update existing issues only for administrators. Here anyone who can edit the issues can update them from a spreadsheet.

02 / THREE-WAY REVIEW

No silent overwrites.

Each cell is compared with the exported value and with Jira now. If someone changed an issue while you worked, you see a conflict and decide.

03 / NO MAPPING

The workbook knows its fields.

Dropdowns list the allowed values, read-only cells are grey, dates are real dates. Upload the file as it is; there are no columns to map.

How to bulk update Jira issues from Excel

  1. In Jira issue search, run the search you want to edit and choose Apps → Edit Issues in Excel. Pick the fields and download the workbook, up to 5,000 issues at a time.
  2. Edit the white cells in Excel, LibreOffice, or Numbers. Dropdowns list the allowed values; grey cells are read-only.
  3. Upload the workbook in the app. Review the changes, conflicts, and errors, then apply them. Download a report of the results.

A Jira administrator installs the app once from Atlassian Marketplace. After that, anyone who can edit the issues can use it. Uploading the same workbook again is safe: changes already in Jira are recognised and skipped. The user guide walks through each step.

Why not Jira’s CSV import?

Jira’s CSV import can update existing issues only for Jira administrators. Everyone else gets the Bulk Create wizard, which creates new issues and has no Issue Key mapping, so it cannot change the issues you already have. Without it, the edits go back by hand: copy each value from the spreadsheet into Jira, one issue at a time.

With Edit Issues in Excel, anyone who can edit the issues updates them from the workbook, and Jira checks every change against that person’s permissions. There are no columns to map. Each cell is compared with the exported value and with Jira now, so a colleague’s newer edit shows up as a conflict instead of being overwritten. Changes appear in each issue’s history under your name, and a report lists every result.

Built in your browser.

The app reads and updates Jira using your existing permissions and builds the workbook in your browser. It has no vendor backend, external API calls, or app data store.

See security and the privacy notice for details.

Know what can change.

  • Summary, description, environment, priority, labels, components, fix and affects versions, assignee, reporter, and due date.
  • Custom fields of the common types, such as text, number, story points, date, select lists, checkboxes, user pickers, and labels.
  • People by the display name Jira shows; the review flags a name that is ambiguous or not found.

Status, date-time fields, sprint, and parent stay read-only, like descriptions with rich formatting. New rows are skipped, and deleting a row never deletes an issue.

Questions

Can I bulk update Jira issues from Excel without being a Jira admin?

Yes. Jira’s CSV import updates existing issues only for administrators, but this app works for anyone who can edit the issues. Jira’s permissions decide what each person can change.

What happens if someone changes an issue while I edit the workbook?

The review compares each cell with the exported value and with Jira now. A value someone changed in Jira after your export is shown as a conflict and is kept unless you tick Overwrite.

Which Jira fields can I edit in Excel?

Summary, description, environment, priority, labels, components, fix versions, affects versions, assignee, reporter, due date, and custom fields of these types: text, paragraph, URL, number, story points, date, select list, radio buttons, multi-select, checkboxes, user picker, labels, and multiple-version picker. Status, date-time fields, sprint, and parent can be exported for reference but stay read-only.

Can I create or delete issues from the spreadsheet?

No. The app updates existing issues from the export. New rows are skipped, and deleting a row does not delete the issue.

How many issues can I export at once?

Up to 5,000 issues per export; narrow the search to export more. Jira requires a restricted search, for example one that names a project.

Which spreadsheet apps can I use?

Excel, LibreOffice, and Numbers. Numbers keeps the data but drops the dropdowns and frozen header when it saves.

Do watchers get notification emails?

Yes, Jira emails watchers as usual. Jira and project administrators can switch that off before applying.

Is my Jira data sent anywhere?

No. The app reads and updates Jira with your permissions and builds the workbook in your browser. It has no vendor backend, external API calls, app data store, or third-party analytics.

Does it work with Jira Data Center or Server?

No. Edit Issues in Excel is a Forge app for Jira Cloud.

How much does it cost?

It is free for Jira sites with up to 10 users. Larger sites subscribe per user through Atlassian Marketplace, which also offers a free trial.