Features
Features of Colored Label Manager Specific Fields (Not Supported on Jira Native ‘Labels’ Field) :
Activate coloring for labels: Add visual distinction to labels with colors
Customize labels per project: Select "Customize labels for this project" to manage predefined labels independently for this project, separate from other projects.
Restrict a label field As a project administrator, you can restrict the label field to prevent users from creating new label items. Users will be required to choose from existing ones, ensuring consistency across fields like Definition of Done (DoD), Definition of Ready, Acceptance Criteria, or simple select lists.
Independent label management: Allow project admins to manage available label items for their project without dependency on other projects or assistance from Jira administrators.
Generating powerful reports: Create fully customized reports without any coding or knowledge of Jira Query Language (JQL). Simply select options from dropdowns to build reports.
Add descriptions to labels: Provide clarity for your project users by adding descriptions to labels. Users can check if a label already exists before creating it, avoiding duplicates caused by spelling or case variations.
Create a Colored Label Field
As Jira Administrator:
Access Apps:
Log in as a Jira Administrator.
Navigate to Apps in the Jira menu.
Open Colored Label Manager:
Go to Colored Label Manager under the Apps section.
Select Colored Label Fields:
Click on Colored Label Fields.
Create a New Label Field:
Click on Create Label Field.
Configure the field settings as needed (name,descriptions) then click Create .
You can create multiple label fields for different use cases, such as:
Project Phases
Feature Areas
Team Responsibility
Definition of Done (DoD)
Definition of Ready
Acceptance Criteria
Simple Select Lists
If you are working in a Service Management project, label fields are automatically added to your screens. However, for Software projects, you need to manually add label fields to the appropriate screens.
Create a new Label-Item
On this page, you can create a new label item in your desired label field, assign it a name, a description and a color Then Click on Add Label
You can add it to one or multiple issues, or simply create it and allow Jira users to use it later.
Since you can create multiple label fields (Definition of Done, Acceptance Criteria, or simple Select Lists), ensure that you are creating your label value under the correct label field.
Selecting Label Color Settings
Just like other settings, you can select the project-specific "Label Color Settings" on the project administration page.
Newly created labels have the default color light grey.
A label-specific color means that, just like Epics, a label will have a predefined color.
Colors can indicate labels with higher priority or represent any meaning you define within your Jira instance.
You can always change a label’s color—simply select the color you want for the label. More colors will likely be added in the future.
Already assigned labels on issues will have their color updated based on your selection.
Checking Label Use in Your Project
Go to your project, open Project Labels from the sidebar, and you’ll see something like this:
This is a list of all the colored Jira labels in your project.
The description field is optional—use it to add context for your team and make your label field more clear .
The "Click to see issues" column shows how many time a label has been used. Click the link to open a filtered view of all issues with that label in a new tab.
Renaming a Jira Label
With the Colored Label Manager, you can easily rename labels. Simply click on the label you want to rename and update it.
The change will automatically apply to all issues using that label.
Steps to Rename Labels:
Go to your project.
Open Project Labels from the sidebar.
Click on the label and rename i and Check ✓ .
Please note: If you are in global mode, administrative actions (rename, delete etc.) will affect all projects. If you do not want this, use per project label management.
Merging Jira Labels
Sometimes, you may need to merge two labels—especially if they’re duplicates due to spelling or case variations (as shown in the screenshot below).
To merge labels:
Select the labels you want to combine.
Click Merge and choose the correct label to keep.
Deleting a Jira Label
To delete a label:
Click the red trashcan icon next to the label you want to remove.
A pop-up will appear—confirm by clicking Delete.
Once a label is deleted, it will no longer be suggested when adding a label—unless it’s still in use in another project.
In some cases, deleted labels may still appear in the label field. For a workaround, refer to Known Issues & limitations
Bulk Delete or add Jira Labels to issues
To bulk add or remove labels from issue , you simly click on +/-
To manage the label field across issues:
Bulk Remove: Uncheck "All Issues" to remove the label from every issue.
Specific Removal: Uncheck the box next to the specific issues you want to remove the label from.
Bulk Add: Check "All Issues" to add the label to every issue.
Specific Addition: Check the box next to the specific issues you want to add the label to.
Atlassian Expert good practices
Avoid using abbreviations unless they are widely understood and accepted by your team. This will help prevent the use of synonyms.
Always add a description to your label to make its context and usage clearer for your team.
Always check whether a label already exists before creating a new one; remember that differences in spelling or case variations might be the reason you don’t find it.
You can also click on "Click to see issues" to jump to the issue navigator and view a list of all issues with the label.
Need help?
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