If you spend a significant portion of your workday inside Jira doing things like managing tasks, tracking bugs, reviewing tickets, or leading sprint planning sessions, then you know how essential speed and clarity are to staying productive. Jira is already a robust platform designed for agile teams, but navigating its features with just your mouse can become tedious and time-consuming.
The good news? Jira has a powerful set of keyboard shortcuts that can completely transform how you use it.
🚀 Why Use Jira Keyboard Shortcuts?
No matter how well-designed a tool is, constantly clicking through menus, tabs, and buttons can slow you down. In Jira, where speed and responsiveness are crucial (especially during high-pressure moments like sprint planning or daily stand-ups), shortcuts can cut through the noise and help you focus on what really matters: the work.
Here’s what keyboard shortcuts in Jira help you do:
- Jump between views instantly: No more hunting for dashboards, boards, or backlogs.
- Edit and assign issues faster: Make updates with just a keystroke.
- Avoid endless clicking and scrolling: Especially helpful when triaging dozens (or hundreds) of issues.
- Stay focused: Less switching between mouse and keyboard means fewer context shifts.
- Work like a power user: Impress your team with your lightning-fast Jira skills.
In short: keyboard shortcuts help you work smarter, not harder.
🧩 Essential Jira Keyboard Shortcuts You Should Know
Let’s break down some of the most commonly used Jira shortcuts, categorized by what they help you do. These shortcuts work in most Jira Cloud and Jira Server/Data Center environments. (Tip: Hit ? anytime in Jira to bring up the full shortcut reference for your instance.)
🔍 Navigation Shortcuts
These let you jump quickly to different areas of Jira:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
g + g | Go to any page (use quick search for boards, projects, filters, etc.) |
g + i | Go to Issues |
g + p | Go to Projects |
g + b | Go to Boards |
g + d | Go to Dashboards |
/ | Focus the quick search bar |
These are great when you’re jumping between projects or checking dashboards between meetings.
🛠️ Issue Actions
Need to take action on a ticket? These shortcuts will save you tons of time.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
c | Create a new issue (opens issue creation modal) |
e | Edit the currently selected issue |
a | Assign the issue to a team member |
m | Add a comment to the issue |
l | Log work time |
. | Open the action menu for the selected issue |
, | Open the operations menu (similar to right-click options) |
Whether you’re a developer logging time or a PM assigning bugs, these make issue management fast and smooth.
📋 Board & Backlog Navigation
These help you move through backlog items or board columns efficiently:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
n | Go to the next issue |
p | Go to the previous issue |
Enter | View issue details (opens issue on side panel or detail view) |
[ / ] | Collapse or expand side panels |
These are especially useful when grooming backlogs or running a quick triage session.
💡 Power Tip: The Period Key (.) Is Your Best Friend
If you remember only one shortcut in Jira, let it be the period key.
When you press . (with an issue selected or open), Jira brings up a context-aware action menu. This powerful menu lets you:
- Transition the issue through workflows (e.g., “In Progress” → “Done”)
- Change status, priority, or type
- Add or remove labels
- Assign watchers
- Clone, delete, or move the issue
- Link to other issues
Rather than clicking multiple buttons or navigating through tabs, this shortcut becomes a central hub for actions, all triggered with a single keystroke.
🎯 Getting Started Without Overwhelm
Trying to memorize every shortcut at once is counterproductive. Instead, start small. Choose 3 to 5 shortcuts that align with your daily tasks.
Here’s a sample starter set for most users:
cto create issues quicklyato assign tasks.to bring up the action menug + ito quickly access the Issues pageEnterto view issue details
After a week, add a few more like m (comment) and g + b (go to Boards). You’ll build muscle memory naturally.
🛠️ Advanced Usage: Combine Shortcuts for Power Flows
Once you’re comfortable with the basics, try chaining shortcuts together for even faster navigation.
Example Flow:
g + b→ Go to your team’s board- Use
n/pto navigate between issues - Press
Enterto open an issue - Press
.and start typingIn Progressto move it - Press
mto comment an update
This flow takes 5–6 seconds, compared to 20+ seconds using just your mouse.
📌 Final Thought
Jira is a tool that scales with your team, but it doesn’t have to slow you down. Keyboard shortcuts are like productivity superpowers built right into your workflow. They’re fast, intuitive, and once you start using them, you’ll never want to go back.
Take 10 minutes today to:
- Press
?and explore your Jira instance’s shortcut list - Pick 3–5 shortcuts to start using immediately
- Share this blog or a shortcut cheatsheet with your team
You’ll find that using shortcuts is more than a time-saver—it’s a mindset shift toward working smarter.