How to change status in Jira: board, ticket and bulk

The short answer

Open the ticket, select the Status menu at the top of the work item, and pick the new status. Or drag its card to another column on the board; both do the same thing. Atlassian calls this transitioning a work item.

If the status you want is not in the menu, there is no transition to it from where the ticket is now, you lack permission, or the status does not apply to that work type. Move it through the steps in between, or ask your team.

Way 1: Drag the card on the board

On the board, drag the card from one column to the next. Atlassian's help describes this as transitioning a work item by dragging and dropping it from one column to another. If the drop is refused, the board has no transition for that move (see a status is missing).

Way 2: Use the Status menu in the ticket

1. Open the work item.
2. Select the Status menu at the top of the work item. It is the coloured button showing the current status.
3. Select the new status.
4. If a dialog opens, complete all mandatory fields, marked with a red asterisk, then submit.

Some workflows also have work item actions. These are looped transitions: they run an action but keep the ticket in its current status. If there is only one, its name appears at the top of the work item; if there are several, they are under More actions.

Way 3: Use the keyboard

1. Open the work item in the side bar or full screen.
2. Press Command + K on a Mac or Ctrl + K on Windows to open the command palette.
3. Search for Change status and choose the status. If the transition needs fields, the transition window opens.

Way 4: Change many at once

Atlassian's help describes several ways to change the status of multiple work items:

• In a list: select the work items with the checkboxes, Command/Ctrl-click or Shift-click, select Change status, choose a status and select Submit.
• On the backlog: select the work items, select Edit, then Status, and choose one. If the items do not share the same transitions, a side panel lets you pick a status for each group.
• On the board: select cards with Command/Ctrl-click or Shift-click and drag them together. If that does not work, use More actions (•••) > Bulk change > Transition work items and follow the steps.

A status is missing or the move is refused

Atlassian's help gives three reasons a status may not be available:

1. No transition. The workflow does not allow a direct move from the current status to that one. Transitions are one-way, so going back may need its own transition. Move the ticket through the statuses in between. The workflow guide explains why.
2. Not for this work type. A status can be visible on the board but not available for the work type you are moving. A bug may follow a different workflow from a story.
3. No permission. You can only transition a work item if you have space permission to move it to that status. Admins can also add rules to transitions that restrict who can use them.

Good habits when you change status

• Move it when it happens, not at the end of the day. The board is how the team sees progress.
• Add a comment with what you did and what happens next: "Fix is merged, Ana is testing it today."
• Hand over when you hand off. If the next step is someone else's, such as testing, change the assignee too, if that is how your team works.
• Do not skip review to reach Done faster. If your board has a review column, it is there for a reason.

Not sure which status means finished on your board? See Done vs Closed vs Resolved.

Practise moving your work

Agile Board Practice has a lesson where you take your own ticket from To do to In progress, leave a comment, move it to In review and assign it to the tester, on a practice board with feedback on each step.