Custom fields - how do I add options?

[Stephanie McHugh]

I'm building my form fields and creating some drop-down custom fields. Once I create a field and drag it into the form, I cannot go in and edit the drop-down options.  What am I doing wrong?  I'm clicking on the dots, but they're only giving me the option to move my field(s).

[John Funk]

Hi Stephanie,

If you ae using the built in form for Jira Software, you will need to edit the choices directly in the custom field. 

Are you using a Team-managed or Company-managed space? 

If Company-managed, then got to Settings > Work Items > Fields. 

Search for your field and click the 3 dots menu to the far right of the field. 

Choose Contexts and default values. There you can add or change the options. 

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

Hello @Stephanie McHugh 

you’re not doing anything wrong. You’re just editing in the wrong place 🙂

When you drag a dropdown into the form, the form editor only lets you place the field (move it around). The dropdown options live in the custom field configuration, not inside the form builder.

So the fix is: edit the custom field itself.

If it’s company-managed:

Go to Jira settings → Work items → Fields

Find your field → … → Contexts and default value

That’s where you add / change the dropdown options.

If it’s team-managed:

Go to Project settings → Fields (or Issue types → field setup)

Find the dropdown field and edit the options there (team-managed fields are maintained inside the project).

One more catch: if you’re on a Free plan and you don’t have the right admin permissions, you may be able to add the field to the form but not edit its option list.

Have a great Day 🤠 ☀️