Cannot change project lead

[Deleted user]

I believe I've reviewed every post and tried every option going back several years without success. We used to be able to do this (although even then was a bit of an adventure)

Bottom line: the dialog below looks like my best chance of success -- but where are the users?

Users are in the project, the project has other admins (besides the overall Jira admins).

For any devs at Atlassian -- what is the logic that populates my options here?

At a loss.

Using Server Jira v8.6.1

[Payne · Accepted solution]

You may already have done this, but note that you must start typing to get an auto-suggest list.

[ChristianWaidner]

Really terrible UI/UX design ..... start typing and you can change the name. Took me some time, had to google it and stumbled across this thread here.

Why not provide a hint in the field instead of the old name?

[David Borough]

Yeah, for real. Because there seem to be so many of these kinds of UI issues in the world of development (including web), I've started randomly typing in spots that don't make sense just -- well because -- you never know :P 

[Deleted user]

Tail between legs. Shoot me. That did it.

[Payne]

Ha ha, happens to the best of us! :-) 

[erica_dahl]

thank you for asking this question.  I was having exactly the same problem and found this question in the "related questions" links to the right.  

I feel like this is a new thing too because I've been changing project leads for months

[jeepkd]

I was having exactly the same problem too. I think this is definitely UI/UX design issue

[Wade Metzler]

Yes thanks Jeff for researching and posting this. Tripped me up for a long while today. Agree with jeepkd - very poor UX on this screen from Atlassian.

[Shannon Davis]

Thanks - I've been stuck on this for days!  I swear that I've also tried typing names before but it worked today.

[Greg Johnson]

This solution doesn't work for me.  I cannot type over the existing name at all.

[mark_smith-magee]

I'm an administrator using JIRA v8.11.0 and followed the advice about using Edit Defaults then just type in the Project Lead field until the required name is auto-suggested. Then hit the Update button and the Edit Project Lead and Default Assignee for Project pop-up box disappears to leave me on the Project Lead > User and Roles screen and the Project Lead entry alters to Default Assignee. Refresh the page and I'm back to the original set up and nothing has changed. 

Alternatively, if I change the current Project Lead role to unassigned and return to the Edit Project Lead > User and Roles screen the Project Lead entry alters to Default Assignee.  On clicking Edit Defaults both the Project Lead and Default Assignee are blank and labelled Select.  I type the name of the relevant person and choose from the auto-suggest list, then click Default Assignee and choose Project Lead.  This time when I hit Update nothing happens - it remains there and I'm unable to commit the changes.

[Susan Kirby Corder]

Hi @mark_smith-magee I'm having the same issue. Were you able to successfully update the Project Lead?  If so, how?  Thanks!

[Travis Rebok]

Same problem. Did anyone find a resolution to this problem?

[Betty Li]

To change the project lead for the JIRA server, the following works for me. 

Project Settings > Users and roles > Edit Defaults (link on upper right-hand side)

Click on the drop-down list under the project lead text box, you will see the old name first, and then start to type the new name in that box, and it will overwrite the old name, so you can change the Project Lead there.

Hope it helps.

Betty

[Jose Manuel Acosta]

Hello, yes it is correct.

It worked for me too thanks.

[mark_smith-magee]

@Susan Kirby Corder - Yes thanks, once I followed the advice @Betty Li gave. Thanks very much Betty.

[pabloe]

None of the suggested solutions worked for me, I'm Project and Jira Admin, and i'm trying to change lead to another project admin, i tried slow typing the name, and also using email, but all i get is a "no matches" sign. I've also tried typing the name of any of the other project users. Even if i try to type the name of the user who is lead right now, it also gives me the "No matches" error.

[Derek White]

I got the user's atlassian id from the users page, pasted it into the search field, clicked Update and it actually saved.

This is abhorrent.

[owen_manske_experian_com]

Agree with previous commenters. It's bizarre and un-intuitive that no options show up in the drop-down. This is unlike any other user selection drop-down in Jira and explains why so many Admins are here commenting on this post.

[Derek White]

Global perms, browse users. A proper application would tell you why things are weird, not just leave you wondering with a broken page.

[Johnson Tan]

I have tried the following steps and still not able to see any other user under drop-down selection for me to change the name of the project lead.  I cannot even edit the field in the Project Lead.  Can anyone further advise?  Thanks.

Project Settings > Users and roles > Edit Defaults (link on upper right-hand side)

[Sowjanya Gupta]

Make sure the URL field under details section is empty and try again to change the project lead.

[Sandeep Gupta]

Derek white's suggestions to use Atlassian ID (username as visible in users list) worked which you overwrite over current project lead. Of course you need to have project admin rights.