editing a comment and adding a screenshot won't save

[Kelly Acheson]

When creating  new comment I can easily add images and screenshots.  Perfect!  But later when I click to edit that comment.. I cannot add screenshots.  it will not let me save.

I get this error...

We couldn't save your comment

It might be empty or have invalid formatting. If you copy-pasted, try removing the formatting and adding it directly in the editor.

It is extremely frustrating an brings my productivity to a screeching halt.

Any suggestions? 

[Gunjan Kumar]

Hi @Kelly Acheson Welcome to the Atlassian Community

I’ve run into this as well. You can usually add screenshots when creating a new comment, but editing an existing one is a bit more sensitive. Jira tends to re-check the whole comment when you edit it, and if there are inline images or anything pasted in, it can fail with that invalid formatting error.

A couple of things that might help: try using the paperclip (attach) option instead of pasting screenshots, or save your text changes first and then add the screenshot in a new comment. You can also paste your content into Notepad to remove formatting and then paste it back into Jira. If it still doesn’t work, it’s worth checking with your Jira admin sometimes editing comments is restricted depending on the issue status.

[Tom Parker]

Once the comment is initially saved, the paperclip attach option no longer shows. This is in addition to not being able to paste images or drap & drop images into the comment. 

[Michael Brown]

I've started encountering this quite regularly, specifically when pasting images into comments (both new comments and editing existing comments).  When encountered, I usually delete all pasted images, save the comment, edit the comment, and re-paste the images into the edited comment.

It's really quite annoying -- I first encountered this on March 17 2026, and now experience it maybe half the time when trying to put images into my comments.

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

Hello and Welcome @Kelly Acheson 

This is likely not really about “invalid formatting”.

That same message is also shown when Jira cannot edit the comment because of workflow/edit restrictions, so I would first ask your Jira admin to check whether the issue is currently in a non-editable state. If that is not the cause, then you may be hitting one of the known Jira Cloud editor/image issues. In that case, try adding the screenshot via the paperclip/attachment option instead of pasting it inline, or post the screenshot in a new comment instead of editing the existing one.

Please Check this KB https://support.atlassian.com/jira/kb/unable-to-add-edit-or-delete-a-comment-when-issue-is-in-a-specific-status/ 

[Himanshu Tiwary]

Hi @Kelly Acheson , 

If you’re able to add screenshots when posting a new comment, but not when editing an existing comment, there are a few things you could try Jira may have difficulty saving changes to existing comments with inline images/screenshots

copy and paste can bring in formatting issues that Jira does not support

 in some cases, the current workflow status of the issue may prevent you from editing existing comments

Some things you could try

• using the paperclip/attach option instead of paste
• saving changes to the text, and then posting the screenshot in a new comment
• copying the text into something like Notepad, and then pasting it back in and trying to comment
•  you may want to ask your Jira administrator if comment editing is disabled for this status