Getting Started with Smart Links in Atlassian Cloud

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Hello Atlassian Community!!

Atlassian Cloud products (like Confluence and Jira) have a powerful feature called Smart Links. They make it easier to bring context into your work by turning plain URLs into rich, interactive previews. If you’ve ever pasted a link in a Confluence page or Jira issue and noticed it transform automatically - that’s a Smart Link in action.

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What Are Smart Links?

Smart Links give you context without leaving the page. Instead of showing a raw URL, they let you:

• Display a simple inline link (just text).

• Show a card preview with a title, description, and metadata.

• Embed rich content like Google Docs, Figma files, or YouTube videos right inside your page or issue.

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How Smart Links Work

1. Paste a link into Confluence or Jira.

2. Atlassian automatically recognizes the source (e.g Jira issue, Confluence page, Google Drive doc, Figma design).

3. You can toggle between Inline, Card, or Embed view by clicking the link and choosing the display option.

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Setting Your Default Link Style

If you don’t want to switch display modes every time, you can set your own default.

• Go to Link Preferences.

• Choose whether you prefer Inline, Card, or Embed as the default style.

• You can still change it on individual links, but this setting saves time for your usual workflow.

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Where You Can Use Them

• Confluence Pages: Add Jira issues, Google Docs, Miro boards, or Trello cards for richer documentation.

• Jira Issues: Paste Confluence pages, requirement docs, or external references so teammates have the full context without switching tabs.

• Whiteboards & Databases: Drop in Smart Links to quickly reference related work.

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Benefits of Smart Links

• Better Collaboration: No need to switch tools - see key details at a glance.

• Improved Transparency: Everyone has access to the same context.

• Cleaner Pages & Issues: Replace long URLs with readable previews.

• Up-to-Date Content: Embedded content always reflects the latest version in the source tool.

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Examples

• Paste a Jira issue link in Confluence -> show it as a card with status and assignee.

• Paste a Figma design link in Jira -> embed the design so the dev team can review without leaving Jira.

• Paste a Google Sheet link in Confluence -> embed it so the team can view data directly.

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Quick Tips

• Use Inline for when you just want a clean text link.

• Use Card when sharing Jira issues, Confluence pages, or tasks in lists.

• Use Embed when the content (like a video, design, or doc) should be directly viewable.

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Your Turn

• Have you tried Smart Links in your team’s workflow yet?

• Which tool integrations (Figma, Google Drive, Miro, etc.) do you find most useful with Smart Links?

Share your thoughts and best practices in the comments - I’d love to hear how your team uses them!