Quick filter by selecting label

Question

We have used multi-select custom field labels to categorize work items. I'd like to add a quick filter for my team on the Board View, which allows them to select one or more of these labels and show all work items with those labels assigned. How would I establish this filter query? Everything I've seen for setting a label-based filter requires to pre-define the selected label, but we'd like to filter by selecting the labels ad-hoc.

Trudy P Claspill · Answer

Hello @Heather Foutch-Rivera

Welcome to the Atlassian community.

Additionally, if you happen to be using a Software type project rather than a Service project, only the native Labels field will generate a filter that can populate ad-hoc based on the label values present in the issues in the board. If you create a custom Labels type field, you would have to use the Quick Filter option to create explicit filters for the specific custom labels field values. It is not currently possible for Jira to auto-generate filtering options (like the current Epic, Labels, and Types options) for custom fields.

Walter Buggenhout · Answer

Hi @Heather Foutch-Rivera and welcome to the Community!

As you've tagged your question as related to Jira Service Management, you seem to have hit about the only project type with a board view that does not have labels as a pre-defined quick filter option yet.

Your findings are correct. As backed by this support article, in JSM you'll need to create separate quick filters for each label you want to make available. Maybe this will improve over time, as boards in other Jira project types already do offer dynamic filtering by label.

Hope this helps!