How to make custom field labels bold/larger in Issue View?

Question

We use several custom fields in addition to the Description field, to structure our Bug template.

Problem: all field labels use the same small, uniform font. When the issue is opened, everything blends into one continuous block with no visual separation between sections.

Is there a supported way (Field Configuration / Issue Layout) to make field labels bold/larger, or add a divider between fields — without a marketplace app?

Cristian Quiroz Garcia - NTT DATA · Answer

Thanks Stephen, glad it's useful for your team! 🙌

Stephen.Lugton · Answer

Thanks for this reminder @Cristian Quiroz Garcia - NTT DATA , I'd forgotten about the message field; this will. solve an issue that my data governance team has for listing which processes need to be followed!

Cristian Quiroz Garcia - NTT DATA · Answer

Hello @Chen Shasho ,

You can use the "Message" Custom Field (also known as "Message Custom Field for view") to achieve this effect natively in Jira — no marketplace app needed.

This field type accepts wiki markup, which gives you a couple of useful tricks:

Simulating a visual divider:
Place four dashes (----) in the field's default value — Jira renders them as a horizontal line, creating a clear visual separation between sections.

Making the label stand out:
Since you control the field's name, you can write it in ALL CAPS (e.g., STEPS TO REPRODUCE) so it naturally draws the eye without needing any formatting.

How it looks in practice:
The field name acts as the section header, and the rendered horizontal line (from ---- in the default value) acts as the divider — giving the issue form a structured, sectioned appearance without any styling plugins.

Steps to set it up:

* Create a new custom field of type "Message"
* Set the field name to your desired section label in ALL CAPS (e.g., STEPS TO REPRODUCE)
* In the field's default value, add ---- so it always renders the divider line
* Add it to your Bug Issue Layout in the desired position between other fields

⚠️ This field is display-only — it won't accept user input. That's ideal here since its only purpose is visual structure.