Can't be logged in to two cloud JIRA accounts at the same time

Archie Cobbs June 23, 2017

I do work for several different companies. Many of these companies use cloud hosted JIRA.

I have to login to each company's JIRA account using a different user account, because these companies have nothing to do with each other. This is expected.

So far so good, right?

Not so good - because cloud JIRA won't let me stay logged into more than one account at a time.

So every time I try to look at a JIRA issue, if the previously viewed JIRA issue belonged to a different company, then the attempt fails with "wrong account".

Then I have to "try a different account" which means logging out and logging back in. This turns an already kind-of slow JIRA web experience into a truly glacial one.

Why can't I be logged into multiple cloud hosted JIRA accounts at once? Like the way Google allows you to be logged into multiple Google accounts at once (which I depend on for the analgous capability with these customers).

4 answers

0 votes
Mikael Aksamit April 26, 2019

Hi Team Atlassian,

 

its been almost two years now. Would you be able to share an update with regards to this issue?

 

The only feasible workaround I have found so far is to use two different browsers, apparently, this is also your official solution to the problem. As you would expect, not many of us who face this problem are happy with that approach.

 

Please update us.

Daniel Eads
Atlassian Team
Atlassian Team members are employees working across the company in a wide variety of roles.
May 8, 2019

Hey Mikael,

Reading through this thread, I see that the actual feature requests haven't been linked. There are two related to this need:

I'd recommend watching and voting for those issues in our Jira - that's where changes about the status in these feature requests will be made.

Cheers,
Daniel | Atlassian Support

Endolith June 11, 2020

When I try to visit one of those links, it says "jira.atlassian.com would like to access your Atlassian account" but doesn't tell me which account it thinks I'm logged into!  So how should I know if I should say yes or not?  :(

2020-06-11 13_14_50-Authorize app - Waterfox Classic.png

Hristo Hristov June 12, 2020

I believe you would need to already be logged in with an account in the browser you are using. Given that the issue is exactly not being able to switch accounts, it should be easy to determine which one you are logged in as. 

Alternatively, log out and log in again. Then open the ticket.

0 votes
Chris Mackin April 12, 2018

I'm having the same problem with this. This really needs fixing.

Hristo Hristov April 12, 2018

Seems that my workaround was actually their officially suggested solution:

https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Jira-questions/Stay-logged-in-in-two-cloud-instances-with-two-different-google/qaq-p/629997

 

A user there suggests a Mozilla fix. I haven't tried it, but it seems interesting if that is your browser.

Holger Winkelmann July 15, 2018

That's can't be a solution. The Instance running on a total different URL. Not even the Browser will send session infos (cookies) to the individual URLs.

Atlassian have made a major mistake in implementing either the Cloud Application or more likely the Account Management. I'm not aware of any other Cloud offering makes such mistakes across separate Cloud instance.

This really needs to be fixed.

Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
Community Leader
Community Leader
Community Leaders are connectors, ambassadors, and mentors. On the online community, they serve as thought leaders, product experts, and moderators.
July 15, 2018

For a very long time, google made the same mistake with its google accounts.  It now allows you to swap between accounts and be logged in with more than one separately in some of its applications.

Atlassian simply don't expect most users to have more than one Atlassian account, because most people will simply not need to have more than one.  Even I only have two - one associated with Adaptavist which has access to client Cloud sites and Atlassian partner resources, and this one here which has been around for a lot longer, and I need to keep if I ever left.

Holger Winkelmann July 15, 2018

You are right, Google had similar difficulties long ago in the past.

However, it was slightly different as the services run for different accounts under the same domain. Even the branded domains are just redirects to the central one.

Google explains this with the arguments that they don't want to bother you with individual cert management.
This situation leads to a requirement  of supporting this different users in the application self. We experience this with the "switch account" button top right in i.e. gmail.

With Atlassian Cloud is different, the make the impression of running your individual instances of Jira, Confluence etc. in the Cloud for you. Which leads already to different host parts of the URL like "mycompany.atlassian.net" I hope this individual Instance assumption is true, especially for GDPR reasons (but this would open another topic ;-)

Given different Instances with even different URLs I don't see the point why the HTTP Sessions, and thus authentications, are shared amongst individual instances just running in the Cloud. For me the problem don't even has something to do with UserIds here, it is a session problem not a user problem.

 

As the users are managed in a IdM at Atlassian, which is totally valid, it's seems either the case that the Account management System Authenticating the users mixes something up here, or more likely the session Logic of the Hosted instances makes this mistakes. Usually a IdM approves the User but does it make Session management of the individual, usually not even known, Service Implementation?

Long story short... Seems a HTTP session mess, whats going on here.

A team mate just come with the idea of changing the URL do a own TLD and give it a try. anybody knows Atlassian Cloud Services can run (not redirect) on customer provided TLDs? If yes, Anybody experienced the same problem across Cloud Instances on different TLDs?

Many Thanks....

Holger Winkelmann July 15, 2018

OK, answered the question my self. Even running Jira on own domain in the Cloud is not supported.

https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Jira-questions/Could-I-use-my-own-domain-on-JIRA-Cloud/qaq-p/108759

As I can't believe that in 2018 where nearly everybody has this feature for paid services, I'll go to double check.

Esther Cuan September 28, 2018

What a terrible User experience. In this day and age, workers have way more projects going on. :( 

Przemysław Sporysz November 29, 2018

I also do suffer from this mistake :(

0 votes
Hristo Hristov December 18, 2017

I also have the same issue, but since this has been going on for so long, I am using a workaround until they figure out a way to fix it. 

My preferred way is to use Chrome browser and open a second incognito window (ctrl+shift+n) and open the second instance of JIRA (or other Atlassian product) there. It will let you have them both logged in at the same time. I guess other browsers will have an equivalent.

The second option is to use 2 browsers. you get the same effect but you will not be using your favorite browser half the time. 

I hope this helps. 

0 votes
somethingblue
Atlassian Team
Atlassian Team members are employees working across the company in a wide variety of roles.
June 23, 2017

Hi Archie,

A basic answer to this quesitons is because two separate Cloud instances have 2 different sets of users.  There is more information in Can I manage two Atlassian Cloud subscriptions with the same email address? and Does Jira no longer allow multiple users with same email address?

Hopefully this helps.

Branden

Archie Cobbs June 23, 2017

Thanks.

I don't care about using the same email address - currently these accounts are using different addresses.

So what are you saying exactly... is there a way for me to stay logged in to more than one OnDemand instance at the same time?

 

Shadi Isa September 13, 2017

Is there an answer to this question? I also have 2 JIRA accounts on 2 different JIRA cloud instances (different companies) and every time I need to switch between its a hassle, logout and login... Can't JIRA identify my correct account based on the URL?!

 

Thanks,

Shadi

Deleted user December 18, 2017

I have the same problem and it is infuriating to constantly switch between accounts. Please fix it.

Suggest an answer

Log in or Sign up to answer