How do you change the name of a workflow

Martin Martin
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April 10, 2020

I want to change the name of an existing workflow

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13 votes
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John Funk
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April 10, 2020

Hey Martin - Welcome to the Atlassian Community!

You can't rename it. But you can copy it and rename the copy to what you want. Then you will need to switch out the new one for the old one in the Workflow Scheme. 

Alexandra Falkiner January 5, 2022

How do I rename the copy ? :p

John Funk
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January 5, 2022

You should have been able to rename it when you created the copy. 

RenatoLL May 15, 2022

@John Funk 

Is there any risk, after this process, to have any colateral effect on other configuration?
Example, the post functions configuration, will me transferred to the new Copied/New workflow after i switched out to it?

John Funk
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May 15, 2022

There shouldn't be. Workflows do not include the name of the workflow in the details of the post function. When you copy the Workflow, it will copy the post functions along with it. 

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Alan
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February 15, 2023

So for the safe route:

  1. Copy/Rename the Workflow
  2. Copy/Rename the Workflow Schema
  3. Add the Workflow to the Schema
  4. Switch the applied Workflow Schema in the project settings.
  5. Delete the old Schema and Workflow.....

Why Atlassian... Why not just offering a button that allows you to rename just as you rename everything else?

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Sergey Shoshin
Contributor
March 6, 2023

.... So.... I need to change workflow for dozens projects after that... Sounds like a plan how to spend half of the work day to rename 1 entity.

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Mirka Osojca
Contributor
May 22, 2023

Alan, Sergey -  I call it an 'Atlassian logic' - you can't beat it, so you have to get used to it... sadly.

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Gustavo Moraes
Contributor
September 5, 2023

It helped a lot!

Wong Zhao Cai
Contributor
September 14, 2023

Atlassian logic hahahahaha the more i use jira the more i agree with this lolll

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Phillip C
Contributor
March 13, 2024

add this to the list of objects you cannot rename...

6 votes
Hai Yen Nguyen
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May 19, 2022

You can change workflow name when it is "inactive" status. 

If your workflow does not apply for any project it will become inactive. 

So you can remove it from applied projects then add them again after changing the name. 

Michael diLorenzo
Contributor
June 13, 2023

Yes but if you remove it from a project, then all issues with that workflow will lose their statuses.

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Janusz Rydlakowski
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April 19, 2024
4 votes
George G
Contributor
July 18, 2024

I think it's a JOKE that you cannot rename a workflow.

Who else agrees?

Jerome F_
Contributor
November 13, 2024

+1

But like many flaws is Jira, they are "by design" and therefore very difficult if not impossible for them to fix.

They've done a terrible job at designing their solution from the beginning, especially database-wise.

But mostly they lack will and effort, they just don't care about fixing stupid limitations like these because they have workarounds (in this case, duplicate the workflow to rename it), all they're focused on is developing new but useless features and UX instead of fixing the already existing features, because the only thing that matter to them is growing their revenue, and if you check the lasts financial reports you will find out they do a great job at it as they both grew their userbase AND their subscriptions prices.

Now did they grow the userbase thanks to an incredible well done and designed product? Unfortunately no...

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