Project key still in use after changing

Kajsa June 16, 2020

We have recently started a new project and wanted to give it a specific key, lets say ABC. When we tried to do this we got an error saying that key is used by project "A Bee Circus". This project is old and "abandoned" since a while back, so we changed that key to say "COB", something completely different. However When trying to give the key to our new project we still get the error that is't being used by "A Bee Circus", even after waiting a few days for the change to take affect. Is there a way to solve this or are all old keys eternally blocked?

4 answers

2 accepted

6 votes
Answer accepted
Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
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June 16, 2020

Jira keeps a record of old projects so it can tie up redirects (when an issue is moved out of a project and then the project is deleted later).  That data blocks the reuse of a project key

There's no way to fix that on Cloud, as you need database access to remove the project key and destroy all the redirect (old issue key -> moved issue key).  There is an open request to get this fixed on Cloud, not sure how it is progressing.

tom.walker November 23, 2021

Nick, can we please get a link to the open request so we can upvote it? This is a pain.

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Roman Balakin June 8, 2022

This is a mess, not a pain

 

@tom.walker here's the topic, open since 2013. Doubtfully this will ever get fixed

https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/JRACLOUD-34945

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Florent Honoré January 18, 2024

@Nic Brough -Adaptavist- 

Hey Nic,

Sorry to tag you on an old issue, but i found that thread doing some research and I just tested it today, to delete an old company managed software project on cloud and re-use the key and it worked. 

 

I tried on multiple projects. I deleted old tests project with issues in them. Went to trash to deleted it permanently and I was able to re-create a project with the same key right away, every time.

 

Are you aware if the issue has been fixed without acknowledgment from Atlassian? Is there some other reason why some people are able to do it but not other? 

Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
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January 18, 2024

They introduced the concept of a "trash bin" for projects.  When you empty the bin, it now clears the old keys out of the projects table, hence "fixing" the problem (and introducing the problem that moved issues can no longer be found via their old key).

Cloud only.  I don't think DC is going to get a trash bin.

Florent Honoré January 22, 2024

Thanks for taking the time to confirm it !

5 votes
Answer accepted
Callum Carlile _Automation Consultants_
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June 16, 2020

Hi @Kajsa 

As stated in the official docs

You won't be able to create a new project with the old project key. However, you can change the renamed project back to the old project key. If you delete the project, all associated keys will be freed and you'll be able to re-use them.

So until the old project is deleted, all of it's previous project keys will redirect you to the new project key for the same project.

Hope this helps!

Deleted user June 22, 2020

I deleted the old project and it still reports that the old project key is being used.

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Callum Carlile _Automation Consultants_
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June 23, 2020

As Nic said in the comment below, currently this solution isn't working on cloud but there's an open request with Atlassian to fix it.

7 votes
Ari Romanenko August 15, 2021

You can delete your project. Jira will move it to trash. As admin, go to Projects and delete it from trash. Then you can re-use the key.

Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
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June 6, 2022

I'm afraid it is not.  Even after emptying the trash, Jira keeps a record of the project key you used and will stop you using it again.  (unless the project never had any issues in it)

Pedro Almada June 7, 2022

Odd, because I had a project that had been misconfigured and this worked. There were only like 10 issues so I manually typed each issue to a new project, deleted the old project, emptied the trash and then managed to rename the new project to the old key.

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Pedro Almada June 7, 2022

This was on the cloud

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Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
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June 7, 2022

I re-tested it just before posting that last comment, and Jira blocked us from using the old project key.

So, no, this remains an incorrect answer.

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Pedro Almada June 7, 2022

Hm, maybe something else need to be done before deleting the project? How long did you wait for the reindexing?

Pedro Almada June 7, 2022

I've edited the answer to make the wording clearer

Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
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June 7, 2022

You don't need to wait for the re-indexing, but even if you did, I left it plenty of time.

Your edit has made a nonsense of the conversation.

mark.stackrow September 14, 2022

I am experiencing the same issue. I deleted my old project and it still will not allow me to update my new project with the old project's key. 

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Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
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September 14, 2022

Please read the accepted answers above.  They won't help you, but they do explain it.

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David Thomas March 28, 2023

I just tested and deleting the project from the trash worked (I could then re-use the same key in a different project)

It may have to do that it was a team-managed project, so it didn't have any external references.  

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Daniel Vlahovic August 21, 2023

This also worked for me. Project had to be 'Permanently deleted' from the trash. 
This was for a 'team managed' project on Jira Cloud.

0 votes
Tuochen Zhan October 14, 2021

I still have the same problem here.

Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
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October 14, 2021

See @Callum Carlile _Automation Consultants_  answer, it still applies.

Tuochen Zhan November 10, 2021

Yeah I know it's not working. I was under the impression that replying here can push JIRA team to improve the behaviors faster.

Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
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November 10, 2021

It won't.  Atlassian don't look to Community for helping rank their backlogs.  They do look at votes on issues in their Jira (and they do take items from Community into it)

See https://jira.atlassian.com/browse

Ari Romanenko November 15, 2021

You can delete your project. Jira will move it to trash. If you need immediately to use a new key, as admin, go to Projects and delete it from trash. Then you can re-use the key.

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