How to delete watched issues

[Agni Nano]

Everyone says "search with a filter." I have been reading articles for ages; I don't understand how to use filters. I type in "watched issues," "watched," "watching issues," and other similar terms into the search bar and into the filters search bar and I can't find anything. Maybe it is because I have no coding or advanced computer knowledge experience, I am beyond frustrated going through so many articles on this site - other people at my company also are unable to help me. I'm sorry if I come off as rude, but I am extremely desperate at this point, and need a way to bulk delete this issues, instead of assigning JIRA to spam in my inbox and missing something.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist- · Accepted solution]

Oh no, not in the slightest rude!  Understandably frustrated and annoyed about where you have ended up, but not rude at all.

The most simple option is Advanced search (not the "smart search" in the bar, but Issues -> Search, or do a smart search and you'll land on the main search and can click "advanced") and enter the following JQL:

watcher = <your id>

but a lot of us find:

watcher = currentUser()

is a bit better because we can give it to other people.

Once you have used it, you should have a list of issues you are watching, and you can (if you have the global permission" for "bulk edit") use bulk change from the tools menu to unwatch selected parts of the list!

[Agni Nano]

Thank you! I clicked "issues and filters," and then clicked "advanced search" at the top of the screen, and put in the watcher = currentUser() code and it worked! I don't see a bulk edit option, but this is so much better than before, thank you!

I was wondering, you might not know the answer, but why does the watched issues need coding, but the "my open issues" is already there? Thank you!

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

You might want to ask an admin about "bulk edit" permission.  If they grant it to you, it will appear in the tools menu for the navigator.

Watching and "open issues" are totally different things. 

An "open issue" usually means "assigned to me, so I am the current person responsible for it, and it is not flagged as closed/resolved/ended".  Humans often shorten this basic idea and use "open issue" just to mean " not flagged as closed/resolved/ended", so it might belong to anyone, but the "open issues" filters usually have you as the assignee too.

A watched issue is one you have put a flag on to say "I'm interested in this".  You don't have to be the assignee, reporter, part of the team looking at it or anything else, you just need to be able to see it and add the flag.

[Agni Nano]

Thank you for the explanation! I know the differences, but I was just wondering about why the "watched issues" filter wasn't a default option in the sidebar. Do people just not use it much?

Also, thank you for the suggestion, I will ask my manager for permission.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

People don't tend to care about the "watched" filter alone.  It's usually more like "I know I watched something <with several other pieces of information>".  The list of things you're watching is not like the list of things you need to get done.