Search Jira from your Browser

Are you still opening Jira to search Jira? That’s so 2020! There’s a much faster way. Instead, use your browser’s “search engines” feature to quickly jump to Jira spaces, work items, JQL search results, and more. No navigation or clicks required! Once your favorite searches are set up, simply type a specific set of characters to jump straight to your favorite Jira locations! This trick is fast to setup and the possibilities are endless.

How it Works

Example 1: Open a Work Item

For this example, I’ll use the “w” key (for “work item”) as my chosen shortcut. In the browser’s address bar, type the letter “w“, then type the tab key, then type a Jira item key, then type the enter key.

Example: w [tab] DEV-1

After typing “w” and the tab (or space) key, the address bar changes to a search bar that looks like the screenshot below. After typing “DEV-1” and the “enter” key, the browser opens the DEV-1 work item in Jira.

Example 2: Execute a JQL Search

For this example, I’ll use the letters “js” (for “Jira search”) as my chosen shortcut. In the browser’s address bar, type the letters “js“, then type the tab key, then type a JQL query, then type the enter key.

Example: js [tab] priority = highest

After typing “js” and the tab (or space) key, the address bar changes to a search bar that looks like the screenshot below. After typing “priority = highest” and the “enter” key, the browser opens the Jira search page showing the list of all highest priority items.

Setup Instructions

Here’s how to set up your own custom searches. These instructions are for Google Chrome or any chromium-based browser. (Example: Brave, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Island, etc.) You can also use this tip in other browsers. Here are Firefox instructions, for example.

Let’s setup the letter “s” to go to a specific Jira space.

1. Launch a Chrome or chromium browser window.
2. Right click in the address bar and select “Manage search engines and site search”.
3. Scroll down to the “Site search” area and click the “Add” button on the right.
4. In the “Add site search” overlay:
   • In the “Name” field, enter a descriptive name for what you’re searching for. Example: Jira space
   • In the “Shortcut” field, enter a unique keycode to trigger the shortcut. Example: s or :s or @s or jiraspace or any key combo you’d like
   • In the “URL with %s in place of query” field, enter a URL and substitute %s for the search term. Example: If your space’s URL is https://your-site-name.atlassian.net/browse/DEV, change it to https://your-site-name.atlassian.net/browse/%s
5. Click the form submission button.

The “%s” in the URL is a variable that represents whatever you’re searching for. See more sample URLs in the table below.

That’s it! Now let’s test it. In the browser’s address bar, type the letter “s“, then type the tab key, then type a Jira space key, then type the enter key.

Example: s [tab] DEV

The browser will take you directly to the specified Jira space.

Sample Jira URLs

To craft other Jira search URLs, simply find a location in Jira, copy the URL in the address bar, and substitute “%s” for the variable search term. Here are some example formats to try:

Example	URL Format	What %s Represents
Space	https://your-site-name.atlassian.net/browse/%s	Space key (Example: DEV)
Work item	https://your-site-name.atlassian.net.atlassian.net/browse/%s	Item key (Example: DEV-1)
Dashboard	https://your-site-name.atlassian.net/jira/dashboards/%s	Dashboard ID (Example: 10000)
JQL search	https://your-site-name.atlassian.net.atlassian.net/issues/?jql=%s	JQL query (Example: text ~ typo)
Filter	https://your-site-name.atlassian.net.atlassian.net/issues/?filter=%s	Filter ID (Example: 12345)
Jira plan	https://your-site-name.atlassian.atlassian.net/jira/plans/%s	Plan ID (Example: 1)

Other Applications and Websites

You can use this same trick with other applications and websites that have predictable URL search patterns like, Confluence, Dictionary.com, X/Twitter, and even your own website. I frequently use d [tab] term to look up a word’s definition at dictionary.com.

Have a useful Jira tip to share? Add it to the comments below!