How to clone issues in Jira: understanding the basics and navigating limitations
6 min read
Jira is one of the most widely used project management tools for software development, IT, and business teams. Among its many features, the ability to clone Jira issues stands out as a simple yet effective way to save time and keep projects organized.
Whether you’re duplicating a task for recurring work, creating a template for similar tickets, or replicating bugs for testing, cloning can be an invaluable tool. However, while Jira’s built-in clone option is straightforward, it also comes with significant limitations that may frustrate teams managing complex projects.
In this article, we’ll break down how to clone Jira issues, explore the functionality in detail, highlight its drawbacks, and look at how to overcome those limitations with more powerful tools.
What does “clone Jira issue” mean?
When you clone an issue in Jira, you’re essentially creating a duplicate of an existing ticket. This duplicate carries over key data fields such as the issue summary, description, assignee, and priority. Cloning allows teams to quickly replicate tasks without manually re-entering the same information again and again.
For example:
- A QA tester might clone a bug issue to retest it in a different environment.
- A project manager may clone a task that recurs monthly, like “Generate performance report.”
- Developers could clone Jira issues to use as templates for similar feature requests.
Instead of starting from scratch, cloning ensures consistency and saves time.
How to clone an issue in Jira (step-by-step)
Copying in Jira is built into the core functionality and is accessible to all users with the correct permissions. Here’s how it works:
Select “Clone”
In the issue’s action menu (usually represented by the “…” icon), select Clone.
Open the issue you want to clone
Navigate to the issue you’d like to duplicate.
Adjust the details
A dialog box appears, allowing you to modify certain fields. Jira will automatically add the prefix “CLONE – ” to the summary of the new issue, but you can adjust this or edit other fields if necessary.
- Save and create
Once you confirm, Jira generates the new issue with the selected fields copied over.
👉 Tip: If your admin has configured custom prefixes or additional clone options, you may see slightly different settings depending on your Jira instance.
What information gets cloned in Jira?
When you clone a Jira issue, the following elements are typically copied:
- Issue summary (with the “Clone” prefix)
- Description and custom fields
- Assignee and reporter
- Attachments
- Priority
- Labels
However, not everything carries over. By design, Jira avoids duplicating certain aspects to prevent confusion. For example:
- Time tracking data (e.g., logged hours)
- Comments
- Issue history and activity log
- Links to other issues
This makes sense if you’re using cloning to spin up a new piece of work, but it quickly becomes limiting when dealing with more complex issue hierarchies.
Limitations of Jira’s basic cloning
At first glance, cloning in Jira seems like a productivity booster. But once you move beyond simple tasks, you’ll start to notice the drawbacks. Let’s look at the most common ones.
1. No subtask duplication
Cloning does not automatically copy subtasks. If you clone a parent task or epic, Jira will only duplicate the top-level issue. All subtasks or child issues remain behind, requiring you to clone them manually.
Example:
If you clone an epic with 15 user stories and each story has 3 subtasks, you’ll need to create nearly 60 clones by hand.
2. No linked issues
Cloning doesn’t replicate links between issues. If your task is connected to dependencies, blockers, or related tickets, those connections vanish in the clone.
3. Manual effort and human error
Because you must manually replicate subtasks and links, the process is time-consuming. More importantly, it’s prone to errors, teams might forget to clone a related bug or misplace dependencies, leading to inconsistent workflows.
4. Lack of hierarchy preservation
Large projects often rely on issue hierarchies (epic → story → subtask). Jira’s cloning ignores this structure, which can be a serious barrier for teams managing scaled Agile projects.
When is basic cloning enough?
Despite its limitations, it can be useful in simpler scenarios:
- Duplicating a single recurring task
- Re-testing a bug in a different environment
- Spinning up a new feature request similar to an existing one
If your workflow doesn’t involve subtasks, dependencies, or large hierarchies, the built-in cloning may be sufficient.
How to overcome Jira cloning limitations
For teams that need more than just a copy of a single issue, Jira Marketplace apps can extend cloning capabilities dramatically.
Elements Copy & Sync
One of the most popular tools for enhanced copying is Elements Copy & Sync. The app allows you to:
- Clone entire issue hierarchies (epics with all stories and subtasks)
- Preserve links between issues
- Duplicate attachments and comments
- Automate cloning to reduce repetitive work
- Sync changes between the original and cloned issues to keep them aligned
This means instead of spending hours manually recreating structures, you can duplicate them in seconds while ensuring nothing gets lost in the process.
Read more on Elements Copy & Sync documentation
Best practices for cloning Jira issues
If your team frequently clones Jira issues, here are some tips to keep your projects tidy and efficient:
- Use clear naming conventions
Customize the “Clone” prefix to something more meaningful (e.g., “Template,” “Recurring,” or “Copy”). - Document your process
Standardize when and why cloning should be used across your team to avoid cluttering your Jira instance with unnecessary duplicates. - Leverage apps for complex cases
If you regularly clone hierarchies, invest in a tool like Elements Copy & Sync to save time and reduce errors. - Review cloned issues carefully
Always check cloned tickets for missing subtasks, links, or context before assigning them.
Read our guide on cloning Jira issues
Conclusion: should you clone Jira issues?
The ability to clone Jira issues is a simple but powerful capability. For small, recurring tasks, it helps teams save time and maintain consistency. However its limitations, particularly the lack of subtask and link duplication, make it less effective for large projects.
If your team needs to clone complex issue hierarchies or ensure dependencies remain intact, relying on Jira’s native clone feature alone may not be enough.
Tools like Elements Copy & Sync fill this gap, enabling complete, automated duplication and synchronization.
By understanding both the strengths and weaknesses of Jira cloning, you can make better decisions about when to use the built-in capability and when to upgrade your workflow with dedicated apps.
