Easy Tech TutsHow to Create a Child Issue in Jira
By Impran M N
Jira's newer hierarchy lets you attach child issues to a parent so large pieces of work can be split up without losing the connection between them. This guide walks through creating a child issue from an existing parent.
01Open the parent issue
Go to the issue that should act as the parent and open its detail view.
02Locate the child issues section
Scroll to the area of the issue where related child issues can be added or listed.
03Create a new child issue
Choose to add a child issue, give it a summary, and select the appropriate issue type.
04Set details on the child issue
Add an assignee, priority, and any other fields the child issue needs before saving it.
05Track progress from the parent
Use the parent issue's view to see the status of all its child issues as they move through the workflow.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a child issue and a subtask?
Child issues are part of Jira's newer hierarchy and can be full issue types, while subtasks are a simpler, single-level breakdown.
Can a child issue have its own child issues?
This depends on how your hierarchy levels are configured, since Jira supports multiple levels beyond the default.
Do child issues appear on the board separately?
Yes, child issues typically appear as their own cards depending on your board's filter and layout settings.
Can I remove the parent-child link later?
Yes, you can unlink a child issue from its parent at any time without deleting the issue itself.
Watch the full walkthrough
The same steps, demonstrated on screen from start to finish.
