Cannot change or delete filters owned by deactivated or deleted users in Jira Cloud

Platform Notice: Cloud Only - This article only applies to Atlassian products on the cloud platform.

Summary

Jira Administrators can remove filters owned by deactivated or deleted users, but this must be performed in a specific area in Jira Cloud.

Solution

Remove or change owner for filters owned by a deactivated or deleted user

  1. From any page in Jira, click the Settings Cog icon > System

  2. In the left navigation, under "Shared Items", click Filters

  3. Browse or search for the filter

  4. Click More options (...) and select either "Change Owner" or "Delete Filter"

  5. The filter will be deleted or owner will be changed successfully

Reasons for removing a filter after user deactivation or deletion

There are a few cases where this solution is useful. The most common problems this can fix are:

  • Unable to share a board with other users as the filter is private

  • Unable to stop filter from sending email subscriptions

Updated on April 2, 2025

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