Can't edit parent field when moving a work item in Jira Cloud

Summary

When attempting to Move a sub-task or other child work item, you may find that the Parent field cannot be edited or changed. If you're specifically looking to re-parent a child work item during a Move operation, and are unable to do so, this article explains why this occurs and how to resolve it.

Solution

Check if Parent field is on the proper screen

This problem usually occurs when the Parent field is not visible or editable during the move process. Check the following items to confirm:

• The Parent field is not added to the screen configuration associated with the sub-task work type

• The parent work item key you're trying to assign the sub-task to must exist and be eligible as a parent on the same Jira Cloud site

Add the parent field to the correct screen

1. Navigate to your project

2. Select Project settings > All work > Screens

3. Select the screen used by the affected work type

4. In the screen editor, add the Parent field

5. Navigate back to the affected work item and initiate the Move operation again

6. You should now see the Parent field during the move

7. Enter the key of the desired parent (e.g., ABC-123)

Once the field has been added to the work item's screen, you can also verify this directly in the work item view:

• At the top of the work item, you should see the Parent field showing either:

  • (empty) — if not currently linked to a parent

  • A valid key like ABC-123 — if already linked to a parent