Jira custom field description can't exceed 255 characters

Summary

When you try to add or use a custom field on any screen, you see the error message:

"Description can't exceed 255 characters."

Solution

Edit field description to fewer than 255 characters

Jira has a hard character limit for custom field descriptions. This limit cannot be adjusted in Jira Cloud.

If you're seeing this error, you will need to edit the field's description to a value smaller than 255 characters.

1. Navigate to ⚙️Settings > Work items > Custom fields

2. Search for the custom field by name

3. Select ... (more options) > Edit details

4. Adjust the field's description

5. Save changes

Alternative: Use a different field type

If necessary, you can use a multi-line Text field, which supports ~32000 characters.