Clone a project in Jira (configuration and issues)

Context

Cloning a project in Jira is useful for replicating configurations, issues, and workflows for new initiatives, templates creation, testing environments, or onboarding new clients. Using Elements Copy & Sync, you can streamline this process, avoiding manual duplication. This guide walks you through how to effectively clone a project in Jira Cloud.

Tutorial

This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to clone an entire project in Jira.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure the following:

You have the Elements Copy & Sync app installed on your Jira instance.
You have Jira Administrator permissions for configuring and creating projects.
Your desired target project type (e.g., company-managed or team-managed) is compatible with the source project.

Steps to clone a project in Jira

Step 1: Clone the project configuration

Jira provides a native option to reuse a project’s configuration settings:

Navigate to Projects > Create project.
Select the “Share settings with an existing project” option during the setup process.
- This replicates workflows, permissions, and issue type schemes from the source project to the new one.
Create your project.

Note: This only clones configurations—not the project data.

Step 2: Clone Jira issues and their child issues with Elements Copy & Sync

To copy all issues, including subtasks and dependencies, follow this process:

Create a recipe:
- Navigate to the app configuration.
- Create a recipe to define how the app will clone issues:
  - Specify the source project (where you have all your templated issues)
  - Set your recipe to copy all the fields
  - In the source tab, select Copy full hierarchy (e.g., Epics, Stories, and Subtasks).
  - Configure additional settings like attachments, links, or custom fields.
  - In the content tab, enable the copy subtasks option.
  - You can now save and activate your recipe. Give it a name like “Clone project template”.

Bulk clone issues:
- Go to the template project and open the View all issues search.
- Select the issues you want to clone using the bulk action menu: to copy the entire project using the Copy full hierarchy option, you only need to display issues that have no parent—those at the highest level of the hierarchy. This is because when using Copy full hierarchy, triggering the recipe from a top-level issue automatically copies the entire issue tree beneath it, even if your project contains multiple hierarchies.
  - MANDATORY: In order to display ONLY the issues at the highest level of the hierarchy, you must add parent = NULL to your JQL query.
- Apply the recipe you just configured earlier.
(Optional) Synchronize issue fields:
- For ongoing updates between the source and cloned project, enable synchronization in your recipe.
- This ensures that changes made in one project are reflected in the other.

Step 3: Validate the cloned project

After cloning, verify the following:

The new project reflects the correct workflows, custom fields, and issue types.
All selected issues, subtasks, and links are copied as intended.
(If synchronization is enabled) Updates sync correctly between projects.

FAQs

Can I clone projects between Jira instances?

Yes, Elements Copy & Sync supports cross-instance cloning in Jira, provided both instances have the app installed and configured.

Will cloning preserve issue IDs?

No, cloned issues will have new unique IDs but can retain links to the original issues if configured.

Troubleshooting tips

Issue types missing: Ensure the target project supports the same issue types as the source project.
Automation conflicts: Disable any redundant automation rules in the target project to avoid duplicates or unwanted updates.
Error cloning issues: Confirm that your user role has permissions to create issues in the target project.

By following this guide, you can efficiently clone entire projects in Jira, streamlining processes for new initiatives or client onboarding.

Check out the benefits and best practices when if you want to clone a project in Jira.

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