Attachment Field

The Attachment Field custom field allows files to be attached directly to a specific work item field — for example, Invoices, Evidence Photos, or PQR Documents — independently of Jira's native attachments panel. Each field stores its own files separately: different fields on the same work item do not share attachments, and a parent work item's field does not mix its files with those of its subtasks.

Create the Attachment Field

1. In Jira, open Settings (cog) → Work items (on some sites this appears as Work items).

2. In the sidebar, under Fields, open Custom fields.

3. Click Create field.

4. In the Field type dropdown, search for and select Attachment Field.

   

5. Enter a Name for the field (for example, "Invoices", "PQR Evidence", "Photographs") and, optionally, a Description.

6. Click Create.

7. Associate with screens: Select the screens where the field should appear (create, edit, transition, view) and click Update.

The field is now available for use on work items in the associated space or work type.

Per-context configuration

Each field context can have its own file restrictions. To configure them:

1. In Jira, go to Settings → Work items → Custom fields.
2. Locate the Attachment Field and click ⋯ → Contexts and default value.
3. Select the context you want to configure.
4. Fill in the parameters below in the field configuration section.
5. Click Save.

Configuration parameters

Parameter	Description	Example
Maximum files	Maximum number of files the field can hold on a single work item. The minimum value is 1.	5
Allowed types	Accepted file categories: images, spreadsheets, documents, videos, compressed archives. Multiple categories can be selected. If none are checked, any type is accepted.	Images + Documents
Custom extensions	Additional allowed extensions, comma-separated and without a leading dot.	dwg, step, dxf
Maximum file size	Maximum size per individual file (KB, MB, or GB). Leave empty for no limit.	10 MB

Independent contexts per space

You can have multiple contexts for the same field — one per space or work type — and apply different restrictions to each. For example, the "Invoices" field can accept only PDFs and spreadsheets in the accounting spaces context, while also allowing images in the support spaces context.

Available surfaces

The Attachment Field is available on the following Jira surfaces:

• Work item view: displays attached files with filename, type icon, preview, and download.
• Create screen: allows files to be uploaded when creating a work item.
• Edit screen: allows adding or removing files on existing work items.
• Transition screen: allows attaching files during a workflow transition.
• Jira Service Management: the field behaves like the other Admin Essentials custom fields: agent view and customer portal (request form and request detail), if it is associated with the corresponding screens.

Validation messages

If a user tries to upload a file that does not meet the configured restrictions, the field shows a message indicating the reason:

• Maximum files reached: the field has reached the allowed limit; the user must delete an existing file before uploading a new one.
• File type not allowed: the file does not belong to any configured category or extension.
• File too large: the file exceeds the maximum size defined for the context.

JQL search

The Attachment Field supports the is EMPTY and is not EMPTY operators in JQL:

"Invoices" is not EMPTY
"PQR Evidence" is EMPTY

Searching by filename is not available

It is not possible to search by filename, extension, or file type using JQL. Only the presence or absence of files in the field can be filtered.

Important limitations

Differences from Jira's native attachments

Files uploaded to the Attachment Field are not part of the work item's native Attachments panel. This means:

• Files do not appear in the work item's Attachments section.
• The JQL query attachments is not EMPTY does not detect files in the Attachment Field; use "Field name" is not EMPTY instead.
• Files in the field are not included in exports or migrations that only consider native Jira attachments.

Forge Object Store (Preview)

File storage uses Forge Object Store, currently in Preview status on the Atlassian Forge platform. Note:

• Deleting a file from the field removes the object from the store permanently. This action cannot be undone.
• Deleting the work item does not automatically clean the Object Store: objects associated with the work item remain in the store until explicitly deleted from the field. It is recommended to delete files from the field before deleting the work item to avoid orphaned objects.
• As a Preview module, capabilities, limits, and behaviour are subject to change in future Forge versions.