How to Add a Default Description Template in Jira Cloud (Company-Managed and Team-Managed)

Short answer: In a team-managed project, set a default description per work type in project settings. In a company-managed project the system Description field can't have a default value. Atlassian's KB suggests a custom Paragraph field with a default plus a workflow post function that copies it into Description; you can also use Automation after creation, or an app that pre-fills Description in the Create dialog.

1. Team-managed projects (native)

Project settings > Work types (Issue types), then pick the type.
Open the Description field and choose Edit field.
Fill in Default description and click Save changes.

Limits: one template per work type per project, no sharing across projects, and tables aren't supported in the template (Atlassian's KB suggests Automation for that).

2. Company-managed: Atlassian's custom-field workaround

Create a Paragraph custom field (e.g. "TemplateDescription") and set its default value to your template under Contexts and default value.
Put it on the Create screen only, and remove the system Description from the create screen (this usually means a separate create screen in the screen scheme).
In the workflow's Create transition, add post functions: copy TemplateDescription into Description, then clear TemplateDescription. Publish the workflow.

It works, but it touches screens, screen schemes and workflows for every project, and you need one context per issue type if templates differ.

3. Automation (after creation)

Trigger Work item created, condition {{issue.description.length}} less than a threshold (or Description is empty), action Edit work item > Description with your template. Easy to set up, but the reporter only sees the template after creating the issue, which defeats the "fill this in" purpose of most templates.

4. Pre-fill the template in the Create dialog with an app

An app built on Jira's UI modifications can put template text in Description when the Create dialog opens, per project and issue type, in both project types. Reporters fill in the template instead of discovering it later.

Default Field Values for Jira (by Loomwise) sets defaults per project and issue type for Priority, Assignee, Labels, Components, Description templates and text, number, date and single-select custom fields. The Create dialog opens with the values already filled in, and issues created from the board or backlog get their empty fields filled right after creation. Works in company-managed and team-managed projects, runs on Atlassian Forge, sends no data outside Atlassian. Free for up to 10 users, then $0.35 per user per month, billed through Atlassian. The Marketplace listing is in Atlassian's review now.

See how Default Field Values works Read the docs · Email us for early access

Example templates

Bug: Steps to reproduce / Expected result / Actual result / Environment.
Story: As a … I want … so that … / Acceptance criteria.
Task: Goal / Definition of done / Links.

FAQ

Can I set a default description in a company-managed Jira project? Not on the system Description field. Use Atlassian's custom-field plus post-function workaround, Automation, or an app.

Where is the default description setting in team-managed projects? Project settings > Work types > choose the type > Description > Edit field > Default description.

Can a description template include a table? Team-managed default descriptions can't contain tables. Atlassian suggests Automation with wiki-markup table syntax instead.

Will the template overwrite text a user typed? Native and Create-dialog defaults only pre-fill the field. Automation rules should check that Description is empty or short before writing.

Related guides

Disclosure: Loomwise makes the apps mentioned in the cards above and wrote this guide. Not affiliated with Atlassian. Vote counts are from jira.atlassian.com as of October 2026. Last checked October 2026; Jira menus and features change, so verify in your site. Contact: hello@loomwise.app