I just set up a fresh Jira Free instance for my personal work using a business-managed Scrum setup. Here’s my frustrating issue: I can’t find the “Remove” or “Delete” button anywhere for my tickets (not on the main board, ticket details, or backlog view).
What I’ve already attempted:
Verified project permissions:
Went to Project Config → Users → assigned myself the Admin role directly.
Double-checked permission settings:
Site Admin → Tasks → Permission Config → “Standard software permissions” shows Remove Tasks is enabled for the Admin role (and some system roles too).
Created admin group:
Made a project-admins-mysite group, added myself, and confirmed it shows up under Site Administrators.
Basic troubleshooting:
Different browsers, cache clearing, logout/login cycles. The Remove option just won’t appear.
Everything else functions normally: Board setup works fine, tickets display correctly, workflow transitions happen as expected.
My setup:
Jira Cloud Free tier
Business-managed Scrum project
Single user with full admin access
My questions:
Did Atlassian disable permanent removal for Free tier users completely?
What configuration step might I be overlooking for business-managed setups?
Anyone know a workaround like using browser developer tools or API calls?
I’ve been going through help docs for hours without finding an answer. Any suggestions would be awesome!
check your issue security scheme settings - that’s usually what blocks deletion even with admin permissions. also, try the issue navigator instead of the board view. open an issue and look for delete in the ‘more actions’ menu (three dots). that worked for me when the board wasn’t showing the option.
I faced a similar issue with the Jira Cloud Free version. The delete functionality can be a bit elusive. You need to ensure that the ticket is transitioned to a ‘Done’ or ‘Closed’ status before the delete option appears in the three-dot menu. It’s important to verify that your permissions are correctly set up in the issue type scheme. Additionally, remember that even though you can delete issues, they will remain in the trash for 60 days, so don’t worry if they’re still there afterward. This shouldn’t be an impediment with the Free tier if configured correctly.
Had this same problem when I moved to Jira Cloud business-managed. It’s probably your workflow config, not permissions. Check if your workflow scheme has the ‘Delete Issue’ post function set up for transitions. Go to Project Settings → Workflows → edit your workflow and look at the transition properties. You need to explicitly enable delete capability in workflow transitions - the permission scheme isn’t enough. Also check for automation rules that might mess with issue operations. Sometimes it’s easier to just create a fresh workflow scheme and test it with one issue type first.
Admin → Tasks → Permission Config → “Standard software permissions” shows Remove Tasks is enabled for the Admin role (and some system roles too).