Jira Wiki Markup (Text Formatting Notation) for formatting issue descriptions, comments, and custom fields. NOT Markdown—Jira uses different syntax. Use when formatting Jira text, creating tables/panels/code blocks in Jira, linking users/issues/attachments, writing Jira templates, or when any Jira formatting question arises. Triggers include "Jira markup", "Jira formatting", "Jira table", "Jira code block", "Jira panel", "link in Jira", "format Jira comment/description", "Jira wiki syntax".
Jira uses Wiki-style markup, not Markdown. Key differences from Markdown:
| Element | Markdown | Jira Wiki |
|---|---|---|
| Bold | **text** | *text* |
| Italic | *text* | _text_ |
| Headings | # ## ### | h1. h2. h3. |
| Code inline | `code` | {{code}} |
| Links | [text](url) | [text|url] |
| Images |  | !url! |
| Tables | | separators | || headers, | cells |
*bold* _italic_ -strikethrough- +underline+
^superscript^ ~subscript~ {{monospace}}
??citation?? {color:red}colored{color}
h1. Largest
h2. Large
h3. Medium (most common for sections)
[http://example.com] Plain URL
[Link Text|http://example.com] URL with text
[~username] User mention (notifies them)
[^attachment.ext] Link to attachment
[PROJ-123] Issue link (auto-detected)
* Bullet item # Numbered item
** Nested bullet ## Nested number
- Alternative bullet #* Mixed: number then bullet
||Header 1||Header 2||Header 3||
|Cell 1|Cell 2|Cell 3|
|Cell 4|Cell 5|Cell 6|
Code block with syntax highlighting:
{code:python}
def hello():
return "world"
{code}
Plain preformatted (no highlighting):
{noformat}
Preserves whitespace, no *formatting* applied
{noformat}
Quote (for citations):
bq. Single paragraph quote
{quote}
Multi-paragraph
quoted content
{quote}
Panel (for callouts/notices):
{panel:title=Warning|bgColor=#FFFFCE}
Important message here
{panel}
\\ Force line break
---- Horizontal rule
--- Em dash (—)
-- En dash (–)
| Need | Use |
|---|---|
| Highlight important info | {panel:title=Note} |
| Quote someone/something | bq. or {quote} |
| Show code/logs/errors | {code:language} |
| Preserve spacing without highlighting | {noformat} |
| Notify a team member | [~username] |
| Reference an issue | Just type PROJ-123 |
| Structured data | Tables with || and | |
h3. Status
*Current:* In progress
*Blockers:* None
*Next steps:* Complete testing
h3. Details
Description here...
h3. Steps to Reproduce
# Step one
# Step two
# Step three
h3. Expected vs Actual
||Expected||Actual||
|Should show X|Shows Y|
{code:title=Stack Trace}
Error details here
{code}
h3. Decision
We chose option B.
{panel:title=Rationale}
Explanation of why...
{panel}
h3. Alternatives Considered
* Option A - rejected because...
* Option C - rejected because...
Use backslash to show literal characters: \*not bold\* → *not bold*