How to find where a custom field is used in Jira Cloud

By Skymeadow Software · October 9, 2026

Before you rename, change or delete a custom field, you need to know three things: which projects and work types it applies to, which screens show it, and whether any work items hold a value for it. Jira Cloud can answer each of these. This guide shows where to look in the UI, the JQL to run, and the REST API calls for when you have a lot of fields.

1. Start on the Fields page

Go to Settings › Work items › Fields. For each custom field, the list shows when it was last used and how many screens and contexts it has.

Last used is only tracked for some field types, so "None" can mean "not tracked" rather than "never used". Treat it as a hint, not proof.

2. Check the field's contexts

A field's contexts decide which projects and work types it applies to. Open the field's contexts from the Fields page to see each context's projects and work types. A global context applies to every project.

3. Check whether it holds data

JQL is the source of truth for whether any work items have a value. Use the field's numeric ID (the 10056 in customfield_10056):

cf[10056] is not EMPTY

To see whether any of those work items were touched in the last year, add:

cf[10056] is not EMPTY AND updated >= "-365d"

Atlassian's JQL docs recommend quoting relative dates like "-365d".

4. Use the REST API for many fields

Checking fields one at a time gets slow on a large site. These calls are all GETs; most need the Administer Jira global permission.

GET /rest/api/3/field/search?type=custom&expand=lastUsed,screensCount,contextsCount: Every custom field with its last-used information and its screen and context counts.
GET /rest/api/3/field/{fieldId}/context: The field's contexts.
GET /rest/api/3/field/{fieldId}/context/projectmapping: Which projects each context applies to. A global context comes back with isGlobalContext set instead of a list of project IDs.
GET /rest/api/3/field/{fieldId}/context/issuetypemapping: Which work types each context applies to.
GET /rest/api/3/field/{fieldId}/screens: The screens the field is on.
GET /rest/api/3/search/jql?jql=cf[10056] is not EMPTY: The work items that hold a value (URL-encode the JQL).

5. What these checks don't cover

None of the above looks inside workflow conditions, validators and post functions, saved filters, dashboards, boards or automation rules. Check those separately before you remove a field.

6. If you delete it

Deleting a custom field in Jira Cloud isn't immediate. The field moves to the Deleted fields tab for 60 days and can be restored there with its data. While it's waiting there, it's removed from automations, workflow functions and apps, and restoring it adds it back. Deleting through the REST API is different: it deletes the field right away.

Before you delete anything, export the work items that hold a value.