How to create Jira release notes and export them to PDF or Excel

Updated October 22, 2026 by Pledona

Jira Cloud can build release notes from a version, but it gives you text to copy, not a file. Teams on Atlassian Community keep asking the same things: how to leave some work items out, how to use a customer friendly description instead of the summary, and how to get a PDF. Here is what the built in release notes do, how to set up a version so the notes come out clean, and three ways to turn them into a PDF or a spreadsheet.

What Jira's built in release notes do

They come from the Fix versions field. Every work item with the version in Fix versions is included, grouped by work type.
They live on the Releases page of a software space. Turn the feature on in Space settings, Features, Releases. You need the Administer spaces and Manage versions permissions. Turning it on adds the Fix versions field and a Releases tab.
They copy as Markdown or HTML. There is no PDF or Excel button. If your notes include panels, dates, expands or statuses, only the HTML copy works.
They are generated fresh every time. When you save release notes, Jira saves the format (which fields to show), not the text. Change a work item and the notes change too.
Text only. Rich text and plain text fields work; images, videos and other files are not supported yet.

Step 1: put the right work items in the version

Create the version on the Releases tab with Create version, and give it a name, start date and release date.
Add work items from the version page with Add work items, or set Fix versions on each work item. A work item can be in more than one version.
Check the list with JQL before you write anything: project = ABC AND fixVersion = "2.4.0" ORDER BY type, key. Jira's JQL reference says you can search by version name or version ID.

Useful version functions for saved filters that never need editing:

fixVersion = latestReleasedVersion(ABC): the most recent released version, by the order on the Releases page, not by date.
fixVersion = earliestUnreleasedVersion(ABC): the next version you are working toward. Again, the order on the Releases page decides which one is "earliest", so drag versions into the right order.
fixVersion in releasedVersions(ABC) and fixVersion in unreleasedVersions(ABC): every released or unreleased version of the space.

Step 2: add a customer facing release notes field

Summaries are written for the team ("Fix NPE in invoice job"), not for customers. Atlassian's answer is a separate field:

Open any work item in the space, select More actions (...), then Configure.
Add a Paragraph field and name it Release notes.
Fill it in on work items that customers should hear about, in plain language.
On the version, open Release notes, then Formatting options, and add the new field from the Work item fields list.

To leave internal work out, agree on a rule the whole team can follow: only work items with the Release notes field filled in go to customers, or only work items with a label such as customer-facing. The built in generator always lists every work item in the version, so this filter is applied in JQL (Step 4), not in the generator.

Step 3: generate the notes in Jira or Confluence

In Jira: Releases, pick the version, Release notes, Create release notes in Jira. Choose fields under Formatting options, then Copy to clipboard (Markdown or HTML) or Save release notes to keep the format in the version's Related work section.
In Confluence: if Confluence is on the same site, choose a space or parent page, the work types and fields, then Create in Confluence. Jira creates a draft page with a summary table and the work items, which you edit into New features, Improvements and Bug fixes, set page permissions on and publish. Confluence can then export the page to PDF or Word.
With Rovo: if Rovo is enabled and Confluence is active, turn on Create with Rovo for an AI draft that you review and publish to Confluence.

Step 4: get a PDF or a spreadsheet without an app

The generator has no file export, so go through search instead:

Run the version JQL in Filters, Search work items. For customer notes, narrow it: project = ABC AND fixVersion = "2.4.0" AND "Release notes" IS NOT EMPTY ORDER BY type, or use AND labels = customer-facing.
Add the columns you want, for example Work type, Summary and Release notes.
For a spreadsheet, choose More actions, Export, Export Excel CSV (current fields). If it opens badly, see how to fix a Jira CSV in Excel.
For a PDF, print the list or export to Word and save as PDF. Our Jira to PDF guide walks through each built in route and its limits.

One catch from Community: in an HTML or printed list, work item keys are links, and customers who click them hit a Jira login page. Leave the Key column out of customer copies, or paste the values into a document as plain text.

Step 5 (optional): react when a version is released

Jira Automation has a Version released trigger. Pair it with the Work item fixed in version related work items branch to loop through everything in the release, for example to add a comment, set a field or post a message. Keep an eye on cost: every branch iteration counts as an Automation step, so a 200 item release uses at least 200 steps for that one rule. See how Automation steps are counted.

Option: an export app for release notes you send every release

Pledona Export for Jira runs any JQL, including the version queries above, straight into an Excel, CSV or PDF file. Your Release notes field shows up in its field picker with every other custom field, so you can save a template once (for example Work type, Summary, Release notes) and reuse it each release. In the PDF, each work item gets its own block with the key and summary as a heading and the other fields underneath; leave Key out of the template and the heading shows only the summary. Keys and values are plain text, not links. Sorting follows your JQL, so ORDER BY type keeps features and bugs together.

Know its limits. The PDF header shows the number of work items, the JQL and the export time, which is fine for internal release notes but means a customer copy is better built from the Excel file or the Confluence page. It does not add New features or Bug fixes headings, logos or custom layouts; for designed customer documents, Confluence or a dedicated PDF template app does more. Emoji are left out of PDFs, every cell is written as text, and one export covers up to 1,000 work items. Scheduled exports run daily, weekly or monthly, not on the Version released event. Pledona Export runs entirely on Atlassian Forge with no outside servers, is free for up to 10 users, then $1.50 per user per month through Atlassian, and is pending Atlassian Marketplace review.

Which option to pick

Internal changelog in a chat or ticket: the built in release notes, copied as Markdown.
Customer release notes page: a Release notes field plus Create in Confluence, edited and exported from Confluence.
A spreadsheet or PDF for every release: a saved version filter with the customer filter in JQL, exported with Jira's CSV export or an export app.

Sources: Atlassian Support, Create release notes; Enable releases and versions; JQL fields (Fix version); JQL functions (releasedVersions, latestReleasedVersion, earliestUnreleasedVersion); Jira automation triggers (Version released); Export search results. Atlassian Community: Issue export to create custom release note; Is there a way to generate PDF release notes from Jira.

Frequently asked questions

Can Jira Cloud generate release notes?

Yes. In a software space, open Releases, pick the version and select Release notes. Jira lists every work item with that fix version, grouped by work type, and you can copy the notes as Markdown or HTML or create them as a Confluence page.

Can I export Jira release notes to PDF?

Not directly. Create the notes in Confluence and export the page to PDF, print a search of the version's work items to PDF, or use an export app that writes PDF files from JQL.

How do I leave work items out of Jira release notes?

The built in generator includes every work item in the version. Filter in JQL instead, for example only work items with a Release notes field filled in or a customer-facing label, and export that search.

How do I add custom text to Jira release notes?

Add a Paragraph field named Release notes to your work items, write the customer text there, then add the field under Formatting options on the version's release notes.

Why did my saved Jira release notes change?

Jira saves the format of release notes, not the content. The notes are generated from the version's current work items each time you view them, so edits to those work items show up.