Embed a diagram from Google Drive into Jira Cloud

When you have installed draw.io for Jira Cloud, you can attach diagrams from your personal or company Google Drive directly to Jira issues.

Note: As the diagram file is not hosted within Jira, you can’t use the draw.io app in Jira to edit it. When you need to make changes to the embedded diagram, edit the original diagram file on your Google Drive. The thumbnails and diagrams embedded in your Jira issues will automatically be updated.

  1. Open the Jira issue to which you want to add a diagram from Google Drive. Click on the draw.io icon to display the draw.io Diagrams section.
    Display the draw.io diagrams section in your Jira Cloud tickets
  2. Click on the three dots in the top of the right panel of your Jira issue, then click on Embed draw.io diagram menu entry. This will open a file picker dialog.
    Click on Embed draw.io diagram via the issue actions menu to open the file picker
  3. Select the Google Drive tab. If you haven’t allowed draw.io to access your files on Google Drive, click the blue Authorize button, and follow the prompts to allow access.
  4. When you return to the file picker, click Choose.
    Click Choose to look for the .drawio diagram file in your Google Drive
  5. Find and double-click on the .drawio diagram file you want to embed, or select the diagram then click on Select.

    Double click on the diagram you want to add to your issue
  6. Check that the preview is showing you the right diagram, then click Submit.
    Check the preview of your .drawio diagram file on Google Drive

An attachment will be added to the issue recording where to find the diagram (on Google Drive), and a thumbnail of your diagram will appear in the draw.io Diagrams section.

Diagrams on a Jira Cloud issue - from Google Drive, One Drive and stored on the ticket itself

How to view a diagram attached to a Jira issue

Click on the diagram thumbnail in the draw.io Diagrams section under the issue description to open your diagram in the draw.io lightbox.
After clicking on a diagram thumbnail, it will open in the draw.io lightbox

If this is the first time you have encountered draw.io in Jira, you will be asked to authorise draw.io to access your Google Drive account. This makes sure you have the appropriate permissions on Google Drive to see the diagram file.

What happens to embedded diagrams if draw.io is uninstalled?

The embedded diagrams and the draw.io diagrams section in your Jira issues will no longer be able to be displayed. Of course, no data on Google Drive is deleted!

When you reinstall the draw.io app for Jira Cloud, as long as the connection with Google Drive is still authorised, your diagrams and files will be displayed again, no further steps necessary.

Tip: You can also embed diagrams in Jira issues from OneDrive, and diagrams from Google Drive in Confluence Cloud pages