Linear Labels
Labels are tags that categorize issues by type, area, or purpose. They make it fast to filter, sort, and find groups of related issues without creating extra teams or projects. Labels work like hashtags — simple, flexible, and powerful when used consistently.
What Labels Do
A label sits on an issue as a colored badge. It tells anyone looking at the list what kind of work an issue represents. Labels don't affect workflow — they don't change who owns an issue or where it sits in the priority order. They purely classify the work.
Issue List View ENG-10 Fix login timeout on Safari 🔴 Urgent 🏷 Bug ENG-11 Add export to CSV feature 🟡 Medium 🏷 Feature ENG-12 Update API documentation 🔵 Low 🏷 Documentation ENG-13 Improve homepage load speed 🟠 High 🏷 Improvement ENG-14 Investigate memory leak in background 🔴 Urgent 🏷 Bug 🏷 Performance
Default Labels in Linear
Linear creates a set of default labels when you set up a new team. Teams can rename, recolor, or delete these defaults and add custom labels that match their workflow.
| Default Label | Typical Use |
|---|---|
| Bug | Something is broken or not working as expected |
| Feature | A new capability being added to the product |
| Improvement | An enhancement to an existing feature |
| Documentation | Writing, updating, or organizing docs |
Create Custom Labels
Go to Settings > Teams > [Team Name] > Labels. Click Add Label and fill in the name and color.
Custom Label Examples by Team Type
| Team Type | Useful Custom Labels |
|---|---|
| Engineering | Technical Debt, Security, Performance, Refactor, CI/CD |
| Design | Accessibility, Research, Component, Style Guide, Prototype |
| Product | Discovery, Experiment, Growth, Retention, Monetization |
| QA | Regression, Flaky Test, P1 Critical, Edge Case, Test Coverage |
Workspace Labels vs Team Labels
Labels in Linear exist at two levels: workspace-wide labels and team-specific labels.
Label Scope
Workspace Level Labels
│
├── Bug (visible to all teams)
├── Feature (visible to all teams)
└── Documentation (visible to all teams)
Team Level Labels (Engineering Team)
│
├── Performance (only visible in Engineering)
├── Technical Debt (only visible in Engineering)
└── Security (only visible in Engineering)
Workspace labels are managed in Settings > Workspace > Labels. Team labels are managed in Settings > Teams > [Team] > Labels. Use workspace labels for categories that apply across all teams. Use team labels for categories specific to one group's work.
Apply Labels to Issues
Open any issue and click the Label field in the right panel. Select one or more labels from the dropdown. You can also apply labels in bulk from the issue list by selecting multiple issues, right-clicking, and choosing Set Label.
Filter Issues by Label
Labels become most powerful when used as filters. Open any issue list and click Filter in the top bar. Select Label from the filter options and choose the labels you want to include or exclude.
Practical Label Filter Examples
| Filter Goal | Label Filter | Additional Filters |
|---|---|---|
| See all open bugs this sprint | Label = Bug | Status ≠ Done, Cycle = Current |
| Find all documentation issues | Label = Documentation | None |
| Review technical debt backlog | Label = Technical Debt | Status = Backlog |
| Count security-related issues | Label = Security | None |
Label Best Practices
| Practice | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Keep labels broad and reusable | Too many specific labels create confusion and go unused |
| Agree on label definitions with your team | Prevents inconsistent labeling across members |
| Limit an issue to 2–3 labels maximum | More than 3 labels usually means the issue is too vague |
| Review unused labels quarterly | Remove labels that nobody applies to keep the list clean |
| Use consistent color coding | Red for critical types, blue for informational, green for process |