---
title: About labels
intro: 'Labels on {% data variables.product.product_name %} help you organize and prioritize your work. You can apply labels to issues and pull requests to signify priority, category, or any other information you find useful.'
redirect_from:
  - /articles/about-labels
versions:
  free-pro-team: '*'
  enterprise-server: '*'
  github-ae: '*'
---

Labels are tied to the repository they are created in. Once a label exists, you can use it on any issue or pull request within that repository. For more information, see "[Creating a label](/articles/creating-a-label/)."

Anyone with read access to a repository can view and search the repository’s labels. To create, edit, apply, or delete a label, you must have write access to the repository.

### Using default labels

{% data variables.product.product_name %} provides default labels in every new repository. You can use these default labels to help create a standard workflow in a repository:

Label | Description
---  | ---
`bug` | Indicates an unexpected problem or unintended behavior
`documentation` | Indicates a need for improvements or additions to documentation
`duplicate` | Indicates similar issues or pull requests
`enhancement` | Indicates new feature requests
`good first issue` | Indicates a good issue for first-time contributors
`help wanted` | Indicates that a maintainer wants help on an issue or pull request
`invalid` | Indicates that an issue or pull request is no longer relevant
`question` | Indicates that an issue or pull request needs more information
`wontfix` | Indicates that work won't continue on an issue or pull request

Default labels are included in every new repository when the repository is created, but you can edit or delete the labels later. For more information, see "[Deleting a label](/articles/deleting-a-label/)."

{% if currentVersion == "free-pro-team@latest" or currentVersion ver_gt "enterprise-server@2.19" or currentVersion == "github-ae@latest" %}
Organization owners can customize the default labels for repositories in their organization. For more information, see "[Managing default labels for repositories in your organization](/articles/managing-default-labels-for-repositories-in-your-organization)."
{% endif %}

{% if currentVersion == "free-pro-team@latest" %}
### Further reading

- "[Encouraging helpful contributions to your project with labels](/github/building-a-strong-community/encouraging-helpful-contributions-to-your-project-with-labels)"
{% endif %}