How to compress images before uploading to monday.com
Key takeaways
- Is it better to compress images before uploading to monday.com or after?
- After, in most teams. Compressing before upload relies on every person remembering to do it. A File Compress automation compresses on arrival with no discipline required.
- How do I compress an image before uploading if I want to?
- Export at the display resolution you actually need, save photos as JPEG or WebP at 70–80% quality, and use a tool like Squoosh or your OS export dialog.
- What resolution should images be for a monday.com board?
- Board previews and most embeds display under ~1600px wide. Anything beyond that is stored but never seen at full size.
- Does monday.com compress images automatically on upload?
- No. monday.com stores the file exactly as uploaded. Compression only happens if you add an app like File Compress.
Compressing images before uploading to monday.com is worth doing when a file is genuinely too large — near the 500MB upload limit, or a raw camera export. For everyday board attachments, compressing after upload with a File Compress automation is more reliable, because it does not depend on every team member remembering a manual step.
The case against "just compress it first"
Pre-upload compression is a process that lives in people's heads. It works for one careful person and fails for a team of ten, a client uploading through a form, or a field tech in a hurry. Within a week the board has a mix of optimized and 8MB images and you are back to auditing.
The sharp pipeline behind File Compress can run automatically on monday.com's file column changes trigger, so every image is compressed on arrival regardless of who uploaded it or how. Set it up once — see automatically compress images in monday.com — and the question disappears.
When you should compress first
- The file is close to or over 500MB (panoramas, RAW, layered TIFF)
- You are on slow or metered internet and want a faster upload
- The board has no compression app and you cannot install one
How to compress an image on your machine
- Resize to what is needed. For board use, 1600–2000px on the long edge is plenty. Google's image optimization guide explains why serving beyond display size is wasted bytes.
- Pick the right format. JPEG or WebP for photos, PNG for screenshots. See MDN's format comparison.
- Export at 70–80% quality. Squoosh shows the size and a live preview as you adjust.
- Keep the master. Store the full-resolution original in your DAM or drive if you will need it for print.
| Tool | Where | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Squoosh | Browser, free | One or two images, visual control |
| macOS Preview / Windows Photos | Built in | Quick resize and re-save |
| ImageOptim / TinyPNG | App / web | Batch, drag-and-drop |
| File Compress | On the board | Everything already uploaded, and automation |
The hybrid that actually works
Compress locally only when a file would otherwise not fit. For everything else, upload as-is and let a File Compress automation handle it, plus one batch run to clean up what is already there.
The short version
Pre-upload compression matters for oversized files and slow connections — resize to ~1600–2000px, save as JPEG or WebP at 70–80%, keep the master. For normal board work, an on-upload automation beats manual discipline every time. See the setup guide.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best format to upload images in to monday.com?
- JPEG or WebP for photographs, PNG for screenshots and flat graphics with text. Avoid uploading photos as PNG — the file will be several times larger for no visible gain.
- Should I resize images before uploading?
- If they are far larger than they will ever be displayed, yes. Downscaling to ~1600–2000px on the long edge cuts size dramatically and stacks with compression.
- Can I make my whole team compress before uploading?
- You can ask, but it rarely sticks. A File Compress automation that compresses on the "file column changes" trigger removes the need for anyone to remember.
- Will compressing before upload lose quality?
- At 80% JPEG quality the change is imperceptible for board use. Keep an uncompressed master elsewhere if you need it for print.
- Does compressing before upload help with the 500MB limit?
- Yes. If a raw export or panorama exceeds 500MB, compressing or resizing it locally is the only way to get it onto the board.
Zack
File Compress Developer at ColumnMate. Writes about file management, storage, and automation inside monday.com.
Related reading
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